Proposed kiosks on Upper Promenade Eversfield Place

[HollyBlue]

Hastings Borough Council are currently holding a consultation on their proposal to site up to four Kiosks on the upper promenade of Bottle Alley. Members of the public are invited to give their views on the design and locations of the proposed kiosks. The consultation ends on 8th August so there are only a few days left to comment if anyone wishes to.
See here http://www.hastings.gov.uk/decisions_de ... ns/#kiosks

Personally I strongly object to the locations 1 and 4 on the promenade, as these are the bastions and are places for people to stand or sit and look out to sea and enjoy the views, not appropriate spaces for commercial enterprises in my opinion. I feel particularly appalled at the thought of a fast-food outlet right opposite the Weather Kiosk which is a delightful and informative historic structure, and you need the uninterrupted open views nearby to see the weather properly.
There would also be an increase in litter which would be both dangerous and unsightly and encourage the seagulls to be a nuisance on the promenade.

[Richard]

I was previously a little concerned at the new 'chippy' location, but there is a cafe nearby, albeit not so intrusive as the new building.
Now others think the council may be amenable to further inroads into the seafront promenade.
Also wily operators are beginning to wake up to the commercial potential of a rejuvenated Pier, nearby.
The kiosks would surely affect the enjoyment of pedestrians and cyclists to uninterrupted access and the fantastic panoramic views would be affected.
The council know it is in a protected area and suggest the special design will allow it to grant permission, all things being equal.

So I'm not really too happy and will be looking for the best grounds for objection.
Does anyone have a list of valid objections that mean anything ?

[Geoff]

Have to agree that it would be a shame to site anything in positions 1 and 4.
I guess the rental on the kiosks will help pay for the maintenance needed to bottle alley itself?

[Richard]

well, I have emailed comments, for what it is worth, as follows:

Kiosk Consultation: Upper Promenade Eversfield Place

I would like to register my comments on the placing of kiosks at either of the 4 suggested locations.
Whilst realising these will likely cash in on the Pier redevelopment's increased traffic flow, I do not feel they should be permitted for the following reasons:

1. Cyclists already have some difficulty in maintaining a safe lane of passage and with people gathering, for kiosk offerings, there may well arise a health & safety issue, not least in the case of young children who are likely to dart out without warning.

2. The issue of litter has not been addressed and we are already witnessing huge gatherings of juvenile Herring Gulls who form nuisance numbers, at least in the summer months.

3. We currently have a new chip shop cabin, near to a cafe, opposite Warrior Square, both of which can already provide suitable refreshment in seated areas.

4. The prominence of kiosks at high level will impair the unspoilt panoramic views enjoyed by many, especially at the site of the 'bastions'.

5. The paragraph where it is states "we are currently considering providing one or two kiosks on the upper promenade of Bottle Alley" is misleading as the intention is to provide 4 kiosks, of 2 possible designs.

6. I would like to suggest that it may be better to provide one location with up to 4 kiosks, adjoining each other, than to spread them out and multiply any appropriate objections listed above (as well as on the council's own proposal summary)

Many thanks for your attention in this matter

[Richard]

In my objection, labelled no. 6. I envisaged a structure like the building housing the current 'Pier Info. Centre'.
Dunno' if that would be better really - but if you object I think you have to suggest something else, they won't just scrap the general idea anyway, imho.

Anyway the kiosks may not be as bad as imagined and it will cater to tourists who add money to the scene.

[inky]

My sister-in-law, a long-time resident, took us for fish and chips at the kiosk on the prom yesterday. Speaking as a visitor, I must say that I thought it was a pretty little blue and white building and a harmless addition to the front at St Leonard's. A sign asking customers not to feed the seagulls might be useful, even though, while I was there, the people doing so were not customers at the cafe but passers-by who seemed oblivious to the fact that there were people eating nearby.

The cafe is clean and well-maintained. It is not a magnet for substance-abusers. On the contrary, it seems to me, a repeat visitor to the town, an example of how a seafront can be rescued from such activity by the provision of pleasant amenities that open it up to the general public.

What would you rather it be?

[Richard]

hello inky,
I don't think we were bothered too much about the fish & chip hut, but more the intention of the council to pepper the upper promenade area with yet more food kiosks.
There has to be a limit to the amount of outlets for food, as well as a location which does not spoil the views along the open spaces.
What has been built already seems altogether reasonable but where do you draw the line?
For instance, at one time the council wanted to remove all the net huts in the old town to allow developments, until they met with opposition.

[nosferatu]

With reference to your comment, Richard, about the council wanting to get rid of the net huts, they've always wanted to get rid of the whole fishing fleet, as I understand it, and redevelop the whole Stade area with amusement arcades, etc. Years back,a councillor was heard to say that the Stade was a smelly, dirty and disgusting place and was best done away with. With EU quotas increasingly making small fleets such as we have less and less economical, I wonder how long it will be before it's forced to close down anyway.

[moonjiver]

I was shocked but not surprised by the reported comments of councillors and their desire ideally to dispense with both the net huts and the "mess" of the fishing boats. To my mind, this reflects all the stupidity and ignorance of officials who are supposed to be managing a small coastal town and to be in sympathy with all the varied work activities and other pursuits which are an essential part of the local culture. I suppose in a different kind of town or city (Birmingham?) the equivalent would be getting rid of an important factory because "it's so unsightly on the landscape and creates all that industrial waste"!

It is part of the reason that Hastings has been very slow to regenerate - atleast some of the people in charge of that process have not be born or brought up in the local community, certainly have little understanding of or sympathy with local traditions and culture, and are keen to sweep aside anything old and which doesn't make fast bucks.
It is why in the town centre so many old elegant buildings are still empty or have been replaced by tall, ugly concrete office blocks and a train station that looks half-finished!

Apart from the fact that life and trade has to go on and there has to be a working local fishing industry in a coastal town, I myself love the "mess" of the Stade - all the tangle of nets, old bits of boats, junk, the smells of dead fish, diesel oil etc. It is one of the most interesting and romantic parts of Hastings and to ever remove that would be to destroy the soul of Hastings and what the town is all about.

A bit forthright but maybe this might provoke some other comments from sympathisers?!

[Geoff]

Here's a 3D image showing one of the proposed kiosks.

Seafront Kiosk

Created by Tim Booth, http://www.hellograndad.com.