Chine Bluff Public Convenience Upgrade
The existing public conveniences located near to the entrance of Shanklin Chine are in very poor condition and the economic viability of it is questionable. However, the Town Council is having a full structural survey carried out on the building to determine the costs associated with structural repair and internal refurbishment. Whatever the outcome of the review of the existing Art Deco building it cannot be adapted to include accessible disabled facilities, so a separate two unit toilet block including disabled facilities is being proposed and plans submitted to the Planning Authority.
The external design consists of three colours; sand yellow, sea and sky blue to respond to the beach side location. The new building is designed to meet the requirements of all sections of the general public, including two direct access cubicles, one of which is DDA compliant. The facility will also
include two exterior cold-water public showers to rinse off sand when returning from the beach and an internal nursing table for baby changing.
The building itself has been designed to be sustainable in both construction and operation, a range of environmental considerations are incorporated including reduced water consumption for flushing, LED lighting throughout and full insulation. A sedum ‘green roof’ will be incorporated, green roofs are a roof covering made up of a blanket of perennial succulents which grows and flourishes to provide a real and natural habitat for plants and insects. These bio-diverse rooftop installations offer a home to invertebrate wildlife and will blend in to the existing environment when walking down from the Chine.
Proposed 2022/2023 Budget Amendments Successfully Accepted
At the Full Council on Wednesday 23rd February, the Conservative group budget amendments were successfully accepted. These amendments will enable a further increase in the investment for affordable housing, exploring brownfield site opportunities, improving public rights of way,
allocating funds to plant trees and enhancing service levels in key areas which interface with the public.
The amendments put forward by the Conservative group included:
Increasing the £25 million drawdown facility to fund affordable homes to £40 million
£60,000 for an independent review of available brownfield sites
Reverse plans to cut two staff members at the IW Council call centre
Ring-fence £200,000 of the staffing contingency for additional staffing in the Council’s Planning Department
Allocate £500,000 to restore access paths to Island beaches, and to restore footpaths, bridleways and rights of way
Provide £500,000 for planting trees and restoring hedgerows on Council-owned land not suitable for housing
Shanklin Cliff Lift
£170,000 has been set aside for major enhancements to the Shanklin Cliff Lift. This includes repainting the lift shaft and replacing the lower entrance canopy to ensure its long-term future.
Hampshire Constabulary - Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Task Force
The Police and Crime Commissioner; Donna Jones heads up the Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) task force, of which Hampshire Constabulary is a part of and has opened a ‘call for evidence’ to hear the thoughts, views and experiences of residents and practitioners in relation to Violence Against Women and Girls in Hampshire and on the Isle of Wight. This multi-agency task force has been developed to improve Hampshire’s and the Isle of Wight’s response to VAWG, ensuring that the needs of women and girls are at the heart of the strategic response.
The aims and objectives for this call for evidence are to better understand the true scale and extent of VAWG and its impact upon individuals, their families and communities, to hear people’s experience of the reporting process, to understand support service capacity and to identify examples
of best practice and what is working well locally. The task group aims to learn about the current challenges in tackling VAWG and what requirements are necessary to improve.
This call for evidence was launched on 8th March 2022 and is open for 6 weeks. The deadline for submission is the 18 th April and we would encourage you to complete the survey. Please visit the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioners website for more information and link to the surveys: Consultations - Hampshire Police and Crime Commissioner (hampshire-pcc.gov.uk)
Best regards, Chris and Michael.
