4.0 Conclusions
4.1 Tourism is a wide
ranging sector with numerous stakeholders and should feature
prominently in Havant’s Local Development Framework. Tourism is an
important employment generator for Havant borough and the focus
should be on maintaining and enhancing the existing offer and on
extending to meet changing customer needs. The focus of development
should now be on sustainable tourism, in terms of impact on the
natural environment but also on employment generation and visitor
numbers and satisfaction.
4.2 The Council’s Tourism
and Leisure Plan promotes tourism in a realistic and sustainable
way as a growth sector within the borough and the policies in the
LDF
should have a
focus on fulfilling the priorities of this plan in such a way as to
balance with the other sections and criteria of spatial
development.
4.3 From the various surveys
carried out in the borough, the following main points are of
consideration:
- Most staying visits in Havant area are for leisure/holiday
purposes and Havant has the 5th largest number of
staying trips in Hampshire.
- A fifth of Havant expenditure by staying visitors is by those
in static caravans.
- Staying visitors were more likely to be on Hayling than on the
mainland.
- Day visitors are the most the common visitor
- Visitors on Hayling Island reflected a slightly younger age
profile than those surveyed on the mainland.
- There is a trend towards shorter and more frequent breaks.
- Most frequently visited attractions were Hayling Amusement Park
and Staunton Country Park.
- Positive aspects of the borough are its uncrowded,
uncommercialised, peaceful nature and its sea front, scenery and
open spaces.
- Hayling seafront could do with updating and regenerating.
- There is a lack of investment in tourist facilities across the
borough.
- Need for more attractions e.g. cafes, bars, restaurants, in
town centres and Hayling Island
- There is a demand and developer interest in the possible
development of a 3 star, upper tier budget or budget hotel in the
borough.
4.4 The key priorities for
tourism across the borough are:
Hayling Island
4.5 Hayling Island is the
birthplace of windsurfing and this makes it unique in terms of its
offer. Opportunities to focus on this as an unique selling point
should be explored. The ‘Destination Hayling Island’ project is
work in progress and is supported in the Tourism and Leisure Plan.
This project will enhance and improve the sea front of Hayling
Island and regenerate the Beachlands area. This scheme will fulfil
much of the concern raised by visitors that Hayling sea front is
run down and needs investment. Hayling Island is the focus of more
family orientated holidays and there should possibly be more focus
on providing facilities for this market. There is scope for
providing for and promoting other types of activity and themed
holiday, for example those centred on bird watching, sailing, wind
surfacing, cycling, horse riding, golf, fishing or walking perhaps
to extend Havant’s tourism offer. Such holidays could be
promoted on Hayling Island or around the harbours, subject to
environmental constraints. Any policies will need to ensure that
the current tourism offer is maintained and enhanced on the
island.
Emsworth and Langstone
4.6 Emsworth and Langstone’s
appeal comes from their unique history and their water front
settings. There is limited potential for further development in
both, without them becoming over commercialised. These centres
should retain their quaint historic feel and the current nature of
their tourism offer. Any policies should ensure that the existing
offer is not harmed and is maintained in a sustainable way.
Staunton Country Park
4.7 Staunton Country Park is
already a popular tourist attraction. The development of Havant
Thicket Reservoir should be promoted as a tourism attraction within
Havant. There is the possibly of new leisure services and
facilities being created which would also serve local residents as
well as visitors. The development of Dunsbury Hill Farm employment
site near by with associated hotel facilities would provide new
accommodation in this part of the borough which, by proximity to
the A3(M) gives easy access to the area and attractions. A hotel
development in this location would fulfil the needs of the business
market during the week and provide a facility for short breaks at
weekends.
Town Centres
4.8 The town centres are
currently not big tourism hotspots but there is some potential to
improve their share of the tourism market. There is little in the
way of an evening economy at present, with limited restaurants and
bars. Potential re-development of Market Parade could offer the
possibly of new leisure and recreation facilities next to Havant
Park.
4.9 Havant’s principal
strengths in the visitor market lie in its harbourside, sea front
and beaches on Hayling, the popularity of its camping and caravan
parks and the diverse provision on Hayling Island, the historic
setting of towns like Emsworth and Langstone, and the open scenery
in areas like Staunton Country Park. There is potential for tourism
growth with the regeneration of Hayling seafront and the possible
development of facilities near Staunton Country Park.
4.10 In the future more low key and
nature conservation related facilities should possibly be
considered around the harbours as an alternative offer as there is
potential to make more of the coastline on the mainland.