Sandrock picnic on Saturday 12 July — three days after mass lobby of Parliament

The Sandrock Bends proposals (case HS/OA/25/00219) have drawn 735 objections (and counting). Stand Up for Nature (SU4N) are having a protest picnic next Saturday. Before that, there’s a mass lobby of Parliament on Wednesday 9 July. Bernard McGinley reports.

Application HS/OA/25/00219 is for an undeveloped site on the Ridge:

Outline Permission for the erection of up to 65 dwellings (C3), public open space, sustainable drainage system (SuDS) and vehicular access. All matters reserved except for means of access. | Open Space adjacent to Sandrock Park and North of St Helens Church including The Lodge, 309 The Ridge, Hastings

that was reported in HOT quite recently.  Nature protectors SU4N (Stand Up for Nature) continue to campaign for the green space — the wildlife corridor linking St Helen’s Woods and the High Weald.  With local government reform it is possible that the case could be determined by people with little knowledge or understanding of the area. Objections and other views on the application can still be made to the Council. 

The Save Sandrock Bends campaign is holding a public picnic at the site on Saturday 12 July from 12 noon to 2pm, to spread awareness and gather more support. Attenders – welcome – are asked to bring a blanket, pack favourite food and drinks, and share the community spirit. The site is on The Ridge near St Helen’s church, opposite the Conqueror’s March pub.   The event is ‘weather permitting’.

Lobbying Parliament

Before that, a national lobby of Parliament, for Climate and Nature, is to happen on Wednesday 9 July. A special train will go from Hastings to London. Concern is serious about the government’s present policies, including the Planning and Infrastructure Bill’s effect on green spaces. At present the Bill is at the Committee Stage in the House of Lords. More information is available here, or on the SU4N Facebook page (including about the train on Wednesday 9 July).

Meeting with Council on housing and green spaces

SU4N Hastings & Rother had their long-awaited meeting with the Hastings Borough Council (HBC) to discuss recommendations from the Community Assembly on housing and green spaces. They met with senior members and officers, including Cllr Glenn Haffenden (Leader of HBC and Lead on Housing), and the interim Chief Executive Robert Cottrill.

The nature of the climate emergency was discussed. The Council were urged to remove green spaces from the Local Plan, which currently allows them to be used for housing development despite their vital role in prevent flooding and sustaining biodiversity. SU4N proposed a Local Plan that met the particular needs of Hastings, and they gave HBC the example of another Council that has taken green spaces out of their Local Plan. 

Other ways of providing housing in Hastings were discussed, including more flexible local policies on refurbishing existing buildings. SU4N offered to send the Council information on potential sites for housing scoped by their Brownfield group. The issue of conversion to holiday lets was also discussed, and future channels of communication were arranged.

Co-ordinating

SU4N has a Facebook page for bringing local groups and individuals together to share ideas about helping nature. The co-ordinating group meets fortnightly on Tuesdays at Pissarro’s Bar, 10 South Terrace, TN34 1SA, and welcomes visitors. The next meeting is on Tuesday 15 July at 6pm, with lots to review and more in prospect.

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