We must protect Hunstanton’s green spaces
In his weekly Turnstone column, John Maiden discusses green areas of town...
Last week I came across a very disturbing article in Your Local Paper. Under the headline ‘Alarming risk of losing green spaces’, there was a report of yet another garden becoming a building plot. Fortunately, Judith Collingham, the councillor for Dersingham, raised concerns about the loss of a green space in Manor Road, and members of the planning committee voted to refuse the application on the grounds that the house was too large for the land, describing it as "overbearing".
This suggests to me that the applicant is likely to make another application for a smaller residence that would still destroy most of the current green space. Within yards of my current Hunstanton home, there are several examples of this loss of green spaces. The most obvious one was the demolition of Quoin House to make way for Lyndhurst Court.
In a more prominent location, on Cliff Parade, the art deco style ‘Green Shutters’ was demolished and the land, including a considerable green space, is now occupied by two large blocks, each one containing some five apartments.
Hopefully, the current trend of building new homes on car parks will reduce the threat to the town's remaining green spaces, on both private and public land. The apartment block nearing completion on the Kit Kat site might tempt the council to permit similar tall structures to desecrate some of the land formally occupied by the Blue Lagoon swimming pool (1928) and the boating Lake (1932).
Perhaps I am wrong to worry about the fate of the green space that is currently the town's recreation ground, but the fact that nothing has been done to restore the plaque at the entrance to this precious part of the town is extremely serious in my humble opinion.
This is what the words tell us about the town's ownership of this land: "This Recreation Ground was subscribed for by the townsfolk of Hunstanton to commemorate their united efforts during 1939-1945. Formally handed over to the Hunstanton Council on 1st June 1949."
As a very young member of the Hunstanton townsfolk during the war, and only aged eleven in 1949, I still believe that these words make it quite plain that the Freehold of the Recreation Ground was handed over to Hunstanton Council, for use by the townsfolk. It follows from this that the le Strange Estate would have no right to suggest that a replacement for the Oasis Leisure Centre could be constructed on the Recreation Ground.
To the best of my knowledge Smithdon High School has no swimming pool, so if such a facility is to be provided away from the seafront, Smithdon would seem to be the obvious choice.
