Local residents turned out in force to last November's exhibition of the 'Millennium Community' proposals to regenerate the Broomgrove Power Station site and surrounding area.
The exhibition was arranged by Hastings Borough Council, urban redevelopment agency English Partnerships and Sea Space (the trading name of the Hastings & Bexhill Task Force) - the company helping deliver regeneration programmes in Hastings. The organisers were delighted to see nearly four hundred people pack into Broomgrove Community Centre over the exhibition's three days.
This followed previous consultations, the last major exercise being at Priory Neighbourhood Centre in November 2002, which gave clear local support for the idea of regenerating the area.
At this exhibition, there was great interest in the displays and models showing how the area will be transformed. There were plenty of lively discussions and questions. And, most importantly, a great many people came to air their views.
While some concerns and suggestions were raised and noted for further consideration, the vast majority of comments were in favour of the proposals. Many people submitted feedback on the questionnaires provided as well as in person. The percentages in favour of the proposal's main elements were:
Improved railway station access - 87%
New road layout and valley crossing - 74%
Proposals to enhance green space and ecology - 87%
Proposed locations for two neighbourhood centres - 71%
Revised bus routes - 71%
Improved footpaths and cycle ways - 85%
New housing areas - 57%
Locations for play areas - 61%
When asked which aspects of the proposals appealed the most, the top three that people said were: the station improvements, the ecological elements and the new road layout.
The main elements of the proposals are as follows:
However, the Millennium Community Manager at Sea Space, explained:
"These are only examples of house designs from other Millennium Communities - they're not necessarily what will be built here. We've not yet appointed the architects and we'll be consulting the residents when house designs for this area start. The feedback from this exhibition will also be valuable in helping to shape these designs."
Overall, the regeneration proposals received an overwhelmingly enthusiastic response from local residents. Hastings Borough Council Leader, Jeremy Birch, said:
"It was great to see so many local residents taking such an interest in our plans for the future of the area ... but there was also a feeling that we must now deliver - and we intend to do just that."
The public feedback given at the exhibition is now being incorporated into an Urban Design Framework. The roads and transport elements of the designs will be first to be designed in detail during the first half of 2004, with work expected to start by Autumn. Towards the middle of next year, detailed planning will also start on the first phase of the new housing. A planning application is currently being prepared.
The Millennium Community Manager has the last word, saying:
"Clearly ambitious transformations like this can never happen overnight, and there's an enormous amount to be done over the next 18 months. But we're delighted to have had such a supportive response to our proposals from local people. This puts us well on track to deliver big improvements in the coming years."
Back to top of page...
This page last updated: 26/04/2004