4th Hastings Scouts had a wonderful community day in Speckled Wood

6th June 2014
THE 4TH HASTINGS SCOUTS HAD A WONDERFUL COMMUNITY DAY IN SPECKLED WOOD.

The Friends of Speckled Wood Management Trust invited the 4th Hastings Scout troop to help in the Woodland as part of its Community Day. The Day traditionally has been known in the scouting world as bob-a-job day. The scouts new figure head Bear Grylls has asked the scouts to focus on their own community.

The scouts had a fabulous time pulling up the Japanese Knotweed . The Trust is hoping to obtain trees as part of its community project to re stock this area and restore it back to its original Woodland.  The Trust has already six months ago contacted an agency in respect of the trees and will hear back if this is successful in October 2014.

The Friends of Speckled Wood Management Trust want to thank the Scouts for their help in this community project and look forward to the next event being planned.

(Photo credited - Stewart Hayler)

Sewage Work finally finishes in Speckled Wood

05 June 2014
SEWAGE WORK FINALLY FINISHES IN SPECKLED WOOD
Clancy Docwra told the Trust this morning that they would finish their sewage work today and the Woodland would be returned to its previous state.

The Trust are very pleased the work has finished . The Trust wish to thank Clancy Docwra .

The Trust website is attacked and they are held to ransom

4th June 2014

THE TRUST WEBSITE IS ATTACKED AND THEY ARE HELD TO RANSOM.

The http://www.friendsofspeckledwood.org.uk website which they had been using for over two years after asking Mr Tony Polain a previous Trust member to register a site domain for them , when they first started. The site suffered directory deletions and attacks for the first two days this week. 

The problems came soon after  threats where made to the organization asking for material to be removed from Facebook pages. It seems the information they were being asked to remove came from one of  Mr Polain's own organization. An email came shortly stating that this individual could run this site if  an arrangement could be made.

The Trust has set up a new site at http://www.friendsofspeckledwoodmanagmenttrust.org.uk which is due to go online shortly. The matter has been reported to the police.  

Clancy Docwra start work in Speckled Wood

2nd June 2014
CLANCY DOCWRA START WORK IN SPECKLEDWOOD

Today the Sewage work that the Trust had been discussing with South East Water started today. The contractor Clancy Docwra has agreed to dig the site by hand and make repairs to the sewage system. Camera work had found that the union between the steel and clay pipes has failed. A fence has been erected and the workers are doing a fabulous job in a smashing place to work. The Trust all of the agencies who have worked with them to achieve this end  with the minimum of disruption. Please go down and thank them for this help and show some appreciation please.

Update on Consultation

1st June 2014
UPDATE ON CONSULTATION 

 3560 Objections against development in Speckled Wood have been delivered to the Council from the Friends of Speckled Wood Management Trust to-date.

In May 2014 The Friends of Speckled Wood Management Trust approached the Legal Department of the Council to ask to be able to take the responses it had collected responses to the next available Hasting Cabinet meeting. This was opposed by the Hastings Borough Council on the grounds that the responses where individual responses and not a petition. The Friends of Speckled Wood Management Trust was told they required (1500) Petitions to get this matter of Speckled Wood back in to Cabinet and that this would have to be a new item not the same request as it was in 2012. Yet the Development Management Plan is due to be ratified at both Council and Cabinet later in the year!

In April 2014 the Friends of Speckled Wood Management Trust again unsatisfied with the Development Management Plan Consultation was forced to run its own consultation on Speckled Wood (http://www.friendsofspeckledwood.org.uk/gb/news/2014%20-%2004-25%20-%20Observer%20News%20Story%2034.pdf) again (1236) one thousand two hundred and thirty six objections were collected: 

(1236) One thousand two hundred and thirty six objections OBJECTION DEMANDING NO DEVELOPMENT IN SPECKLED WOOD, AND DEMANDING SPECKLED WOOD TO BE REMOVED FROM THE DEVELOPMENT MANAGEMENT PLAN.

At the beginning of 2014 Friends of Speckled Management Trust and HMRC Charity collected:

(666) six hundred and sixty six objections

against developing the Speckled Wood area near Victoria Avenue.

During 2013 The Friends of Speckled Management Trust and HMRC Charity worked on making the woodland a safer place removing over 30 skip loads of tipped waste from the site with no financial benefit to the Trust.

In December 2012 The Friends of Speckled Wood Management Trust  set up the www.speckledwood.org.uk/en site to collect signatures to show the public support for the Area to become an Local Nature Reserve or Special Site of Scientific Interest since this date:

(447) four  hundred and forty seven representations

have been made supporting the area becoming a SSSI or LNR.

At the end of 2012 the Friends of Speckled Wood Management Trust took this huge response to the Hastings Borough Council as a Petition. The Council agreed to set aside a portion of the Woodland  as Open Space and declare this a Local Nature Reserve when agreement could be reached with the land owners: http://www.hastingsobserver.co.uk/news/speckled-wood-campaigners-lose-reserve-bid-1-4460312


The Trust have been collecting and campaigning against development of Speckled Wood since 2012. In 2012 the Friends of Speckled Wood  was forced to put on its own consultation in response to the DMP The Chairman has stated "The process seemed unfair".

(1231 )one thousand two hundred and thirty one objections

were obtained and delivered to Hasting Borough Council. The Hastings Observer covered this: http://www.hastingsobserver.co.uk/news/local/campaigners-hand-over-petition-in-a-bid-to-protect-speckled-wood-in-ore-1-4236497

Clancy Docwra back in Woodland next week

29th May 2014

CLANCY DOCWRA BACK IN WOODLAND NEXT WEEK

The Trust Chairman met a representative of Clancy Docwra today on site in Speckled Wood to discuss how a further problem which had been identified by the camera work in  their sewage pipework was to be resolved.

The Trust has already made it clear it was unhappy with vehicles using the pathways in the area which some had been created by the silt being removed from the Ore Stream. The Progress of the vehicles was eroding the ground and creating problems which the Trust then had to handle.

The Chairman has reached agreement with them that they will not bring vehicles back into the woodland and the site will be dug by hand. The representative said that they wanted to work with us and would try to do this job with as little impact as they can.  The site will be opened up on the metal sewage pipe where it joins the clay coupling . The specialist team hope to be on site for two days. We have been assured that we will not know it has been done.

The Trust were out today clearing back the pathways

29th May 2014
THE TRUST WERE OUT THIS MORNING CLEARING BACK PATHWAYS

With the rain finally abating the Trust members have been out clearing back the wet pathways in Speckled Wood . In the next few days the pathways will be worked on making access better. The Trust is committed to saving Speckled Wood at all cost.

The brush-cutter is one of the tools that the Trust has bought with  the donations. The Trust are very pleased with it and thank everyone for the donations which have made this possible.  Pathways have been improved right across some of the woodland already.

Clancy Docwra finish of sewage work in Speckled Wood

21 May 2014

CLANCY DOCWRA FINISH OF SEWAGE WORK IN SPECKLED WOOD.
This evening a specialist team finished of the work in Speckled wood  capping of the sewage leak which had been leaking into the stream for over a month. The Pollution had been fouling the stream over this period. The team that was sent in arrived and worked hard to solve this as they told us that EA was quite upset that the work had been taking so long. This now brings an end to the sewage work  . The Trust is very pleased this work is finished. South East Water have been told that the entrance in Frederick Road is  not suitable for vehicular use after vehicles had got stuck in the mud.We shot a video of the van getting stuck here

The Trust recieve a second donation from the Community Shop

21 May 2014

THE TRUST RECEIVE A SECOND DONATION FROM THE COMMUNITY SHOP.

The Trust was very pleased to receive a fabulous donation from the Ore Community shop. This donation was gratefully accepted by a Trust Member who presented some cakes to the staff in the shop. 

The Trust has used the last donation it received from the Community Shop  to benefit Speckled Wood, which it maintains repairing bridges, and putting up security fencing, and paying towards the costs of the Consultations it has run alongside the Councils Development Management Plan Consultation.

The donation from the Community Shop will allow us to continue to do this for the next year.

The Trust chairman said "This is fabulous news as it will allow the Trust to do much more in the coming year".

Are BVI Holbery Holdings Limited directors hiding amongst us!

17th May 2014.

ARE BVI HOLLYBERY LIMITED DIRECTORS HIDING AMONGST US.
The Trust has been gathering information with regard to land in Speckled Wood , in an attempt to have contacts that could be approached if and when funding is available to buy Speckled Wood for the community.

Talks with members of BIG LOCAL and Capacity.org are all aware of the need for this area to have funding.

The Trust is hitting a brick wall contacting the BVI Hollybery Holdings Limited(incorporated in the  Virgin Islands) the contact for the company is care of Gower & Co of New Crane Wharf. The contact here has been most unhelpful stating "They do not whish to continue with the call" .

The Trust ask are the directors hiding amongst us?
Someone must know. Please spill the beans.

Update on Speckled Wood Consultation

16 May 2014
UPDATE ON SPECKLED WOOD CONSULTATION.

The Trust received a letter last night from Chief Legal in reference to the Speckled Wood Consultations the Trust has run during 2012 and 2014.  The Letter states:

"The representations received via the Speckled Wood Consultation website and in paper form will be treated as individual representations and not as a Petition.". 

This is welcome news as it means each individual response will be counted separately.

The letter also states that the Cabinet/Full Council will have to meet with the intention to approve the Development Management Plan. The Trust has spoken with their contact at the Planning Inspectorate and they have been told that the Council is expected to return the DMP to them in June 2014.  Talks are on-going.

Trust Ask The Community To Help to Create a Portfolio of Activities

3rd May 2014
THE TRUST ASK THE COMMUNITY TO HELP CREATE A PORTFOLIO OF ACTIVES
The Trust have been talking to The Community Rights service in regard Speckled Wood and their request to the Forward Planning Department. This request was for Speckled Wood to become a Community Asset. The Enquiry Handler was very knowledgeable and outlined what the Council Officers would require.

Part of this information discussed was a portfolio of activities which have happened in Speckled Wood. The Trust has again decided to ask for the communities help with this especially the senior citizens who are key to this portfolios success. A new form and online survey was created by the Trust to facilitate this . The paper version the Trust hope will be in the usual venues next week.

To fill the survey in online please go here https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/HLMV225

Sewage Work Continues in Speckled wood

02nd May 2014
SEWAGE WORK CONTINUES IN SPECKLED WOOD.

Sewage Work continues today with Clancy Docwra phoning the Trust and arriving on site with a camera to re-evaluate the sewer issue.

This comes after Southern Water sent in a £20,000 vehicle to try to cut the tree roots from the sewer last week.

The Clancy Docwra Specialist team were very thorough and said that as there had been three known visits to faults on this sewage line it was likely a man hole would be fitted to allow future repairs.  The team partially removed root from the sewer with rods allowing water to abate. The team visited the other sewage pipe and suggested a liner could be fitted which would cause less disruption. They said they will be back when they have lift equipment to see if this was a possibility with their roving camera.

The Trust recieves a Community Reference Number for the Right to Buy

01st May 2014
THE TRUST RECEIVES A COMMUNITY REFERENCE NUMBER FOR THE RIGHT TO BUY
The Trust received a reference number in respect their inquiry for the Community Asset Registration and Right to Buy scheme today. Locality  Contacted the Trust after their telephone call prompted by Capacity.org. The Chairman of the Trust mentioned that this was available at the Ore Together Meeting last night. The Community Right to buy is offered to communities who want to buy a local asset used by the community. Up to £500,000 is currently available which can me matched funded.

Talks continue with the Hastings Borough Council Forward Planning Development team. In respect to this. The Trust has also received forms which are quite complex.