Secretary of State writes to Chief Lord Justice Lord Thomas

Secretary of State writes to Chief Lord Justice Lord Thomas
22nd August 2016

The Charity received a wonderful letter in the post today stating that our MP Amber Rudd, The Secretary of State has written to Lord Thomas the Chief Lord Justice in regard to  the missing underpinning documents from the Hastings Development Plan. These should have been legally available after the Consultation for the Main Modifications. It is known that Rothers’ Examination Report is correct and was written by the Planning Inspector. Hastings Borough Council document was written by someone in the Council at the time. The Charity has been concerned that the lack of the underpinning Examination Report makes the Development Plan Unsound. This is concerning as the Borough makes Green Space areas which the Council state are protected. It also questions why this process failed and why the Inspector does not seem to have supplied Hastings with an Examination Report when it has supplied one for Rother District Council.

The Charity have been working for over two and a half years to get a Legal Decision from the Freedom of Information Act  2000, The Information Commissioner , Three First Tier Tribunal Service  GRP & GRS Tribunal , The Judicial Appointments and Conduct Ombudsman and now the Chief Lord Justice. A spiral bound report has been prepared by the Hastings Badger Protection Society Directors and Friends of Speckled Wood Management Trust to ensure this matter is properly dealt with. The Charity has been fighting to save Speckled Wood since 2012. The Charity was set up when other groups would not provide an electronic consultation for the public. Over 7000 Reponses were sent in to the Council from the Charity in an attempt to Save Speckled Wood.  The Charity used skips to remove dangerous rusting metal work and rubbish from the site over two years in 2013 in an attempt to clean the area up for the children who play there.

More information about the Charity is here:
http://www.charitychoice.co.uk/friends-of-speckled-wood-management-trust

Friends of Speckled Wood Management Trust & HBPS raise concerns with Lord Atkin and the Home Secretary

Friends of Speckled Wood Management Trust & HBPS raise concerns with Lord Atkin and the Home 
Secretary13 August 2016

The meeting was very successful and a lot of information was shared with Lord Atkin and the Home Secretary. The Home Secretary Amber Rudd MP agreed that she would help and an action plan has been established. The Charity is hoping to hear back from this in a few weeks to see what their next course of action is going to be. The matter is hopeing to Save Speckled Wood as the Charity has been fighting to Save this area for the Wildlife and Children that use this area  since 2012.

Judicial Appointments & Conduct Ombudsman will investigate

Judicial Appointments & Conduct Ombudsman will investigate.
4th August 2016
The Judicial Appointments & Conduct Ombudsman confirmed by telephone  today that it will investigate the Chamber President in regard to the decision that his office was investigating with the missing Planning Inspectors Report which was requested from the Council two and a half years ago and has still not been forthcoming .

The matter reached the First Tier Tribunal GRC & GRP Tribunal in January this year after a complaint was made to the ICO in regard to the Council holding or not holding this document from the Planning Inspectorate.  A twenty page report was sent to JACO the Communities and Local Government  Comittiee. and Ms Amber Rudd MP

"This was excellant news the chairman states as it was very kind of JACO to step in and help."

Mr Donald Wise of Hastings Badger Protection Society stated " I am totally ashamed that the Council has not produced what everyone was expecting to see."

Speckled Wood Designation

Speckled Wood Designation

25th July 2016

Speckled Wood  is Currently Designation by Natural England: Priority Habitat Inventory - Deciduous Woodland (England), Woodland Improvement (England), National Forest Inventory (GB).

£1.00 SALE FRIDAY 1st July 2016 @ Community shop Ore

The Community Chop £1.00 Sale on
Friday 1st July 2016.

The Community Shop in Ore , Hastings is having a £1.00 SALE for one day only . If you spend £10.00 there is free tea or coffee & cake in the gallery room. Please come and help support us . There will be a collecting tin for the charity in the shop. We would love your support.


For more information contact

Address: 313 Old London Rd, Hastings TN35 5LR

Phone: 01424 720400

battle threatens "Natural England over its lack of monitoring of licences."

battle threatens "Natural England over its lack of monitoring of licences."
29th June 2016

On the 23rd June 2016 the MP Amber Rudd  wrote to two Directors of the Hastings Badger Protection Society in regard to the serious correspondence and breach of license terms particularly in the area of Kent and Sussex.

The matter has been passed to Dame Julie Mellor of The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman asking her to investigate and address the points of ten serious failings believed to be occurring.  The most serious being a breach of a former Decision Notice with regard to a piece of Land in Hastings which is part of Speckled Wood Estate.

What concerns the Hastings Badger protection Society is the proper enforcement procedure and advice which is causing cruely to protected wildlife.  Natural England is believed to have last taken publicised action in regard to wildlife crime in 2012. The Hastings Badger Protections Society believe this is not good enough.  

Where is the Scrutiny?

Where is the Scrutiny?
17th June 2016

For several years the Friends of Speckled Wood have been sending concernes to to two Council email addresses these are email addresses oandsservices@hastings.gov.uk  or oandsresources@hastings.gov.uk  .The Council Corporate and Democratic Services Officer Ms. Lisa Greathead said in a communication by email yesterday "I have checked with the Council’s IT Department and the email addresses you give are incorrect and therefore any emails you sent would not have been received.  There is no valid email address for Overview and Scrutiny Committee.  I have checked with the Council’s Complaints Officer and there is no record of any complaint being made by you in the last year in respect of this matter." Further to this she said that the Council Scruitiny commitee had met more than once here is a video link to the diary for the Overview and Scruitiny Committee https://youtu.be/m8V1qVbQuN0  The Trust is unsure how the Overveiw and Scrutny is able to function with no contact points . This is quite unbelievable. 

Parliamentory and Health Service Ombudsman Intervention Required

Parliamentory and Health Service Ombudsman Intervention Required 
14th June 2016 
A second referral has been made to MP Amber Rudd asking her to refer a matter in relation to NE handling of licenses in the Kent and Sussex areas. The communications details failings in monitoring of these licensees, and enforcement of the licenses. It is hoped that the Parliamentary Ombudsman will draw on the Church Street case which they dealt with and draw further conclusions.

JCB Digs on five sites in Speckled Wood an Update

JCB Digs on five sites in Speckled Wood An Update.
4th May 2016

Today the matter was brought again to the attention of the Enforcement team who stated that a reputable company had commissioned the work It is clear the that the sites which were dug do not follow the route given by the gray haired man on this site He indicated the route would include knocking down a fully grow dree a wall which bordered onto Speckled Wood and that this pathway was proposed to go through the Speckled Wood Housing Estate. I would imagine that the residents of this estate will not welcome more cars parked in their estate to facilitate this pathways use.

If this indeed is the case why was the need for point D to be dug out as it is nowhere near the rest of the points or this route indicated by the gray haired man? 

The Hastings Borough Council conflict goes to the First Tier Tribunal Service allocation.

The Hastings Borough Council conflict goes to the First Tier Tribunal Service allocation.

4th May 2016.

The matter between the conflicts of the two Information Commissioners Office Decision Notices was put before the First Tier Tribunal Service 16th December 2015 has now reached the point where it is to be allocated to a panel of Judges. The Tribunal Registrar and Judge in two CMN have determined that only one Decision Notice can be judged in one case. It is assumed the first case with the Planning Inspectorate is not therefore contested leaving only the Hastings Borough Council matter to be judged. This allocation paperwork has now been assembled by the First Tier Tribunal Service. The Circuit can take six weeks to assign this panel two of these weeks to date have already passed.