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Beach Campaign Success!
by John Paine, BN Research & Liaison Officer
Access to the beach is assured, naturists attending a meeting on 4 February 2006 at Eastney, Portsmouth were told.
The footpath to the naturist beach is owned by Portsmouth City Council. In addition, under the planning agreement now being finalised, Qinetiq will provide open public access through their site, with a new grassed area leading to a new promenade along the line of the low beach wall. New steps to the beach used by naturists will lead down from this wall.
It was felt that the campaign to date had been successful. Whilst the opposition by naturists, to the building of the 131 flats, failed to get the scheme dropped a lot of publicity had been created. The efforts of the Campaign Group had assured a continued public access to the beach. Naturist use had never been a legal right, but had been tolerated and supported for very many years. A lot of positive local media coverage had been gained during the campaign.
The Council supported naturist use of the beach (without making it an ‘official naturist beach’) and naturists will need to be vigilant to any future threats. It was agreed that the Save Eastney Naturist Beach Campaign could be wound up, once a new Eastney Naturist Beach Liaison Group was up and running. Thirteen local naturists attended the meeting, which was chaired by John Paine, BN national Research & Liaison Officer, with support from Ian Green, BN Executive Council member for the Southern Region.
A steering group of local naturists is now working out details for the Eastney Naturist Beach Liaison Group. They will report back to a meeting to be held at The White House, Eastney, on either Saturday 1st or Saturday 8th April.