Combined March 26 jw v2 - Flipbook - Page 23
Write to Editor, Hayling Herald, 64 Elm Grove, Hayling Island PO11 9EF or editor@haylingherald.co.uk
Letters Hayling Herald
Where is democracy?
The pictures show the two new red brick piers, the exposed area between the two piers, and the council notice warning of a possible six-month of closure
Dear Editor,
I REFER to last month’s letter from Peter Oliver (Langstone Millpond, February 2026).
I have always thought that I lived in a democracy, that is a society where decisions are made by
majority rule.
So when it comes to our governance the majority would elect representatives and empower
them to carry out the wishes of the majority. It
seems to me that, increasingly, we are being governed by minorities.
The saga of the Langstone Millpond is a case in
point. In 2022, just after the sea wall was damaged, a public meeting was held and subsequently a petition with over 5,000 signatures presented.
The vast majority of local residents wanted the
sea wall reinstated and the Millpond preserved
precisely as it was before the sea wall collapsed.
However, the people elected to represent the
majority view have chosen to do precisely the
opposite. Typical of so many of our elected (and
sometimes unelected) representatives they have
lost touch with both reality and the people they
are supposed to represent.
The present situation as set out eloquently by
your correspondent, Peter Oliver, is completely at
odds with what people want.
It is beyond my comprehension that it has taken four years, yes, four years, and a great deal of
our money, to come up with the wrong answer.
The original sea wall formed part of the King
Charles III footpath. That footpath is now
blocked by the attempt to build a bridge and will
be blocked for the next six months according to a
council notice.
The whole area is a mess. They have built two
piers at the end of the old sea wall, approximately
10 metres apart with no protection from the sea
between those piers.
Within a short period of time the sea will wash
away the exposed area along with the footpath.
The sea will then flood the paddock, thus undermining the Mill Pond. The area between the two
piers is already eroding.
All those responsible for decisions leading to
the present situation should hang their heads in
shame.
Perhaps someone in authority could give an
explanation as to why they have, for apparently
no good reason, chosen to ignore the wishes of
the majority.
Yours sincerely,
Robert Busby,
Hayling Island
Community service Council promises pothole repairs
Dear Editor,
A BIG shout out to the two ladies I saw on
West Lane just off to do their own beach
clean, armed only with litter pickers bought
from Hayling Hardware and a bag for the
rubbish.
Yours faithfully,
Kathleen O’Neill,
West Lane
Dear Editor,
AS residents of south-west Hayling will be aware,
a number of potholes have materialised recently
in Manor Road near its junction with Newtown
Lane, in Manor Road to the north of its junction
with Gilbert Mead and in Station Road close to the
entrance of the Tesco Express car park.
To ensure these receive the focus they need from
Hampshire County Council Highways, I reported
a number of these on their website recently. Subsequent to raising these reports, Hampshire County
Council Highways inspected these sites and updated my reports on their website with ‘works are
required’ information. They further updated my
reports on their website by saying that:
n The cluster of potholes in Manor Road close to
its junction with Newtown Lane has a Target Completion Date of March 25th
n A further cluster of potholes in Manor Road to
the north of its junction with Gilbert Mead has a
Target Completion Date of the April 21st
n A pothole in Station Road close to the entrance
of the Tesco Express car park has a Target Completion Date of May 12th
Given that I have seen a large number of posts on
social media referencing these potholes, I thought
local residents might appreciate reading about the
updates that Hampshire County Council Highways
have posted in your publication.
Yours sincerely,
Richard Gale,
Hayling Island
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