Area Action Plan Consultation - Bohemia
July-Sept 2018
An area action plan that covers the Hastings Town Centre & Bohemia area has been published, Hastings Town Centre & Bohemia Area Action Plan, and will be consulted upon until the 24th September 2018. A full range of documentation is available from the HBC website but some of the documentation concerning Bohemia & Summerfields Wood are available here.
Over the years from the Swift report in March 1967 to the very recent White Rock Trust and Bohemia Masterplan there have been different proposals for use of the Brisco Estate. Anyone who considers that there is value in spending their time at making a comment to HBC is urged to visit the HBC website and submit their comments on the approved forms. Hastings On Line Times - Nick Terdre. provides details of the latest consultation document that Hastings has purchased where proposals for future land use are provided.
The information under the Regeneration Menu on this website covers the different sites that are considered in the document below.
Over the years from the Swift report in March 1967 to the very recent White Rock Trust and Bohemia Masterplan there have been different proposals for use of the Brisco Estate. Anyone who considers that there is value in spending their time at making a comment to HBC is urged to visit the HBC website and submit their comments on the approved forms. Hastings On Line Times - Nick Terdre. provides details of the latest consultation document that Hastings has purchased where proposals for future land use are provided.
The information under the Regeneration Menu on this website covers the different sites that are considered in the document below.
- The document below is loaded on SCRIBD and can be viewed using the onscreen controls
The area action plan has received more comment in the regional press and the article in HOT by Bernard Mc Ginley is worth a read to appreciate the effects of proposals on the Bohemia area. The 1902 map reproduced at the start of the article that shows Bohemia Mansion surrounded by open space, really does illustrate how the area has changed during the 20th century.
The article in Hastings Online Times (Bernard Mc Ginley) considers this consultation for the Area Action Plan.
For anyone who does not check out the HOT articles this comment below placed by Ken Davis does question whether our elected members of HBC have even considered the wider issues of more housing with less green space and inadequate employment opportunity and the expectation to seriously consider the planners latest adventure in consultation.
ken davis There is much to give thought to here for sure not least that on both sides of cases such as this there is much opinion and not a lot of fact! There is a wonderful, now quite old, article given to all planning students titled ‘The Science of Muddling Through’ by Charles Lindblom which essentially charts the management of style typical of local government (national too!) of incremental change, and it is this style that chokes innovative approaches to the type of (sustainable) development we need. For example society endlessly discusses ‘the housing crisis’ when in fact we have a job location crisis, and locally we suffer non-participative ‘consultation’ on small sections of the town without knowing how they fit into a larger vision for the whole place. The latter might include, for example, do we all want Hastings to go on expanding seemingly without end?…the city of Hastings. Covering most of the green space between Hastings and St.Leonards with built space does on the face of it seem a step too far if the local distinctiveness of both are to be maintained, but do we need to touch it at all if only some of the small infill sites in Hastings (of which there are hundreds) are developed? Such fundamental questions are not even raised in the so called Local Plan because it can only ‘see’ incremental change.Result: a continuing muddle.
Comment by ken davis — Thursday, Aug 23, 2018 @ 09:05 with thanks to HOT
The article in Hastings Online Times (Bernard Mc Ginley) considers this consultation for the Area Action Plan.
For anyone who does not check out the HOT articles this comment below placed by Ken Davis does question whether our elected members of HBC have even considered the wider issues of more housing with less green space and inadequate employment opportunity and the expectation to seriously consider the planners latest adventure in consultation.
ken davis There is much to give thought to here for sure not least that on both sides of cases such as this there is much opinion and not a lot of fact! There is a wonderful, now quite old, article given to all planning students titled ‘The Science of Muddling Through’ by Charles Lindblom which essentially charts the management of style typical of local government (national too!) of incremental change, and it is this style that chokes innovative approaches to the type of (sustainable) development we need. For example society endlessly discusses ‘the housing crisis’ when in fact we have a job location crisis, and locally we suffer non-participative ‘consultation’ on small sections of the town without knowing how they fit into a larger vision for the whole place. The latter might include, for example, do we all want Hastings to go on expanding seemingly without end?…the city of Hastings. Covering most of the green space between Hastings and St.Leonards with built space does on the face of it seem a step too far if the local distinctiveness of both are to be maintained, but do we need to touch it at all if only some of the small infill sites in Hastings (of which there are hundreds) are developed? Such fundamental questions are not even raised in the so called Local Plan because it can only ‘see’ incremental change.Result: a continuing muddle.
Comment by ken davis — Thursday, Aug 23, 2018 @ 09:05 with thanks to HOT
The Council recognises the unique heritage of Bohemia and the opportunity to promote better use of the area to the north of Bohemia Road. The area to the north of Bohemia Road will be promoted as a new sustainable residential neighbourhood - a place to live, work and play, well connected by a network of pedestrian and cycle routes with the wider White Rock area and the town centre. Within this area: a. the relocation of existing leisure and consolidation of civic facilities will be promoted; b. the design and location of new development will minimise impacts on heritage assets; c. an appropriate buffer zone will be retained free of development around the edge of Summerfields Wood to protect the woodland setting and ecology forming part of the green infrastructure network; d. development will be set within a landscaped setting with a network of green spaces; e. proposals will be viewed in terms of their contribution to the mix and diversity of uses and to their potential to enhance their attraction to residents and visitors; f. development of the existing museum site, including potential new facilities. The following development will be permitted: i. residential including a mix of unit sizes and tenures and affordable housing in accordance with Council policies; ii. small scale workspace including co-working space and community space within the new residential neighbourhoods; iii. new civic uses within the Civic Quarter; iv. enhancement of existing leisure facilities. Residential development will be permitted where this will not impact on Summerfields Wood and the setting of the listed heritage assets and will facilitate the restoration and enhancement of the parkland setting. The implementation of a district heating network, supported by Combined Heat and Power will be promoted unless it can be demonstrated to the satisfaction of the Council that such a network is not feasible. A comprehensive Masterplan will be required to provide a framework for development. Relationship to Hastings Planning Strategy EN2: Green Infrastructure Network EN3: Nature Conservation and Improvement of Biodiversity EN5: Local Nature Reserves (LNR) EN7: Conservation and Enhancement of Landscape EN8: Open Spaces – Enhancement, Provision and Protection E4: Tourism and Visitors H1: Housing Density H2: Housing Mix H3: Provision of Affordable Housing Relationship to Development Management Plan DM1: Design Principles HN7: Green Infrastructure in New Developments HN10: Amenity Green Spaces AAP Preferred Approaches for Regulation18 consultation July-September 2018 95 Opportunity sites within Bohemia (OA7) 7.45 Four opportunity sites are identified in OA7 which are shown in figure 12. • B1: Summerfields • B2: Horntye Park • B3: Civic Quarter • B4: Hastings Museum Opportunity site B1: Summerfields 7.46 The Summerfields area comprises three sites: • B1(a) - Summerfields Leisure Centre • B1(b) - existing SECAmb20 operational site • B1(c) - Travelodge and adjacent land 7.47 The availability of site B1(a) is subject to the relocation of the existing leisure centre and development will not be permitted until the appropriate re-provision of leisure facilities has been secured. Development will be required to provide an active frontage and pedestrian linkages to Bohemia Road, public realm improvements and improved linkages. Development will be required to protect Summerfields Wood. 7.48 A phased development is proposed subject to the relocation of existing uses and land release. The vision is for the creation of an attractive new neighbourhood based around a network of streets and public spaces with a mix of housing types and a range of community facilities which is well integrated with the wider area through the provision of new pedestrian and cycle routes.