HH combined Feb 25 JW - Flipbook - Page 6
Hayling Herald News
Anger as 65 new caravan pitches to be
built on ‘wildlife haven’ field
A FIELD at the centre of the Island which was
popular with walkers is to be built upon with
dozens of caravans to be ready for the summer.
Church Meadow, close to St Mary’s Church, is
owned by Meadow Bay Villages, which bought
Hayling Island Holiday Park in 2024.
But the field had been unused for years and,
as a result, the meadows had long grasses, wild
flowers, young oak trees and blackberry bushes.
It was home to a diverse range of birds including kestrels, sparrows, hawks, larks, swifts,
goldfinches, butterflies and bees, as well as
hedgehogs, foxes, field voles, deer, newts and
slow worms.
Meadow Bay Villages has now exercised its
right to build on the site and the meadow has
been cut down.
Robert Sebley is one of the local people who
campaigned against the changes to the field.
He said: ‘For the locals it was a beloved place
– perfect for a stroll or walking the dog, but also
used by families and children for foraging blackberries, playing football and getting away from it
all. Many others enjoyed the area and it made a
peaceful and beautiful backdrop to the St Mary’s
church cemetery, especially for those attending
burials or visiting their loved ones’ graves.
‘There aren’t many places these days where
people and wildlife co-exist so fruitfully and
easily, and it wasn’t until the entire area was bulldozed overnight that many of us woke up to what
we had lost.’
As well as the loss of access, Mr Sebley is worried about the risk of flooding because he says
the field acted as a soak-away for the surrounding properties.
He added: ‘One thing is certain – Hayling will
suffer from this by losing one of the few remaining wildlife spaces left in the middle of the
Island as well as the peace and quiet of St Mary’s
Church and cemetery.’
A spokesperson for Meadow Bay Villages said:
‘Permission was sought and granted from Havant
Borough Council for the use of what was previously categorised as ancillary land for the siting
of new caravans.
‘Matters such as the public right of way and im-
pact on landscape were fully considered as part
of that process and moving forward, Meadow
Bay Villages continues to prioritise environmental stewardship as one of our core principles.
‘Since transitioning the holiday park out of
administration under its previous ownership, we
have made a long-term commitment to rejuvenating the resort.
‘It will require significant investment to ensure
Hayling Island Holiday Park has a strong and
successful future that will contribute to the local
economy, increase employment and boost local
spending to support seasonal businesses that
continue to be vital to the local community and
visitors alike. The additional accommodation we
are introducing will help achieve that goal.’
Mr Sebley said his aim is to persuade Meadow
Bay to landscape the remaining area in a wildlife-friendly way with native hedges, a wildlife
pond and rain gardens.
He believes it would help restore some of the
biodiversity that has been lost, and reduce the
risk of surface flooding in nearby properties.
He is inviting the chief executive officer of
Meadow Bay to the site, along with Havant Borough Council’s ecologist to discuss the impact of
their development and ways it could be mitigated.’
Northney residents show amazing generosity
By Alan Bartlett
LAST November local resident and North
East Hayling Residents Association (NEHRA)
committee member Hannah Williams, brought
the idea of a reverse advent calendar to the
committee.
The idea behind it is that each day you would
put a food, household, or personal item in a box,
targeted to go to the Hayling Island Community
Food Pantry in late December.
The committee created a flyer which was delivered to all the houses in Northney and Tye, with
the offer that we would collect boxes, or they
could be brought to the Recreation Hall on the
night of the Carols in the Village, or they could
be taken directly to the Community Pantry.
At the Carols a massive pile of 31 boxes appeared, with Hannah and her son Charlie supervising the collection.
They were taken to the Pantry and together
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Charlie supervises the collections
with 25 that were delivered directly, made a total
of 56, all full of essential items and some gifts for
Christmas.
The carols evening had standing room only and
a collection in support of the Community Pantry
raised £276 further demonstrating the generosity
of the Northney community.
Receiving the boxes on behalf of the Pantry,
Tania said: ‘We can’t thank you and NEHRA
enough for your amazing idea of the advent
calendars! Thanks to NEHRA and the generosity
of the Northney community, the pantry is able
to support our most vulnerable families through
Christmas and January.
‘Each reverse calendar box was wrapped and
packaged with love and care, and full of essential
items and some treats.
‘We were overwhelmed by the amount of
donations received and appreciate every one of
them. Happy Christmas to you all.’
Derek Bowerman, Chairman of NEHRA,
thanked all who contributed, and who made this
a massive success, with special thanks to Hannah
for her brilliant role in translating an idea into
practical action and making Christmas a joyful
time for many vulnerable families.
