Playing Pitch Strategy Document Still Awaited
Horntye Pavilion
Speaking in the Hastings Borough Council (HBC) debate concerning the future of Hastings United football club, Green party councillor Claire Carr called for a “proper new town-wide sports strategy”. It should, she said, include not only the issues of the football club, “particularly in relation to community and youth teams”, but also “arising from the possible changes at Horntye that impact cricket and hockey”.
That was a reference to the proposal of the Hastings and Rother Sports Trust to sell the cricket and hockey grounds at Horntye Park for housing development so as to finance prospective moves of both Hastings & St Leonards Priory Cricket Club and South Saxons Hockey Club to enhanced facilities at Claremont School.
Conditional planning permission for this enhancement has been granted by Rother District Council, within whose territory the school is located. But an initial planning application to HBC for permission to turn the Horntye pitches into housing has been withdrawn because of challenges over the boundaries of the land at issue. The Sports Trust was then advised not to submit a fresh application until a new Playing Pitch Strategy document has been agreed between HBC and Rother as part of a new Local Plan policy affecting both councils’ future planning decisions.
SPORT ENGLAND GUIDANCE
According to a spokesperson for HBC, the strategy has been put together “by a consultant team who followed specific Sport England guidance”. She referred to an “action plan” within it that “will inform priorities for leisure services”. A spokesperson for Rother confirmed at the beginning of this month that the document “has been approved by Sport England and the governing body [presumably the relevant cricket and hockey authorities]. It will be published on the Local Plan review pages of the council’s website as soon as it has been approved by both councils”.
But when and how those approvals will be forthcoming from each is far from clear.
HBC told HIP back in April that progress was held up by the Rother local elections in May. The Rother spokesperson said at the end of June that “we expect [both approvals] in the next few weeks”. A further month on, it seems that Rother cabinet approval is still awaited, after which “public consultation” is intended.
At the HBC end, a spokesperson said that the document would not be going to either cabinet or full council. It has been circulated to “senior management at the council, Cllrs Barnett, Batsford and Evans”, but no date has been given for release.
We hope you have enjoyed reading this article. The future of our volunteer led, non-profit publication would be far more secure with the aid of a small donation. You can also support local journalism by becoming a friend of HIP. It only takes a minute and we would be very grateful.
Leave a Reply