ORE VALLEY REGENERATION PLANS GET OVERWHELMING LOCAL SUPPORT
4 December 2003
 Plans to transform the Ore Valley and Broomgrove areas, as part of the
Hastings Millennium Community regeneration programme, received an enthusiastic
welcome from local people as they went on show last week. Over the three
days of the public exhibition, 27th to 29th November, nearly four hundred
people packed into Broomgrove Community Centre to see displays and models
of how the area will be transformed, to ask questions and to give their
views. The exhibition followed previous consultations, the most recent
major exercise being in November 2002, which gave clear local support
for the need for change.
While some concerns and suggestions were raised for further consideration,
an overwhelming majority of local people was in favour of the
proposals. Feedback was polled by questionnaire and the percentages
in favour of
the proposal's main elements were:
Development aspect Percentage in favour
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 of which aspects the locals were most supportive, the top
three cited were:
- the station proposals
- the ecological elements
- the new road layout.
James Saunders, Millennium Community Manager at Sea Space -
the organisation putting regeneration into action - comments: "We're
delighted by the response. We had a far higher turnout than
expected. And, whilst some people had genuine concerns which
it was invaluable
for us to hear, there was overwhelming support for the improvements
overall. "
Council Leader Jeremy Birch comments: "It was great to see so many
local residents taking such an interest in our plans for the future of
the area. And I'm obviously pleased that there was such support
for what's being proposed. But there was also a feeling that we
must now deliver - and we intend to do just that. We're working
closely with English Partnerships and the Task Force to ensure that detailed
plans are worked up as soon as possible. We're on course to see
the keys to the first new houses being handed over to their
owners within eighteen months. "
Henry Kennedy-Skipton, Senior Development Manager
for English Partnerships, added: "It is crucial that the proposals
for Hastings' Millennium
Community receive the support of local people. The turnout
and response we received during the consultation exercise have
been very encouraging.
We now look forward to progressing the project and delivering
a scheme
which benefits the local residents."
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