Eirene Road/Sea Place development

 
Short notice of the Planning Meeting on Eirene Road/Sea Place development, together with the choice of Tuesday, the day after the bank holiday saw only a small number of the 438 objectors attending the Planning Executive meeting at the Town Hall. But the 14 who did attend, and the 6 councillors who supported us, had a lively discussion.

In the end the Executive member, Bob Smytherman decided to approve the development brief with the small list of amendments put forward by the Planning Department. The only concession was to restrict the height of possible flats along the sea wall to three stories, and it is hoped that this will mean that flats, if the developer wants to go this way, will be not more than the height of the Yacht Club.

The major argument presented asked why Goring has to give up a leisure site purely to raise money to rebuild the leisure site at the Aquarena. There used to be a water-ski school on Eirene Road until about four years ago, when the council declined to renew the lease on the premises. The premises were then pulled down and grassed over.

Now the area contains a tarmac area which would be a most valuable extension to the existing dinghy park which is very much overcrowded. The existing car park at the Yacht Club is barely big enough for the sailors at summer weekends and bank holidays, particularly on regatta days.

Concern was expressed about the surface water run-off getting into the gardens of neighbouring houses. There is also an existing stream which is in danger of being concreted over. The Department of the Environment say that the land is suitable for housing. They cannot have been to the site during heavy rain.

The decision taken today will most likely be called in by the Scrutiny Committee and we think it likely that we shall have an opportunity to present our objections again.