Both sides of the story!

[sshh_u]

Having visited your website over the past few months as a ‘guest’, I must applaud you all for your efforts to save Eastney Beach. However, me personally, I am against Eastney beach being used for nudity as I strongly believe, and always have, that the area of the beach allocated for nudity is not situated in the best place. It has a path for the public to use and I find it very strange that the public (which includes school children) have to walk past many naked people to get to the end of it. I am aware that everyone on this website is all for the beach to stay but it is only fair that everyone hears both sides. I am just as much against the flats/apartments being built but looking at many beaches across the country no longer allowing nudity maybe its inevitable? I welcome your comments….

[Michael H]

I always felt that this part of Eastney Beach was particularly suited to naturist use - it's at the end of a cul-de-sac - there is nowhere to walk to, unlike most other naturist beaches and we're only talking about a tiny portion of the beach (Southsea has a very long sea-shore).

Where would you suggest is suitable?

You mention "many beaches across the country no longer allowing nudity" - I'm only aware of a few that the local councils are trying to restrict naturist use - even in those cases their actions may not be lawful - simple nudity (particularly in such a suitable place as the beach!) is not against the law and these days councils cannot pass bye-laws that seek to overturn statute or case law.

[sshh_u]

In fairness to your comment you only have to visit the BBC website to read about the problems being faced at Studland Beach. It is only inevitable that the beach will no longer be a nudist beach. There was a beach in Peranporth in Cornwall that banned the use of nudists because of many problems, Botany Bay is under threat and not forgetting Eastney! Maybe it in today’s society the majority says no to nudity at beaches because of the unwanted attention naturism attracts. There are many times when I have had to walk past Eastney Beach and have witnessed lewd behaviour. My niece no longer walks pass Eastney Beach as she said she feels she has to look away! Why should she have to do that, its her beach as much as the nudists but like she said us passer bys have to look down or away in case we are accused or staring!!

[Michael H]

Studland Beach - Naturists (Studland United Naturists) are formally working with the National Trust and the Police to tackle any problems there.  It is most definately not inevitable that it will close - I certainly am not aware of any proposal to close Studland Beach itself to naturists.

Perranporth has hit the headlines recently because of ill-informed comments by the Major of the nearby army site - the situation is under discussion between the army, British Naturism (the national organisation for naturists) and the local council.

Botany Bay has had (possibly unenforceable) notices placed on the beach - details of this are somewhat sketchy.

Doesn't really amount to that many beaches under threat of closure though.  Suggesting "no to nudity at beaches because of the unwanted attention naturism attracts" sounds too much like blaming the victim for the crime.  Naturists don't like unacceptable behaviour just as much as you - that's why naturist groups work with the authorities to try to curb it.

I don't understand the comment "My niece no longer walks pass Eastney Beach as she said she feels she has to look away" - there is nowhere to walk to past the naturist part of the beach - it's a dead end (except at very low tide) - I'm unclear as to where a passer-by may pass by to.  It seems odd to go on to a naturist beach and then complain about being offended about simple nudity.  If you're offended about lewd behaviour (& I've never seen this down at Eastney) then complain - I would if I saw inappropriate behaviour.  The Eastney Naturists group had a meeting with the Police recently and we were told that nothing like this was on their radar - indeed the bobbies on the beat stated that they liked Eastney because they never got called out to any trouble there (unlike further along the beach).

Nobody's seeking to be in your face - we're in a part of the beach that is quiet and fairly discreet.

Surely there's enough beach for everyone? 

[nagumbe]

Whilst I welcome other peoples' views I feel I must point out that Portsmouth has a very extensive coastline - several miles in fact. Naturists currently occupy just a few hundred yards which, for most of the time, is at a dead end. There really is no need for anyone to go to that part of the beach and be offended. Once you know that naturists are there why keep going back to be offended yet again? Naturists have been using this beach for at least 60 years and the signs have been there for the past seven so there should be no need to come across this place by surprise.

The list of local organisations and people who either support us or do not object to naturists is getting longer all the time. Portsmouth City Council sits firmly on the fence but does take the trouble and spends the money to erect signs to inform people that the beach is used by nudists. The police are happy with our presence and our nudity as we are acting within the law of the land. When we addressed the Eastney Neighbourhood Forum last year they expressed no opposition and, indeed, one woman publicly said that as far as she was concerned we could use the whole of the beach. Support has come from the local MP and when we canvassed opinion of all local election candidates last month we found a high degree of support.

When we raised money for a local charity - Portsmouth Lifeguards - they were happy to come down to Eastney with hundreds of naturists in attendance and put on a demonstration of lifesaving. Similarly, we took part in the PowerFM skinnydip last year and raised more money for charity from an awful lot of people who could see no harm in it.

I'm happy to say that almost everywhere we look these days we get acceptance or approval for being nude on a beach.

Body shame is a trait that is exclusive to humans. I've yet to hear any complaints about naked dogs, naked horses, naked cats, naked birds............

Regards

Barry

[Barewalker]

Hi sshh u,

I have read your comments regarding Eastney beach with interest but to me it sounds as though you've never been there.  In fact, the 'path' is not a public footpath at all - check the OS map, it goes nowhere and the only school children I have seen along there were teenagers looking for a cheap thrill.

Mike and Barry have been very polite and given you reasoned replies but your 'offended niece' comment just leads me to suspect a troll at play.

[NEW-NATURIST]

I'm sorry but sshh u is talking crap when you say it is a public path, and that you have to walk past nudists to get to the end of it. Eastney Beach is the ideal location for naturists, out of the way, and as people have said - it is A CUL DE SAC... It leads no-where.

So why, when you know naturists occupy this part of the beach, which is tiny compared to the vast shoreline of southsea, do you continue to walk past this area if you feel offended by naturists???

PS - I don't expect a reply from you...it seems as if you have signed up just to cause a stirr and will dissapear, but do feel free to answer some of the points 

[eastneyboy2000]

Ladies & Gentlemen - this is a set-up. We all know from the recent letter to all local election candidates that there is extensive support throughout Portsmouth. All the responses from local election candidates were positively in favour of maintaining the beach.

[pebbles]

Don't feed the troll!!!!

[Bare4fun]

I always love that comment about naturism attracting "Unwanted attention" as if we were happy with it, and working along that basis shouldn't ALL schools be closed because they attract peadophiles?

Pete

[Ged]

"I'm sorry but sshh u is talking crap when you say it is a public path, "

Don't say that.  A large part of our case is that the beach has been freely open to the public for over forty years and is therefore an inalienable public space.