Why Hastings’ New Local Plan Matters
HELEN KAY, Leader of the Labour Group Hastings BC
Hastings council has launched a consultation on its proposed local plan. Why is this important? A local plan is one of the most powerful tools a town has to shape its future. For a town like Hastings, which is rich in heritage but faces considerable economic and environmental challenges, a long term, evidence-based framework is key to helping us prosper. It will also protect what matters most to residents, from green space to heritage assets.
The plan doesn’t exist in isolation. It impacts on and actively supports other town-wide strategies, including housing, which just last month Hastings Borough councillors approved unanimously.
With ambitious targets to prevent homelessness, assist those in temporary accommodation to move to good quality homes and to improve standards in the private rented sector, the evidence pointed clearly to the need to dramatically increase the amount of new housing across the town.
There is substantial new funding from the Labour government to enable this, along with ambitious targets for housing. These are challenging, but progress towards them can only be achieved by a more robust approach to increased development. But this must be done with clear guidance and enforcement of high-quality design.
The local plan is a blueprint for how the town wants to grow — where homes are built, where jobs go, what gets protected and what gets improved. There are difficult decisions to be made, but it is only by having honest conversations and making hard decisions that we will be able to tackle the housing crisis and significantly improve a range of outcomes for the people of Hastings. Local Labour wants to ensure that as many communities across Hastings are involved in that conversation and will work hard to achieve the targets.
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