Comment

Representation ID: 1689

Received: 07/07/2008

Alternative Vision Statement - Hastings 2026 As soon as you arrive at Hastings Station you feel a sense of civic pride and welcome unmatched elsewhere in the south-east. The streets and squares around you are safe, clean and attractive - filled with people, not cars. Even though the waiting buses and taxis are ready to drive you to your destination - you simply want to walk and experience the vitality and energy of this vibrant town on foot. (Objective 1 - Sustainable Transport)

Your first sight is thriving colleges and university centre buzzing with healthy bright students keen to learn and secure future work in the wide range of creative and cultural industries that have developed in the town over the past decade. What a change from 20 years ago when young people gathered in and around the town centre were seen as disaffected and intimidating. But look closer and you'll find there are students of all ages, not just the young. The new learning culture has been contagious and the take up by pensioners of part time courses and adult learning has never been greater. Our new library even won a top design award. (Objective 2 - Learning for Everyone)

Your next sight is the new town centre drop-in Health Clinic - once dominated by alcohol related injury treatment and now a thriving family health centre focussed on healthy living and well being. Town centre workers and visitors, as well as local residents can access treatment promptly and easily - and most arrive on foot or by bike! Two other new health centres in Ore and x have witnessed the same shift in nature of treatment - from reactive to proactive. With the vast improvements in leisure facilities, cycleways and quality of open space, the overall health of Hastings' citizens has improved and obesity in young people and teenage pregnancy are no longer of the same level of concern as 20 years ago. (Objective 3 - Healthy Living)

Once into the town centre you are surprised by the intensity and diversity of quality housing, shops, cafes and restaurants in a range of distinct commercial quarters each with their own special character. What a choice! Left takes you into refurbished Priory Meadow with improved links into surrounding streets and neighbourhoods such as South Terrace, Upper Queens Road and St Andrews Square - newly alive with specialist shops and services. Right takes you into vibrant Priory Quarter and Trinity Triangle buzzing with cafes, restaurants and the lively new leisure facilities. And straight ahead takes you to one of the best seafronts in Britain -the Sea Avenue - leading you on to vibrant mixed commercial centres in the Old Town and Central St Leonards. By mixing different commercial uses and increasing the quantum of small housing sites and over the shop residential, each of these commercial quarters has experienced greater footfall and improved crime figures. (Objective 4 - Town Centre Diversity, Vitality & Safety)

The revitalised seafront feels more like Brighton or Nice than Hastings. There are fun cultural, health and leisure activities for all ages: toddlers paddling pools, adventure playgrounds, running tracks, sea water bathing pools, beach volleyball, ice skating, go-karting, skateboard performance areas, new beach huts, art and maritime museums, a wide variety of beachfront stalls, bars and cafes - and all set in a well lit beautiful lush landscape filled with stunning public art and art activities. The pier apron is now fully restored and funding for the remaining improvements are secured. The derelict White Rock Baths have become a renowned music and video recording studio - not only helping to bolster Hastings' new image as a Creative Industries Centre but providing opportunities for local people to develop their musical and film making talents. (Objective 5 - Lively Attractive Seafront)

But which way to walk along the Sea Avenue - east to take in the jewel of Hastings maritime heritage in Hastings Old Town and indulge in world class gallery visits and delicious fish or west to the classic architecture of Burton St Leonards and the wild beauty of Bulverhythe and West St Leonards beyond? Either way its a pleasure. The road has been downgraded with pedestrian priority throughout and traffic moving a steady 20 mph. Part of the road has been given over to cycles because of the massive take up of walking and cycling. The road is attractively lit and beautifully landscaped too. And seafront car parks have been removed in favour of kerbside chevron parking as in Eastbourne. Since the construction of the link road the A259 between Hastings and Bexhill has become safe and pleasurable to cycle or drive. There is even easy access to the Castle now that The Hundred Steps and twittens everywhere are restored. All the derelict frontages of 20 years ago have vanished and seafront properties are now well maintained by owners who are keen to contribute to the overall quality of the town's built environment. (Objective 6 - Protect and Enhance Architectural and Maritime Heritage)

Along the 4km route from the Old Town to Bulverhythe are many opportunities to pause, participate or simply enjoy the sight of active people of all ages engaging in sports, arts or cultural activities. The calendar year is packed with so many interesting cultural events that there can be as many visitors during a winter weekend as in the summer. Hastings has become a truly 365 day a year town, renowned for top-class culture, leisure, arts and water sports. (Objective 7 - Year-round Cultural Activity and Events)

At each end of the Sea Avenue the stunning Country Parks are even more attractive to visitors and residents than ever before. Our policies for protection and enhancement of the countryside and greenspace generally have ensured that Hastings has avoided any sense of urban sprawl and, despite growth, still remains a compact sustainable community that has impacted lightly on its surroundings. New development has been restricted mainly to brownfield and urban infill sites and all new schemes generate 50% of their energy from renewable sources. The Country Avenue with its compact mixed business and residential communities linked to existing infrastructure has avoided the mistakes of GLC expansion in 1970s with creation of the vast isolated communities at the fringes of the town. (Objective 8 - Protect Countryside and Greenfield sites)

By avoiding vast housing estates and creating compact mixed-use communities we have managed to ensure that all new neighbourhoods have a sense of place and identity so that they have become functional happy places where people want to live. Whether in the Country Avenue or Sea Avenue, everyone has easy access to quality open space, public transport links, good local facilities and nearby employment. (Objective 9 - Sense of Identity and Place for all new housing)

Our excellent transport improvements have meant that wherever people live they have been given easy access to a wide range of employment opportunities - from large scale employers on new sites and business parks in Queensway to micro-businesses in supported town and neighbourhood business communities throughout Hastings. Business diversity is paramount so as well as large scale offices we have ensured an increase in small scale incubation space and revitalisation of run down industrial estates. Our insistence on green travel plans for all businesses has meant that peak hour traffic congestion is minimal and town centre employers don't occupy vital visitor parking space. (Objective 10 - Active Growing Business Community)