THE NEW fencing at the Haven Arms has ruffled a few feathers it seems.
Construction of the new timber fence was agreed by Hedon Town Council last March 2014 to mark and safeguard land it is responsible for adjacent to the Haven Arms pub. It followed concerns regarding the council’s responsibility for public safety on its land. The new fence marks the boundary of the vehicle parking area.
The grassed area beyond the fence towards the old Hedon Haven docks still has the picnic tables there under agreement with the Haven Arms who will be responsible for them and any issues arising from them.
At the last town council meeting it was agreed that the fence construction had been a “job well-done” and “in-keeping with the character of the area”. There was a hope expressed that cars would park sympathetically to the layout of the parking area and not on a slant so to maximise the parking space available.
However, not everyone agrees! Mr Smith in comments on the Hedon Blog said: “The fence ruins the feel of the area, it looks unfinished with a scaffold bar as a gate. It is a waste of money and makes parking a problem.”
Mr McHugh on Facebook is even stronger in his criticism: “I would like to know which idiot at the Town Council thought it would be a good idea to build the fence opposite the Haven Arms. I now can not park my van there without taking up the room of 4 cars… It looks ugly and spoils the area!”
So, are you a fence lover or a hater or one of the fifty shades of opinion in between? Is it ‘in character’ or ‘ugly’? Will it help safeguard the land?
Whatever your views, it looks like the fence is here to stay.
The whole area is a bit of a mess, isn’t it? A sea of churned up mud, loads of litter and dog muck, tab ends, not exactly a pleasant rural spot. I took my sister walking down the track there last year and to be honest, it was shaming! We see this all over the town in bits that should look lovely – again, it seems the few with no pride or respect for their surroundings spoil it for the many.
Ps. Speaking of which, I noticed last week at 7.30 am the Ketwell field gate was wide open and the grass was covered in bottles and cans. That didn’t take long, did it?!