It did not say that he supported it and, bearing in mind their previous attitudes to excessive development on the Island, I hope they will be seeking to negotiate some form of moderation.

The new café and play area at Eastoke look interesting and attractive.

I hope that when it is developed, they will remember that grandparents take their grandchildren onto the play area and it would be nice if they could have some seating in the shade, an arrangement which is more than they have at the present time, in fact at Eastoke Corner there is a sad shortage of this sort of facility.

The Inn on the Beach has had a diverse existence since it was first converted to a cocktail bar/restaurant with many varied activities being tried without being really successful.

I have always felt that the site would have made an excellent board sail centre, its position being ideal.

The Ferry Boat Inn area could do with a facelift and the proposals certainly look interesting.

The proposed campsite and touring park could prove a big headache, I thought we had a number of these sites already on the Island including the one at Fishery Lane, which did belong to the council, but became an expensive liability.
Once sold it became viable, need I say more.

I would suggest you are inviting the travellers to make a beeline for the site and the council has already had enough experience at trying to keep these people off their property no matter how much security they apply.

It doesn't make any difference to the travellers/tourers, and who is going to back up the staff who try to sort it out?

We really come to the crux of the situation when we look at central Beachlands and the proposals for that area.

Any further development on the sea front has always been opposed because the attraction of Hayling is that it is open land with a grass parking and picnicking area behind the beach.

If they want a promenade and all that goes with it, there are others nearby.

I would not want to see Beachlands with a multi-storey block of luxury flats that will probably become second homes for those who can afford them.

Of course the developers will say we have to have these to make the scheme pay but, once up and running how much would they contribute to the local businesses?

Very little I would suggest and absolutely nothing towards solving the affordable housing situation.

Recent reviews show a lack of interest in this type of speculative development.

Tidy up Beachlands by all means but do not destroy it with this proposed development.

I presume these would be over and above the allocation we are already committed to by the dictates of SEEDA.

Let us assume that all these proposals duly proceed and we get an influx of holiday makers and day visitors.

Are we to return to the good old days when the seafront car parks were packed and it could take up to three hours to get off the Island on a Saturday or Sunday evening?

Imagine the pollution created by cars edging forward slowly, very slowly, virtually from the seafront to Havant.

I have had visitors try to get into the flow of traffic, only to turn round and come back and wait until much later in the evening.

As far as visitors are concerned, much will depend on whether they think the petrol used is justified, or the cost of car parking is acceptable and, of course, the weather.

Past experience has shown that many bring their own picnic and spend very little in the cafes.

Peter Osborne
St Margarets Road
Hayling