Haslar promenade and seawall transformation sparks fears residents will be left feeling exposed and unsafe

Improvements to the Haslar promenade and seawall, near the former Royal Haslar Hospital in Gosport, aim to increase public access but have raised fears about privacy and anti-social behaviour.

Haslar Developments Ltd submitted the proposals to Gosport Borough Council as part of ongoing regeneration plans for the historic 24-hectare, Grade II listed site.

The scheme was approved at the council’s regulatory board meeting on December 3.

The plans include resurfacing and re-profiling the walkway, installing new seating and lighting, upgrading flood defences, and adding five gated access points.

The council said: “The works are to re-provide a flood defence wall on the line of the existing sea wall that marks the southern boundary of the Haslar site.”

However, residents expressed concern that removing existing fencing would increase public access to their homes, leaving them feeling exposed.

Philip Wright, who lives at Canada House at Haslar, said vulnerable residents already feel unsafe.

Mr Wright said there have been incidents of people “wandering around the grounds peering through residents’ ground-floor flats’ windows.”

He said that further public access could bring more anti-social behaviour to the area, with access to the flats remaining unchecked.

The original outline planning approval in 2014 included improved connectivity between the waterfront and the wider Haslar Hospital site.

A representative for the developer said the current plans are the same as those approved in 2017, which expired during the pandemic.

He said concerns about anti-social behaviour are a matter of public order, not planning, and emphasised that the promenade will not be fully open to the public.

He said existing 24-hour security will remain in place and that access to residential areas will be controlled through a timed gate system, managed by security staff.

This system, he said, would be similar to those used in public parks to restrict entry after certain hours.

Simon Barrett, a development officer at Gosport Borough Council, said: “Public accessibility was always envisaged and public access to the site.”

Councillor Steve Hammond, chair of the regulatory board, said the scheme had to balance public benefit with resident concerns.

He said the issue was a contractual matter between the developer and residents, not a planning issue related to the walkway itself.

The promenade is already used by pedestrians, cyclists, and anglers, and the council has said improvements will reveal historic railway lines currently buried beneath the path.

These lines will be preserved within the new landscaping.

The Haslar Hospital site includes 70 listed structures and buildings, as well as a Grade II listed park.

The enhancements to the promenade are intended to improve coastal defences while creating an accessible route for the public.

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