Licensing hearing date set for Five Acre Field

Readers of my blog will be aware of the Licensing Application for a Circus to be held on Five Acre Field in Langney Point, currently under consideration by Eastbourne Borough Council, which following a packed mediation meeting at the Strollers Cafe in Princes Park recently has now been modified to a 'one off' application.

Concerned residents are worried about additional noise, invasion of privacy, difficulty with youngsters sleeping at night, rowdy behaviour by revellers, parking in nearby residential streets, litter, loss of amenity space, restricted access for emergency service vehicles and the like but they also point out that the uneven nature of the field in places makes it a far from ideal venue and it appears that the levels of risk assessment carried out could have been more thorough.

I felt sorry for the Events Manager during the mediation meeting who at first it seemed had made an innocent enough mistake by double booking the established events field at Princes Park. I have seen how hard the Events Team work over the years and I pay tribute to the enthusiasm and dedication they show in making sure there is lots for residents and tourists to see and do in our wonderful town each year. However I felt he was let down and left exposed on this one with no Cabinet Member or Senior Officer attending the meeting to support him or give any kind of reassurance to residents.

It transpires that consultation took place in neighbouring Devonshire Ward (represented by Lib-Dems including the Cabinet Member responsible for Tourism) but that none took place in Sovereign Ward (represented by Conservative opposition Councillors) where there are many more residents who will be directly affected by the plans. Furthermore, whilst this double booking may have been a mistake, it would appear that despite pledging in 2007 election material that Five Acre Field would be protected by Lib-Dems who took all three seats at that election, now Conservatives have regained Sovereign Ward at the 2011 elections, other events are planned for Five Acre Field this year and publicity has already taken place.

I share the concerns of my constituents and I was very pleased earlier this year to have been able to have Five Acre Field included in the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Parks scheme which adds extra protection to public parks. Residents have put up with alot over the years with a number of Traveller incursions and they accept the important role Five Acre plays each year during Airbourne when the field is used as a park & ride facility to help keep our local roads moving but it is a much loved community open space and should be maintained as such for the enjoyment and recreation of residents. Our wonderful town has many open spaces which are far more suitable for events and I share residents concerns that if this application is approved, the floodgates will be opened for many more events throughout the year.

The final decision looks set to be made by Councillors serving on the Licensing Committee at a hearing set for 6pm in The Assembly Hall at Eastbourne Town Hall on Thursday 28th June and your Councillors will be there. A leaflet is being distributed to homes in nearby streets in the coming days advising them of the hearing date but we recommend that as many residents as possible should attend to show members of the committee the strength of feeling.

Once this first hurdle is passed, we will be renewing our calls for defences against future Traveller incursions to be introduced and will also be requesting that some levelling takes place to enable sports to be played on the field again. Some residents have also asked about the old Sports Pavillion located at the Sovereign Centre end of the field and if this could be renovated and able to be used by the community - tell us your views?