COMMUNITY ACTION NEWHAVEN FIGHTS ESCC OVER 'SECRETIVE AND UNNECESSARY' FLYOVER - MAIL


April 17th, 2018


STEVE'S PORT POINTS
Whilst I agree that the port needs investment, I would argue that this particular 'opportunity' does not fit well with the vision of clean or green industry. The only winners should this be granted permission are: Brett; a handful of prospective workers; the County Council, who are looking for justification for their Port Access Road; and the French owners of the port.


The losers are: the thousands of residents of the town affected by the noise and air pollution; those people trying to get though and around Newhaven in their cars on overcrowded and under-funded roads; the prospective businesses that we may attract, put off by the image of the town; the visitors arriving on the ferry, faced with not only a scrap heap, but now an industrial complex and heaps of aggregate; users of the only remaining accessible sandy beach for locals; the flora and fauna that will be lost over a 12 Hectare site.

In answer to what is the right business to attract, I would suggest we look at the published wishes of Newhaven, Lewes District and East Sussex County Councils and they all cite 'Clean, Green and Marine'. This large site has the potential to employ many more workers than the paltry number suggested after the completion of all the phases of this development by Brett.

The deepwater moorings that are proposed by the port are a welcome addition and could offer the opportunity for a number of desirable imports/exports, or even a larger ferry, (which was something NPP suggested would be great for the port, when they promoted their Port Masterplan), any of which could benefit from an extended train connection, which we share a desire for.

The scrap heap on the East Quay is an example of NPP's desperation to attract any business into the port, no matter what the consequence. In my opinion, this is another such business. Whilst I appreciate that the Windfarm was, (again in my opinion), a good business for the port, with its Clean, Green, Marine attributes, little more has come forward that meets the criteria.

Many applications for housing have been passed on Eastside and more are coming forward, along with commercial and retail. The Brett application, together with the Conway's Tarmac Plant and the newly announced Medical Waste Incinerator, do nothing to make the area more attractive to existing and potential residents, or prospective businesses. And that's before we look at the detrimental effects of the vehicles serving all of the above, on the already recognised poor air quality of our town.

At the end of the day, the decision is likely to be made by a County Planning Committee, who's membership is skewed by their areas of representation. Most are based in affluent rural areas in the east of the county and history tells us that the opinions and protestations of local people are rarely considered as pertinent.


Steve Saunders
Newhaven Town Councillor

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