PRESS RELEASE, HOVE, UK
A vital local referendum is being held on February 9th which will give Hove residents the chance to to influence the development of new buildings and infrastructure in the area, including new flats slated for three more prominent sites in the area. Polling cards have already been sent out, and locals need to vote YES to ensure their opinions are heard – and taken into account – by the developers and the council.
Vote YES to get funding for local infrastructure
Critically, by voting YES, the council will be legally required to allocate 25% of developer contributions (CIL) from these future projects, to be invested in improvements to existing local amenities – parks, pavements, roads, shopping areas etc. This will run into hundreds of thousands of pounds in the next few years.
Written by the Community – for the Community
The referendum is the final stage in the approval of the Hove Station Neighbourhood Plan. This plan has been prepared over eight years by the Hove Station Neighbourhood Forum, an independent group of volunteer local residents, whose purpose is to get the best for the area and the people who live there. While accepting that these new developments are inevitable, the Forum seeks to force concessions from the developers about, for example, the height of the new blocks, and enforce the agreement with the council to ban parking permits for the new influx of tenants. Only with a majority YES vote on Feb 9th will this happen, so all residents are being encouraged to have their say.
According to the Hove Station Neighbourhood Forum chairman, Mike Gibson:
HSNF Chairman
“It really is vital that everyone gets out to vote YES. We’ve seen the current developments go up all around us, and I keep hearing people complain about the height of these buildings, concerns about parking, and the impact on local amenities. With an approved Plan, this time we can make a real difference to future projects. But only if a majority of residents vote “YES”.
Volunteers working for the benefit of the community
When news broke about the closure of the Royal Mail facility in Denmark Villas, the Neighbourhood Forum established a dialogue with the Royal Mail about the site development, and made it clear that the local community:
- would not support high-rise above nine stories
- would press for the provision of social rented housing
- wanted a virtually car-free development
- wanted significant and accessible green landscaping
However, none of these essential points can be enforced without a majority YES in the local referendum.
Also, Brighton & Hove Council has recently established a joint working group with Conway Street landowners, the Bus Company and Network Rail, to design the new developments intended for the bus station area. A majority YES at the referendum will give us community representation in this group.
Mike Gibson added:
“This is the best ever chance we’ll get to have a say in how our neighbourhood is developed. We can’t afford to miss out.”
HSNF Chairman
The opportunity to vote in this referendum is the result of years of work by local volunteer residents. The Hove Station Neighbourhood Forum welcomes all new members, and subscribers; and encourages everyone in the Neighbourhood Plan area to get involved in future campaigns, such as traffic management, street tree planting, etc. For further information, visit www.HoveStationForum.co.uk
Read the summary here: http://bit.ly/hsnp-summary
Watch the video to get an overview of why Hove Station needs a community-led Neighbourhood Plan: