We hope everyone is enjoying the good weather and making the most of their beach huts. We wanted to provide an update on what the Association has been doing on your behalf recently. Firstly, apologies that communications have been quieter than usual. This has largely been due to some health issues on my part, but work has continued behind the scenes.
At a recent committee meeting, we were pleased to welcome Councillor Jonathan Hulls and Councillor Mark Coates. It was encouraging to hear their continued support for the Association and their willingness to be involved in future meetings with council officers. We would also welcome engagement and support from any Hayling councillors who wish to work with us.
Since February, the Association has been seeking a formal meeting with the Council. At times this has felt like a slow and frustrating process, but we were pleased to finally secure a meeting on 10 June. We will provide members with a fuller update on the discussions and outcomes in due course.
Shortly before this meeting, we were presented with a draft Beach Hut Policy and given a very limited timeframe in which to provide feedback. To say we were disappointed by the process would be an understatement. Members can view both the proposed policy and the Association’s response in the secure https://www.hibha.org/member-resources area of our website. This requires a members only password.
A number of members have also raised concerns regarding the maintenance of rented beach huts and the issuing of dilapidation notices to privately owned huts. To help ensure we represent members accurately and effectively, we are asking you to complete our survey on this topic.
Please take a few minutes to complete the survey here:
https://forms.gle/qxeMAKPChsVGEush9
We believe there should be fairness and consistency in expectations. Private hut owners are expected to maintain huts to standards set by the Council, often with relatively short timescales for completion of required works. At the same time, concerns have been raised by members regarding the condition and maintenance response times for some rented huts, where repairs can take many months and, in some cases, considerably longer.
Your experiences and evidence will help strengthen our discussions with the Council and support a fact-based approach to seeking improvements.
Finally, please continue to spread the word about the Association to your beach hut neighbours. The stronger our membership, the stronger our collective voice.
If you have not yet joined the Association, you can do so at:
www.hibha.org/join-us
Thank you for your continued support.
Paul Burrows
Chairperson
Hayling Island Beach Hut Association
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