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Agenda item
Regeneration Update - Bohemia Area
(Kevin Boorman, Marketing and Major Projects Manager)
Minutes:
Kevin Boorman, Marketing and Major Projects Manager presented an update on the Bohemia Area regeneration plan. He stated that the plan would cover the White Rock (Now Bohemia) area, the White Rock gardens, Horntye Sports Centre, the Hastings Museum and the leisure centre, Falaise. He said that this was 36 hectares of land altogether, very close to the town centre.
He went on to note that there was a consultation on the plan, with replies saying that more could be done for the Bohemia area than is currently being done. Furthermore, the Area Action Plan consultation would last for twelve weeks, and had been consulted on. This would go to Hastings Borough Council’s Cabinet meeting, for discussion.
It was said that with a wider population, there was more need for affordable housing in the town, as there was limited space.
The Bohemia area was told to be quite a unique area, in that most of it was owned by Hastings Borough Council.
The White Rock theatre was about to have a new contract signed, for the operator to provide 5 more years in managing the theatre. On top of this, there were set to be better leisure provisions in place for the plan, with an extended contract of five years. After a review, the contract could be extended another two years, and then another two after that. It was also stated that tennis courts would be placed in the area, possibly retail, and hotel visitor accommodation, to make up for the lack of hotel accommodation for tourists in the town.
It was further stated that greenspaces had been taken in to mind during this development, and it was intended to retain the gardens as they are, whilst using any scrubland for development.
The plans included that of a green-network, with provisions for accessibility and a focus on “city-living”, utilising flats with large spaces for living. The scheme aimed for a high density area which used space effectively, whilst funding open spaces
A question was raised about whether there would be enough affordable housing in the area, and whether it would deliver what it needed to the local people of Hastings.
The answer was that there was a range of housing types on the site, that would be at 80% of the market value, and this was affordable housing. It was also stated that the government had restarted the social rental program.
A query was raised about what the LSP could do to engage the community. It was stated that despite Hastings Borough Council being heavily involved in the scheme, they did not own it, instead working with partners in the area.
Questions were raised about the scheme meeting policies in the area, such as a walking and cycling strategy. The suggestion was that other plans would of course affect the consultation for the scheme. There would be a report at the end of summer updating on the wider programme.
Richard Watson, Hastings and Rother CCG stated that the CCG would be involved in the consultation, to attempt to link the scheme with health strategies.
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