01 Application Number: APP/11/00184 Ward: Hayling East

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1 01 Application Number: APP/11/00184 Ward: Hayling East Site Address: Land Opposite 148 Sea Front, Hayling Island, PO11 9HL Applicant: Mr Robin Walton, The COPP Team: 2 Heroes Memorial Fund Agent: Mr I Murray Case Officer: Mrs H Lealan 8 Week Date: 29/04/2011 Reason for Committee Consideration: HBC owned land Proposal: Application to erect a stone monument to COPP war heroes and information board. EHPBE Recommendation: GRANT PERMISSION 1 Site Description 1.1 The application site is located on land adjacent to the southern shore of Hayling Island and the Sea Front road is adjacent to the north of the site. It is an area of grassland which currently comprises of a number of seating benches and a picnic table. The East Hayling Light Railway train station stop is adjacent to the site to the north. 1.2 The prevailing character of the site is grassland and it lies within a Site of Importance for Nature Conservation (SSSI). 2 Planning History 3 Proposal No planning history 3.1 The application seeks to erect a permanent stone monument to the Combined Operations Pilotage Parties, (COPP), who trained at Hayling Island Sailing Club during World War II. The granite stone would be installed by the Stonemasons Cathedral Works Organisation of Chichester and would be approximately 10 tons in weight, stand 4.5m in height on a m mound. The overall height would be m. The plans showing the monument are somewhat indicative at this stage as the exact width may vary depended on how the piece of stone is worked. 3.2 The associated information board is proposed to stand approximately 29m north west of the monument and provide information regarding the COPP pilots. The board would be 2.25m in height and 2.92m in width. 4 Policy Considerations National Planning Policy PPS1 (Delivering Sustainable Development) PPS9 (Biodiversity & Geological Conservation) PPG19 (Outdoor Advertisement Control)

2 South East Plan CC4 (Sustainable Design and Construction) Havant Borough Core Strategy 2011 which forms part of the Local Development Framework CS1.13 (Health and Wellbeing) CS5 (Tourism) CS16 (High Quality Design) CS11 (Protecting and Enhancing the Special Environment and Heritage of Havant Borough) DM8 (Conservation, Protection and Enhancement of Existing Natural Features) DM9 (Development in the Coastal Zone) 5 Statutory and Non Statutory Consultations County Ecologist Coastal habitats. Site also supports a large number of protected/notable species. Hampshire Wildlife Trust Natural England The SSSI is unlikely to be adversely affected by the above proposal subject to conditions. Property Services Manager The land is owned by HBC, no concerns or objections raised. If the planning permission is granted, a Structural Engineer s report and Method Statement regarding installation will be required. Comment: The Structural Report is not an issue to be considered at planning stage, it is a Property Services and Building Control matter. RAMM Open Space Society Royal Society for the Protection of Birds Solicitor to the Council 6 Community Involvement This application was publicised in accordance with the Council s Code of Practice for Publicity of Planning Applications approved at Minute 207/6/92 (as amended), as a result of which the following publicity was undertaken: Number of neighbour notification letters sent: 17 Number of site notices: 1 Statutory advert: No

3 Number of representations received: 13, representations received at the time of writing this report, including representations in support of the application from Hayling Community Board and Hayling Island Residents Association. The publicity period has not yet expired and so any further representations will be notified to Committee by addendum. Summary: 6.1 The proposed memorial would be an attractive addition to the Sea Front which would be sympathetic with the Coastal Area. Comment: See Section The COPP personnel were brave people based at Hayling Island, who performed dangerous and immensely valuable work for the Allied WW2 effort and are, to date, unrecognised. Comment: Noted. 6.3 The work could be performed at no cost to Havant Borough Council. Comment: The work is being entirely funded and maintained by The COPP Heroes Memorial Fund. 6.4 The proposal would add to the visitor experience for those interested in WW2 and will form a link between the Sailing Club site where the COPP heroes trained and the Hayling Gun Site. Comment: Noted. 6.5 The base mound will take up a lot of space. Comment: Noted. 6.6 Why is the memorial not sited closer to the Sailing Club or Eastoke Point? Comment: The Council can only determine the proposal submitted and an alternative location has not been proposed at this time. 6.7 A small memorial would be better or the money donated used to help the veterans of today not the dead of 70 years ago. Comment: This is not a planning consideration. 6.8 The information board is un-necessary and is unsuitable. Comment: The appropriateness of the siting and location of the information board is assessed in Section In favour of a memorial but not in front of a residential dwelling house as the large scale of the monument would impact upon the coastal view. Comment: See Section Impact on surrounding house prices. Comment: This is not a material planning consideration The land is common land and is solely for recreation, pleasure and play for the people of Hampshire and this would be a hideous monstrosity. Comment: Noted

4 6.12 The Buckhannon Report classed Hayling Island as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and as such no further development should be allowed to take place. Comment: The application site is not situated within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty If this structure was built, especially due to its size and closeness to the road it would be prove to be a major distraction to motorists. Comment: The monument is over 50m from Sea Front road and as such would not result in a hazard to drivers The structure would prove to be an irresistible magnet for young people to climb on it and accidents could happen. Comment: Noted 6.15 There are sufficient memorials dedicated to the brave who fought in the Second World War. To put up a monument dedicated to one particular group is an insult to everyone who gave their lives during the war. Comment: This is not a planning consideration I understand that funds will be put aside for cleaning. The monument will become an eyesore and will not be cleaned. It will inevitably mean that the cleaning will pass to Havant Borough Council and the tax payers. Comment: The work is being entirely funded and maintained by The COPP Heroes Memorial Fund If this proposal is approved it would remove our human rights as it would sentence us to look at something imposed on us which we find repulsive and ugly. Comment: See Section 7 of the report. 7 Planning Considerations 7.1 The development plan identifies the main considerations in relation to the proposal as: (i) (ii) (iii) (iv) (i) Principle of development; Effect on the character and appearance of the area Effect on neighbouring properties Environmental effects Principle of Development 7.2 Relevant policies of the Core Strategy are supportive of recreation and tourism improvements within the coastal environment, where such proposals do not adversely affect the character and wildlife interests of the area, and subject to other normal development control criteria. Subject to the detailed consideration of these issues below, it is considered that the proposals for the monument and information board are appropriate in principle as they will reinforce local distinctiveness in terms of social history on a local and national level.

5 (ii) Effect on the character and appearance of the area 7.3 This is a prominent site from both the shore and from the Sea Front and surrounding roads. The monument is proposed to be a 10ton (approx) granite stone of some m in height. It will sit on a concrete foundation which would be covered in earth and grass to blend in with the surrounding land. By virtue of its height the monument would be highly visible, however it is considered that the use of weathered granite would be sympathetic to its coastal setting of both seascape and the horizon beyond, with the natural materials blending in well with the shingle materials on the beach. 7.4 Furthermore, it is not considered that the associated information board is of a scale so as to cause any undue detriment to the character and appearance of the area. The development is therefore considered to comply with Policies DM8 and CS11 of the Havant Borough Core Strategy 2011 which forms part of the Local Development Framework. (iii) Effect on neighbouring properties 7.5 The monument will be visible from a number of surrounding dwelling houses; the closest dwelling would be approximately 80m away from the monument. Due to the degree of separation distance between the monument and the closest adjacent properties on Sea Front; it is not considered that the monument, or indeed smaller scaled information board, would be likely to create an overbearing impact or result in a significant loss of light to the occupiers of these dwellings. 7.6 It is accepted that the monument will alter the view currently available to the occupants of the surrounding dwelling houses. However, changes to a particular view are not a material planning consideration because this would impede just about all new development. Conversely, detriment to visual amenity from a dwelling house is a material consideration when determining planning applications. 7.7 Reference is made in the representations received in connection with the application to the implications of the development for the human rights of residents living opposite the site. In this regard the Council is justified under paragraph 2 of Article 8 of the Act (right to respect for private and family life, home and correspondence), to interfere in an individual s rights on planning matters where the Council acts in accordance with law and pursues a legitimate aim or aims that are necessary in a democratic society in pursuit of that aim or aims. It will be necessary for the Committee when making its decision to strike a balance between the competing interests in this application and ensure that the interference in the right of the individuals concerned is outweighed by the public interest. 7.8 With regard to this application, it is considered that the monument will not detrimentally impact the character and appearance of the locality and therefore it is further considered that the altered view from residential properties, albeit a changed view, would not provide such detriment to the visual amenities available to the surrounding properties as would justify a refusal of the application. Furthermore the proposed development is of public interest as it is a memorial to the COPP, who trained at Hayling Island Sailing Club during World War II. (iv) Environment effects 7.9 The application site is located within a Site of Importance for Nature Conservation

6 (SINC). However, due the minor nature of the works, a Biodiversity Statement is not required Natural England has raised no objection to the application and comments are awaited from the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Trust at the time of writing this report. These comments will be updated by addendum prior to the Development Management Committee On the basis of the information available at the time of writing this report, it is considered that the application will give rise to no significant adverse impact on the ecological interests of the area. 8 Conclusion: 8.1 It is concluded that the proposals set out in the application are appropriate to the character of the area and will reinforce local distinctiveness in terms of social history on a local and national level. It is not considered that the monument and information board would give rise to an unacceptable impact to ecological interests or to the amenities of neighbouring properties, and whilst the views available across the site from individual properties will change, this is not considered to be such a significant impact as to outweigh the benefits of the proposal. It is therefore recommended that Planning Permission be granted. RECOMMENDATION: That the Executive Head of Planning and Built Environment be authorised to GRANT PERMISSION for application APP/10/00184 subject to the following conditions: 1 The development hereby permitted shall be begun before the expiration of 3 years from the date on which this Planning Permission was granted. Reason: To comply with Section 51 of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act A Method Statement shall be submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority and shall include details of how the works will be undertaken and shall specifically include the following: - How the existing vegetation will be lifted and reused; and - The specification and source of the imported shingle to ensure it is appropriate to the sensitive location. The development shall be carried out in accordance with the approved details and adhered to at all times. Reason: To protect the features of the SINC site and having due regard to Policy CS16 of the Havant Borough Core Strategy 2011 which forms part of the Local Development Framework, Planning Policy Statements 1 & 9 and S281 of the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981 (as amended by the Countryside & Rights of Way Act 2000).

7 Appendices: (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) Location Plan Close up of monument and Plaque Indicative photograph of Information Board Proposed view of Monument towards the south east Addenda/corrigenda (if appropriate)