In
this month's issue:
(Click on a headline to go directly to the article)
Also in this issue:
- Support your local team
- Candidates be warned
- Be a good neighbour
- State of Health in Eastbourne
- Reliable Tradesmen
- Members' Surgeries
- SHRA Fighting Fund
- Natural Fitness Centre wins award
- This Month's Sponsors
To
contact waterlines, write to:
Waterlines
PO Box 124
Eastbourne
BN24 9AW
Or, e-mail
Waterlines
There is a document on the EBC website, entitled 'Outdoor Playing Space
Provision - Supplementary Planning Guidance'. The guidance provided by
this very important addition to the Borough Plan seems to have been totally
ignored by those for whom it is intended.
In its introduction, it gives the National Playing Fields Association (NPFA) definition of outdoor playing space. 'Space which is available for sport, active recreation or children's play, which is of suitable size and nature for its intended purpose, and safely accessible and available for the general public'.
There are a number of land types which are specifically excluded from this definition, the most notable of which is, 'water used for recreation, except where it forms a play feature of an outdoor play area, such as a paddling pool. The document goes on to say, 'Under this definition, the marina areas of Sovereign Harbour would also not be included, as these are commercial areas for boats, and children would not be encouraged to play there'.
Chapter Ten of the Borough Plan provides policies for the provision of open space, with particular specifications for playing fields and children's play space.
Policy LE1: The council will maintain the provision of playing fields at a minimum of 1.21Ha (3.0 acres) per 1,000 of population.
Policy LE2: The council will require new residential development of 15 or more dwellings to contain open space in order to meet the needs generated by the new development, at a level which would satisfy the standards, together with a commuted sum for future maintenance. If such provision is not feasible, the council will seek a contribution towards the cost of providing or upgrading such facilities elsewhere in the vicinity.
These policies have been available for use in development control since October 1993. In the case of an outline planning application, the open space requirements must be secured at the same time as the grant of the outline consent. These policies cannot justify refusal or contributions at reserved matters stage.
On 13th August 1997, the outline planning consent was issued for the development of the north harbour. Condition 21 of this consent was 'That each phase of the development shall provide play facilities for children and other casual/informal space for children in accordance with the Borough Plan standard or as other wise may be agreed by the local planning authority.'
The reason given was 'in the interest of community development and facilities for children.'
On 12th August 1997, just one day before this consent was granted, a Section 106 agreement was signed between Sovereign Harbour Ltd and EBC. This agreement acknowledges the requirements of policy LE2, but states, 'The applicant has chosen to satisfy policy LE2 by paying a financial contribution.'
Policy LE2 clearly states that a financial contribution will only be sought if the provision of space is not feasible. On a development that starts from a clean sheet, the provision of the required space clearly is feasible. Also, the policy makes no provision for the applicant to choose this option.
Even if we accept that this agreement satisfies the policy, which is difficult to even contemplate, we then need to look at what would be a suitable sum of money to compensate for the loss of about 30 acres of playing space which, as prime building land, would be worth many millions of pounds.
The Supplementary Planning Guide gives some assistance with this. Without going into all of the detail, there are some very significant line items.
- £110,000 for a pair of home and visitors separate changing and shower facilities.
- £10,118 per pitch for mowing and white lining.
- £25,848 per changing room for running costs, including cleaning and staffing.
There is very much more, and these amounts are 'per 3 acres, so multiply by about ten!
So
how much did Sovereign Harbour Ltd (SHL) pay for the provision of all
this very valuable building land? If we look at the numbers above, we
could conservatively assume that it would be two or three million
pounds.
The actual sum paid, was just a little over twenty-seven thousand
pounds paid in two instalments, just a fraction of what is indicated in
the guidelines and a real slap in the face for the residents of Sovereign
Harbour.
But there is worse to come. Not only were SHL allowed to make this choice, they were also allowed to dictate the terms of how, where and when the contribution would be used.
Three of the clauses in the agreement state,
- The Financial Contribution shall be used by the Council within a period of five years from the receipt of the second instalment by the council.
- Any part of the Financial Contribution not used by the Council within the period specified above shall be returned to the person or persons who made the payment.
- The monies returned shall include interest thereon calculated on a daily basis at a daily rate of 1/365th of the Barclays Bank plc rate in force from time to time from the due date to the date of payment.
The five year period specified in the agreement has almost expired, the money has not been spent, and planning officers are engaged in frantic eleventh hour discussions, in an attempt to renegotiate the agreement.
It
would certainly add insult to injury if EBC were obliged to repay the
money with interest.
Whenever the provision of the playing space is brought up, planning officers
have attempted to justify their predecessors actions by saying that SHL
have
provided 42 acres of open space in the form of the marina. But as we've
seen, their own planning guidelines specifically excude the marina as
it is a 'commercial area for boats'.
Recent excuses for the failure to adhere to the Council's policy are to include the beach area and the marina walkways in the calculations. The fact is that in this case, as in so many others, harbour residents have been clearly sold short, and those responsible are desperately trying to avoid the fallout.
Despite the recent motion unanimously passed by the Council, Carillion still refuse to enter into direct discussions, and SHL continues to press for a B&Q warehouse that not even B&Q wants. The time has come for our elected representatives to take firm control of the situation and drive through a plan for the completion of 'Sovereign Harbour Village' that, for the first time, puts the needs of residents firmly at the top of the agenda.
Wouldn't it be great if people had the power to take real control of the
locality in which they live. Wouldn't it be great if, when the planning
committee said 'No to B&Q' that was the end of the line. Wouldn't
it be great if, when residents said, 'No more flats', and the Borough
Council agreed with them, developers had to accept the decision. Wouldn't
it be great if the government could actually be forced to put its policy
of devolving power to the local level into practice.
Before the last General Election, the Government introduced the 'Sustainable Communities Bill', which was intended to address these issues and effectively bring 'Power to the People'. However, this Bill was not included in the Labour manifesto and was dropped from the legislative programme after the election. This Bill would have empowered citizens and councils to drive government policies in their areas; it would have given people real power, not just 'consultation rights'.
A campaign has been mounted inside and outside of parliament to get this Bill into law. So far, 359 Members of Parliament, over half of them, have signed the parliamentary motion entitled 'Early Day Motion No 641' in support of the Bill, including David Cameron, Menzies Campbell and Nigel Waterson.
On Thursday 23rd November, the Parliamentary Private Members' Ballot takes place, and the seven MP's who top the list will each choose a Bill to adopt. The Bill they choose will depend to a great extent on the amount of lobbying they receive so write to your MP asking him/her to adopt this Bill, in the unlikely event that he/she should they be successful in the ballot or, if unsuccessful, to lobby the winners to influence their choice.
Also, keep a look out for the results of the ballot and write to the successful members urging them to adopt the Bill. We will publish the names of the successful members on the news page of the website.
Without
legislation such as this, corporate bullies will continue to use their
muscle to ride roughshod over the wishes of ordinary people. Need must
be put before greed.
Once again, there will be no SHRA Christmas carols on the harbour. To quote Marj Pratt, "response was overwhelmingly tepid". Our thanks to those who did respond, and our apologies if we have disappointed you.
Even if we had managed to drum up sufficient support, we would still have been unable to proceed. as we would have required a licence from the council, which we would have had to apply for twelve months in advance.
It seems that this country has descended into a position where spontaneous action is impossible and even if you plan well ahead, you must have a licence, public liability insurance and have conducted a risk assessment. You might have noticed the absence of firework displays this year!
However, we have heard that the Haven Church will be organising an event and, in any case, they will be holding a 'Christingle Service' in the Haven School on Sunday 17th December at 4:00pm. Look out for the December issue of Waterlines for more information.
'Marina
Mums' is a group, set-up by harbour resident, Sam Skull, to provide a
social network for mums and 'mums to be' and their babies, toddlers and
children. Meetings are held on a monthly basis, to create a social network,
and provide an opportunity to get together, to chat, provide mutual support
and to discuss local issues and concerns.
The next meeting will be in Simply Italian on the Waterfront, on Monday 27th November, from 11:00am
If
you would like to go along, or would be interested in future events, please
contact Sam.
Phone or text: 07949-687996
or, e-mail
Sam
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We had a really
successful Harbour Friends weekend. Theatre at Polegate on Friday night,
THREE Progressive suppers on the go on Saturday, and a really good night
on Sunday at the Yacht Club. There were some 50 of us, including 14 new
people, and everyone seemed to have a really good evening. This month
we are going to meet at the new Garden Bar - upstairs on the Waterfront
next to the New Indian Ganges. Wednesday 22nd November from 7.30pm.
Thinking caps needed for new things to do - had a thought about an evening trip for dinner on the Bluebell Railway, and make it a black tie do, and Haze is going to organize a large Progressive supper. Please let me know if you have any ideas.
If you are looking for new friends and social activities please either
turn up or, if
you would like more info about Harbour Friends, please call Bev on 01323
479797 or e-mail
Bev
Harbour resident Frank Milmoe, has started up a Sovereign Harbour 'veterans'
(35 plus) football team to play friendly matches.
The group meets every Sunday morning on the fields opposite the Sovereign Centre for a 'kick-about' and informal five-a-side matches between themselves.
This growing 'group of lads' is very informal, and members are not expected to give a commitment to turning up every week; you can just play as much or as little as suits you. The main objective is to have fun, whilst enjoying the exercise in a social gathering of like minded people.
A team is being entered in the Kingsmere six-a-side tournament on 22nd October. We will report their performance in the November issue of Waterlines. (For more details, see the 'Social Events' page on this website)
New players are always welcome and anybody interested should contact Frank at frankmilmoe@btinternet.com or, if you don't have e-mail, drop a note to Frank at 17 Madeira Way, BN23 5UL.
You can also call Frank on 07771-610158.
The Sovereign Harbour Veterans Football Team had their first taste of tournament football on Sunday 22nd October, at Sussex Downs College, Myles Traecy reports.
"It was windy, cold and incredibly wet but approximately 14 teams turned up to play. Sovereign Vet's played 4 games and although we didn't win any, we did remarkably well to only concede 13 goals! Or 11, if you don't count own goals. The team sadly didn't score any (unless you count the own goals). This was mainly down to us losing our star player Uwe, after 8 seconds with a pulled muscle in his leg!!
The teams we played against were mainly youngsters and games were played at a very fast pace, so all 11 players played in virtually every game. A special mention should go to Barry, who in one game scored an own goal, in another game conceded a penalty and in the 4th game, managed to get sent off. Well, they do say things happen in 3's don't they? It was also nice to see some WAGS turn up (wives and girlfriends) to support us, or in some cases, to letch at the firemen!
It
was a good day out and everyone enjoyed themselves, especially as after
the competition, we all dried off and some of us went for a few shandies
in Seymoor's on the harbour, where tactics were discussed for our next
foray!
If you are interested in joining the football team and social circle,
the only requirements are that you are aged over 35, enjoy football and
like having a good time. If so, contact our founder, chairman, captain
and chief bottle washer, Frank "Debbie" Milmoe, details above.
Alternatively,
there is normally a group of us that go to Seymoor's on Wednesday evenings
to discuss team matters and watch the football on television... or cricket...
or tiddly winks!"
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Harbour
resident Sam Sweiry would like to hear from other residents who would
interested in forming an investment club in Sovereign Harbour Village.
Sam said, "I have recently retired from a full time business and I would like to make friends with like minded people to share in the fun of forming a low risk "Sovereign Harbour Investment Club "(SHIC).
Ideally, we would have one club divided into two sections - possibly one for ladies and one for gents, to compete on equal terms. This will be good fun, and hopefully lead to long friendships."
Sam has found a website that prospective members can visit for more information.
If
you are interested, or would like more information, please e-mail
Sam
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During
October, SHRA committee members met the three new trustees of the Sovereign
Harbour Trust nominated by the Environment Agency.
The SHRA attendees took the opportunity to convey to the trustees the anger and frustration felt over the way in which the Trust had been set-up, and the refusal of the Carillion appointed trustees to explain how the Trust's income, which is 100% provided by harbour residents, was distributed. They also expressed their concern at the Trust's failure to publish detailed accounts.
Furthermore, the trustees were informed that the refusal of the Trust to consider the appointment of resident trustees was a major concern, and added considerably to the perception that the trust was operating against the best interests of residents.
The trustees explained that their duty was to ensure that the sea defences were adequately maintained, but that they have been told that they have no responsibility for the harbour and marina maintenance, other than to forward the funds collected from harbour residents on the behalf of Sovereign Harbour Ltd. SHRA members expressed the view that the two parts of the trustees duties could not be separated and trustees must take responsibility for all aspects of the Trust's operation.
Overall, considering that all previous requests to meet trustees had met with refusal, everybody who attended the meeting, which took place at the Pevensey Bay Offices of the Environment Agency, felt that it had been very productive. The SHRA members welcomed the assurances of the new trustees that they would do everything in their power to make the operation of the trust, and the distribution of its funds, more transparent.
SHRA
members agreed to provide the new trustees with a current list of residents'
concerns and it was agreed that a further meeting would take place when
the trustees were more settled in their role. It was hoped that a future
meeting with all of the trustees might soon be possible.
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The SHRA website, http://www.shra.co.uk, is growing in popularity. So
far this year, there have been about 11,500 unique visits to the site,
and those visitors have viewed 44,000 pages. After a slow start to the
year, the average monthly visits have settled at about 1,600, that's over
fifty a day.
The most frequently visited pages, not surprisingly, are the 'News' and 'Waterlines pages and closely behind come the 'Letters' page and the 'For Sale/Wanted' page. What is surprising is that, considering the frequency with which the 'Letters' page is visited, there are so few contributions to it. Please don't be shy, share your opinions with other residents and let us have your comments on the letters that are published.
Also, considering how many of you view the 'For Sale/ Wanted' page', and considering that this is a free service, we receive surprisingly few advertisements.
The website is a very cost-effective way of getting information to you in the shortest possible time, please take advantage of it. Why not make it your 'Home Page'? That way you will get updates as soon as they are posted on the site.
If
you are not yet on our mailing list, and would like to be included, e-mail
Waterlines
Harbour resident and former SHRA committee member Brian Dennis is now the manager of Eastbourne United Football Club. There are also several other harbour residents on the playing and coaching staff of the club and they are always on the look-out for new players and support staff, at every level.
Brian wrote to Waterlines as follows:
"We have had a good run of results since 28th August, winning five games and drawing one of our Sussex League matches; our only recent defeats have been in cup matches. We lost to Croydon FC in the 2nd round of the FA Vase, a game we should have won, and were well and truly beaten by Mile Oak in the Sussex Senior Cup. In our 'RUR' cup match, we beat Lancing 5-2 .We have been named 'Team of the Month' for Division One of the Sussex League and are now 6th in the table with a game in hand, which could take us to 3rd place."
Brian goes on the say, "We could do with more supporters, and it would be great if harbour residents would adopt us as their team. We are playing good, exciting football, so come along all of you."
Planned fixtures include:
-
Sat. 11th Nov. (H) Oakwood 3:00pm
-
Sat. 18th Nov (H) Hassocks 3:00pm
-
Tue. 21st Nov. (A) Sidley 7:45pm
-
Sat. 25th Nov. (A) Crowborough 3:00pm
-
Tue. 28th Nov (A) Three Bridges 7:45pm
See the SHRA website for more information.
In the October issue of Waterlines, we warned you to beware of candidates for the May 2007 Borough Council elections attempting to take credit for all the good work done by the SHRA and others. We thought that, as in the last elections, they would not be able to resist. We hoped they would listen but, sadly, and almost inevitably, they haven't.
What makes this even more unacceptable, is that some candidates are trying to get involved in areas in which they have very little knowledge and clearly don't understand, in particular the Sovereign Harbour Trust. In so doing, they could very well be putting future negotiations at risk.
After eighteen months of hard work, members of the SHRA committee have finally established a dialogue with the SHT Trustees This blatant attempt to curry favour with harbour residents is in grave danger of inadvertently undermining our efforts, and will certainly damage their support across the Harbour.
If rectifying the injustices of SHT is going to be a long term commitment, then we would of course welcome their support as long as they work in concert with us. However, if this is just a convenient local issue in the run-up to elections, thereafter to be discarded, then their intervention is unwelcome.
After the October issue of Waterlines, we were accused of being political. Perhaps we were, but we make no excuses for it. However, we were not being party political, nor will we be. Whatever the situation, and whatever the party, we will accept any genuine offer of support and will give credit when it is due. However, we will also be critical when we feel it is appropriate.
Candidates,
you have been warned!!
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A number of harbour dwellings are second homes and, at this time of the year, many of them are much less frequently occupied. Also, it is the time of the year when many people take a Winter break in sunnier climes. It is also a sad fact that the harbour seems to be a magnet for every leaflet dropper in the town. This combination means that the incidence of 'mail hanging out of the letter box' is on the increase and this is a good indication to the criminal element that nobody is at home.
So, if you notice mail hanging from a neighbour's letter box for more than a day, please take the time to push it right through. Hopefully, they will do the same for you in similar circumstances.
The next Green Party forum, on the theme of 'Health and Wellbeing', will be held in the Lamb Inn in Old Town, starting at 8:00pm on Wednesday 29th November.
All are welcome.
Natural Fitness Centre wins award
At the Eastbourne Business Awards, 2006 event, held at the Grand Hotel on 27th October, Alison Mitchell of the Natural Fitness Centre was presented with the Runners-up award in the Professional and Service Business of the Year category by former international athlete, Kriss Akabusi.
Our
congratulations to them.
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Members'
surgeries
Don't forget the monthly members' surgeries at Simply Italian on the
Waterfront.
Future Surgeries from 10:30 to 11:30 on Saturday:
-
2nd December, 2006
-
6th January, 2007
The
tradesmen on the list below have been recommended by our members. Although
we are happy to publish the names, the SHRA is unable to endorse the
recommendations and would urge members to make their own checks.
We would appreciate your comments, good or bad, on the service you receive
or, if you feel you would like to add a service to the list, please
write to us at:
Waterlines
PO Box 124
Eastbourne
BN24 9AW
Or, e-mail
Waterlines
For
a complete list, go to the 'Tradesmen' page on this website
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As reported in the July issue of Waterlines, the SHRA has launched a 'Fighting Fund' to help finance any possible legal assistance that might be required.
As yet, the amount of effort required to prepare for the B&Q appeal and the 'Five Sites' planning applications has prevented any serious fund raising efforts, but that will change.
The
holiday season is almost over and September should provide some relief,
provided that the Planning Inspectorate don't bring the B&Q appeal
too far forward. We will be looking to stage some events which, we hope,
will also be an opportunity to have some fun for a change. Look out
for announcements in future issues of Waterlines, and on the website.
If you have any fund-raising ideas, or would like to help with the events,
please get in touch.
Of course, you don't have to wait, any contributions will be gratefully received (cheques only please, made payable to SHRA). In fact, the fund has already got off to a flying start thanks to some very generous donations.
All money collected will be 'ring-fenced' and all contributions will be logged.
Send your donations and ideas to:
SHRA
PO Box 124
Eastbourne BN24 9AW
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Our thanks to our sponsors, who's generosity has again allowed us to produced this newsletter at almost no cost to our members.
To our regular sponsors,
Temple
Bird,
Waterfront Solicitors
and our repeat sponsor,
The
Natural Fitness Centre
Complementary Therapies - Pilates - Yoga
and our new Sponsors for November,
Licifers
Decadent yet relaxed - a unique dining experience
St
Anne's Vetinary Group
Surgeries in Eastbourne - Lamgney - Willingdon - East Dean
Waterlines, the newsletter of the Sovereign Harbour Residents Association, is delivered free to every residential property on Sovereign Harbour. We are only able to do this because we have a dedicated group of people who give up their time to distribute the newsletters and a number of sponsors who contribute cash to help us with the cost of production.
Over the past year, we have been very fortunate to have had the help of several local businesses, and we are very grateful for this. However, we produce Waterlines on a monthly basis, and we need four sponsors every month in order to avoid serious depletion of our funds, so we are always looking for new sponsors.
Apart from our sincere gratitude, our sponsors get an advertisement, similar to those above, in the current issue, and a permanent listing on the home page of our website, with a link to their website.
To become an SHRA sponsor,
e-mail Waterlines
or call us on: 07770-621368