Richmond House in Westgate, Hunstanton, planning application similar to 'hangar' pier plan on The Green - Turnstone
Turnstone by John Maiden
Hunstanton Town Council's response to a recent planning application brought back memories of something similar, which happened in 2002.
According to the minutes of a meeting in June last year, the town council objected to an application for the conversion of a former hotel and flats into 15 residential units. The property in question is Richmond House in Westgate, close to its junction with Southend Road.
The reasons for the objections can be summarised as follows.
Lack of parking spaces. Only one was proposed whereas, according to national and local policy, the recommended number should be 22.
Overdevelopment for the footprint size of the original building, particularly the proposed structure over an existing garage block.
The present sewerage system already proves to be inadequate, especially during the summer months when there is an influx of visitors to the area.
The sewage treatment works at Heacham is unable to cope. As a result bathing water quality and the natural environment are being adversely affected.
As far as I am aware nothing has been done to address these grounds for objection over the past seven months.
In spite of this, the town council appears to have done a U-turn at a meeting on February 23, by voting 10-3 in support of an application for 13 residential units.
This is how Cllr Paul Kidd, chairman of the town council's planning committee, justified the change of opinion: "The reasons for our support, are that we as a Town Council feel that the plans submitted for this application fall in line with this Council's visions for the development and the town's longer-term enhancement, which meets with the Hunstanton Neighbourhood Development Plan."
As a resident of the town, born in a house further up Westgate in February 1938, I have to say that in the forthcoming local election I will not be casting my vote for any of the ten councillors in question, should they decide to stand for election.
However, due to Michael Ruston's request for a recorded vote (turkeys and Christmas spring to mind) the public now know the names of the 10 councillors who supported the application for 13 residential units; and the names of Robert Corby, Wendy Croucher and Andrew Murray who continued to object.
In the unlikely event that there will be enough candidates to hold an election, these three will have done more than enough to earn my vote.
Finally, in case anyone cares, the vote in 2002 was taken by the borough council's Development Control Board. In July 2002, members were unanimous in rejecting an application to build what Vivienne Spikings accurately described as a 'hangar' on The Green at Hunstanton.
Less than two months later members voted 7-5 with six abstentions for the same 'hangar', to which a short pier had been added! I hardly need to point out that 21 years later we are still waiting for a pier of any description to be added to the unsightly hangar...
