Will council walk away from management of Humberston Fitties ?
COUNCILLORS could decide to "dispose" of Humberston Fitties after recommending residents be forced to leave the site for at least eight weeks every year.
It comes following a petition calling for chalet owners to be able to stay on the site for 50 weeks each year was submitted to North East Lincolnshire Council in 2010, promoting a full review of the site.
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ON SITE: A site visit on the second day of the Humberston Fitties select committee hearing. The committee and members of the Fitties Owners Residents' Association Bungalows discuss the flood defences. Picture: Jon Corken
But the campaign may have now backfired for residents as a select committee formed to investigate the issue has rejected their plea for extended occupancy and instead made other recommendations for the future of the site.
A report, formulated by the committee after a two-day hearing in October, will be presented to the policy, performance and resources scrutiny panel on Wednesday.
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The recommendations contained within it include:
That the closed season be no less than eight weeks per year, following evidence that the site is at risk of flooding.
That a working group be established to explore other opportunities for the management or freehold disposal of the site.
That the council reviews the £40,000 allocation for the maintenance of the coastal defence near the site.
The council strengthens its approach to use of chalets during the closed season and residents using chalets as their main home.
Options be explored for improving tourism at the site.
Councillor Ray Sutton, chairman of the select committee, said the issues raised during the hearing were complex and far-reaching.
He added: "We've examined closely the wide array of challenges and opportunities presented by this unique place.
"We and many local people care passionately about the Fitties and during the hearing we listened to many of them, as well as a number of other agencies and interested parties and I'm very grateful to everyone who took the time to give us their views.
"We've also had to be mindful of the many different functions the council has at the Fitties, from our responsibilities as the landlord to planning duties and our statutory role in emergencies, flooding and the environment.
"We believe everyone has had a fair chance to have their say on the matter and I look forward to the wider policy, performance and resources scrutiny panel discussing the report's recommendations on Wednesday.''
During the consultation, the select committee heard from Fitties Owners Residents' Association Bungalows (FORAB), other chalet owners, the Environment Agency, Balfour Beatty Living Places, Synergy Grimsby and the council.
See tomorrow's Grimsby Telegraph for residents' reactions.
Comments
by casiofx85gt
Saturday, December 15 2012, 7:03PM
“Sick of hearing this now just do as you signed up to do and leave for the required time.”
by minstral
Friday, December 14 2012, 11:57PM
“African Meggy./Sunshine 2000...can,t you read English or understand Quidsin's informative post?.What on earth leads you to believe that the chalets are not anyone's home.Every chalet (barring one) is privately owned -certainly not free or council owned.What gives you ,or anyone else for that matter ,the right to tell people where they can or cannot live.It's all about personal choice and human rights.As for someone taking over the Fitties,the suggestion was to look into a separate management company or housing association taking over administrative control.The Fitties is a designated conservation area and as such cannot just be off loaded to a developer.And to reiterate Quidsin's remarks ,council tax,ground rent and service charges all apply to chalet owners on the Fitties.THERE ARE NO FREEBIES!!!”
by Fitties1
Friday, December 14 2012, 11:29PM
“sunshine
you havent been listening have you”
by sunshine2000
Friday, December 14 2012, 10:23PM
“Thorpe park might take over and charge you or the council will charge you all services which local residents have to pay for like the council tax and health and safety”
by Fitties1
Friday, December 14 2012, 7:24PM
“If any investor was to take over the Fitties I suspect they would want to maximise their investment........How would they do that.......Now lets see.”
by AfricanMeggy
Friday, December 14 2012, 6:48PM
“There should be a closed season of six months! If you want a home you must pay for it just like the rest of us overcharged overworked overtaxed morgaged up to the hilt slave workers! No short cuts!”
by quidsin49
Friday, December 14 2012, 4:35PM
“Telegraph speculation headline playing to the usual venemous keyboerd warriors.The trouble is the Council make far too much money from the Fitties to let it go-they gross around £700K per year in C/Tax and ground rent and any expenditure is charged through a service charge on top.It was evident from the select committee hearings (yes some of us attended)that they even charge for FOI requests against the fitties and obviously the expense of the hearings will be charged against the fitties and not come out of the council tax levied.Given this insight into the operations of the council then the obvious conclusion is that they charge council tax but give absolutely nothing back. Would you dispose of that sort of return ? I doubt that there will actually be much change for the 95% of chalet owners who do comply with the regulations -not all FORAB members support the Harwood Mafia- but I'll guarantee a increase in patrols this winter for those that decide to stay.”
by G18437
Friday, December 14 2012, 10:37AM
“Chairman of the Select Committee!
NELC are really over stepping the mark this time.
Are we honestly being forced to fund the delusions of councillors thinking they're real politicians?”
by DevilsAdv
Friday, December 14 2012, 9:32AM
“Fitties1 - be very careful what you wish for, you may just get it.”
by puevigi
Friday, December 14 2012, 9:21AM
“if you think its expensive now wait until a private company gets involved. you will have to pay for everything and sea defences are very very expensive. should have just kept quiet as you were on to a good thing as it was.”