394. Tourism is an important income and employment-generating
activity as the Borough contains a wide range of attractions and
leisure facilities. The results of recent tourism and visitor
surveys have shown a need for continuous improvements to the range
and quality of tourist facilities. On Hayling Island and on the
mainland proposals will be encouraged for high quality tourist
accommodation and facilities and for the extension to existing
accommodation and additional ancillary facilities.
TO1 DEVELOPMENT AND IMPROVEMENT OF TOURIST ATTRACTIONS AND
FACILITIES
Planning permission will be granted for the
development and improvement of tourist attractions and facilities
providing:
(i) it is appropriate in scale, siting, design and
layout to its surroundings; and
(ii) it does not adversely affect the character and
amenity of the area.
395. The following locations on Hayling Island have been
identified as being suitable for the development and improvement of
tourist attractions and facilities:
- TO1.1 Creek Road
- TO1.2 Rails Lane
- TO1.3 Central Beachlands
- TO1.4 Mill Rythe Holiday Centre
- TO1.5 Lakeside Holiday Centre
- TO1.6 Sinah Warren Holiday Centre
396. Tourist facilities are an important attraction so it is
important that their range is maintained and increased where
possible. Those areas which have been identified on the Proposals
Map are considered suitable sites for developing these facilities
and where their loss would be of concern. However, this policy does
not preclude suitable tourism developments from being permitted
elsewhere.
397. Hayling Island remains the focus for tourism development
and the above locations will be promoted for tourist related
development. The Council will bring forward its own proposals for
TO1.3 Central Beachlands for a major recreation attraction and a
feasibility study has been commissioned to investigate what type of
visitor attractions would be commercially viable. Central
Beachlands is an accessible location for leisure and recreational
facilities where it will form part of the seafront. The
redevelopment of part of the existing amusement park combined with
upgrading or redevelopment of the existing buildings will also be
pursued. Development of Central Beachlands will also enable the
creation of a piazza by diverting the existing access road to the
west.
TO2 PROTECTION OF TOURIST ACCOMMODATION
AND FACILITIES
Planning permission will not be
granted for development which involves the loss of tourist
accommodation unless:
(i) the premises are no longer
viable as tourist accommodation; or
(ii) alternative replacement
tourist accommodation can be provided elsewhere within the
Borough.
398. Whilst economic and social trends
point towards a continuing decline in the traditional longer stay
holiday it is accompanied by an increase in short breaks, seasonal
holidays, day trips, business travel, visiting friends and
relatives and special interest or activity holidays. It is
therefore important to maintain and where possible enhance, the
quality and range of short stay tourist accommodation such as
hotels, guest houses, holiday centres, self-catering accommodation
and in some cases, caravans. Part of this process is to protect
that accommodation from avoidable loss as there also continues to
be pressure for the redevelopment of holiday accommodation on
Hayling Island for other uses, primarily residential. The Council
will expect applicants to submit a financial statement of all
relevant costs where a case is being made that tourist
accommodation affected is no longer viable. It will also be
necessary to produce evidence of marketing of the premises for a
period of at least six months to show that it has been impossible
to sell the premises as a viable concern.
TO3 TOURING CARAVAN AND CAMPING SITES
Development involving the
provision or expansion of touring caravan and camping sites will be
permitted providing:
(i) They are located on the
mainland excluding open coastal areas.
(ii) They are for touring
caravans and tents only, and do not include permanent chalets or
caravans.
(iii) They are associated with
appropriate existing development such as a farm or recreational or
tourist activity.
399. There are over 700 touring camping
and caravan pitches in the Borough, all of them on four large sites
on Hayling Island. It is therefore mainly for reasons of sufficient
provision, countryside protection and traffic control, that only
the non-coastal section of the mainland is considered suitable for
further touring caravan and camping sites. The open coastal areas
are defined on the Proposals Map in relation to Policy C3.
TO4 CONTROL OF STATIC HOLIDAY CARAVAN
DEVELOPMENT
Development involving the
provision, continued location or improvement of static holiday
caravan sites will only be permitted where:
(i) the development would have a
close physical relationship to existing caravan
sites;
(ii) the caravan is to be used
for holiday purposes only and has a limited period of
occupancy;
(iii) the site is, or can be,
adequately screened from outside view; and
(iv) it would not result in an
over-intensive use of the site.
400. All licensed static holiday caravan
sites in the Borough are on Hayling Island and range from small
back gardens of houses to large well equipped sites with over 100
caravans. About half such caravans are on sites between Creek Road
and Itchenor Road at Eastoke. The policy allows for modest
expansion, provision or retention where appropriate.
TO5 STATIC HOLIDAY CARAVAN DEVELOPMENT IN
THE EASTOKE AREA
Within the area shown on the
Proposals Map, development will only be permitted for static
holiday caravans or other tourist development. Any caravans must be
for holiday purposes and have a limited period of
occupancy.
401. Almost all the land in this area is
occupied by static holiday caravans. In order to sustain a focus of
provision for this particular type of holiday accommodation and to
minimise the amenity conflicts which can arise where holiday
caravans and permanent dwelling houses are closely inter-mixed,
this area is considered to be only suitable for static holiday
caravans. Most of this area also has poor road infrastructure. The
majority of that area to the north of Eastoke Avenue is also part
of the Chichester Harbour
AONB and borders the
Chichester Harbour
SSSI. If an
alternative use of the area were proposed a replacement form of
tourist development would be preferable, in order to compensate and
enhance the tourism industry, taking into account the above
constraints.
TO6 DEVELOPMENT AND IMPROVEMENT OF TOURIST
ACCOMMODATION AND ANCILLARY FACILITIES
Planning permission will be
granted for the improvement of existing and the provision of new
tourist accommodation including hotels, hotels with conference
facilities and changes of use for the provision of bed and
breakfast accommodation providing:
(i) in terms of its scale,
siting, design and layout it does not adversely affect the
character and amenity of the area or an existing building;
and
(ii) in the case of a hotel or
hotel with conference facilities, a sequential study is undertaken
such that suitable town centre sites are considered first, followed
by edge-of-centre sites, district and local centres, and only then
out-of-centre sites in locations that are accessible by a choice of
means of transport.
402. Proposals for the provision of an
improved range and quality of tourist accommodation within the
urban areas and in the countryside will be encouraged subject to
the criteria set out in the above policy. Within the urban areas on
the mainland and on Hayling Island proposals will be encouraged for
the provision of high quality tourist accommodation and this would
include extensions to existing accommodation and additional
ancillary facilities, provided they do not conflict with other
policies in this Plan.
403. For proposals in the countryside,
encouragement will be given to the re-use and replacement of rural
buildings for quality tourist accommodation and for extensions to
existing accommodation to provide additional ancillary facilities
subject to the provisions of Policy C1. New building in the
countryside for tourist accommodation, including the provision of
facilities that are ancillary to an existing tourism use will be
encouraged providing a demonstrable case for development in the
countryside is made. Such proposals will need to demonstrate a high
quality of design, appropriate siting of buildings and landscaping
in accordance with other policies in this Plan.
404. There is also demand for bed and
breakfast accommodation which is useful for those visitors wanting
short-stay holidays at various times of the year. Where the impact
of granting planning permission for bed and breakfast accommodation
is uncertain with regard to the amenities of adjoining residences
the Council may only grant planning permission for a temporary
period usually 12 months so as to monitor the situation. Where the
impact of the development is considered to be acceptable then the
Council will grant permanent permission following an application to
renew the temporary permission. Proposals will need to be
appropriate in scale to their surroundings and shall not adversely
affect the character and amenity of the area.