Hillingdon Outdoor Activities Centre
Dews Lane
Harvil Road
Middlesex
UB9 6JN
Tel: 01895 824171
HOAC Latest News
Find out all about what's happening with HOAC while we wait to move...
HOAC AGM 2025
Our AGM will be held on 13th November at 8pm. The meeting will be online and details on how to join will be posted here.
Before the meeting our Annual Report and Auditored accounts will be available on this page. If you have any questions you would like answered at the AGM please email us
March 2024 update
The planning application that was submitted in the Autumn had a decision date of March.
However, due to the high number of responses that the council received and need to process and an objection from Natural England the process is still ongoing.
Firstly, I would like to thank everyone who has supported our application process your comments are very important in informing the council of the need of HOAC and the importance of HOAC to the local community.
We now must wait for the councils decision, which we hope will be in the next month or two.
Whilst we await news on a potential new site we have decided to start operating again all-be-it remotely.
We will be shortly setting up a program where we can go into schools to offer some activities. This will not replicate everything that HOAC did, but may offer limited opportunities to those who cannot access outdoor education and activity elsewhere
We will also be offering first aid training to both schools and early years providers as well as local businesses and the local community
We are also working to try and find a location where we can offer some holiday courses this summer.
None of the above is a replacement for HOAC, but will offer some short term benefit to the local community who are missing out on valuable opportunities.
Please keep an eye on our website and social media for updates.
Planning update 30th November
The planning information has now been on the Hillingdon Planning Portal for the past two weeks if you want to add your comments you can do so until the 19th December.
There are 248 documents in total having read through them all we have highlighted key documents that are a good summary of the overall plan
This statement is taken from the Ecology report
It is considered that the Site has a wealth of unrealised potential. It could be a much richer and greater bastion of biodiversity than it currently is.
The vision for the SSSI is to return the Broadwater Lake unit of the SSSI to favourable condition and to improve its resilience now and in the future and to measurably increase its intrinsic biodiversity value. This will be achieved through interventions and management aimed at increasing the total amount of life it supports. The water would be clearer for longer periods; the amount of green plant life within the lake, on islands, floating rafts, and at its margins would be greater; the number of fish and fowl would be increased. A greater range of species of waterbirds would be breeding, and in better numbers. In winter, Broadwater Lake would be a haven for passage and wintering birds. The inherent resilience of the SSSI to climate change / global warming would be significantly bolstered to secure its survival over the foreseeable future (50+ years) and hopefully much longer.
The Following documents are a good read to give you a good overview of the project
Design and access statement gives a good overview of the project with some good pictures and visualisations of the site
Environment Statement overview – a summary of the whole environment statement
Alternate site assessment – a good overview of why other lakes were not suitable
Planning Statement – although this is 240 pages it is a good summary of the whole project
Please add your comment to the planning application by completing this form
Broadwater Planning Application
We are excited to announce that planning permission has been submitted to relocate Hillingdon Outdoor Activities Centre to Broadwater Lake. This is very close to our original site and will involve joining forces with the existing sailing club Broadwater Sailing Club. We have been having constructive conversations with the club and believe we will both benefit from what the new site has to offer.
The site is on a SSSI (Special Site of Scientific Interest) and is an important location for winter nesting birds and as a wildlife haven for the local area. The Council have been working with Natural England to ensure the plans enhance and enrich the existing wildlife and ecology. We believe that the measures put in place with the planning application will enable us to co-exist at the site with the existing wildlife population. As those who used the existing site regularly will know we had an abundance of wildlife on and around the original site and the measures being put forward for the new site should only improve this relationship with nature over the long term.
The new site promises to be a national flagship outdoor centre offering the latest green carbon zero technologies, a carbon neutral build, and ongoing energy saving initiatives. Not many outdoor centres get the opportunity to be built from scratch in this way.
We do however expect some local groups to object to this planning application and do understand that it is not a straight-forward decision to relocate HOAC to this site. Choosing this site has been a difficult decision for the Council as it would be much easier to locate us somewhere else where there isn’t any conflict with nature, unfortunately all alternative sites have been ruled out over the last 10 years of searching for a new home. So, it is imperative that you engage with the planning process and highlight to the council the importance of HOAC to you and the local area.
During the pre-planning application process the council were surprised and impressed by the personal stories that users had to share, and I know there are many more stories out there that have not yet been told. Every narrative is unique, and every journey is special, please don’t assume that someone else will respond on your behalf we need to hear your story. You may have moved on and not be intending to use HOAC at the new site, but many more people will come in the future who may have a similar story to yours waiting to be told, your input now can give them the opportunities in the future to create life-affirming adventures.
The planning process is the next step to getting the centre back-up and running. Should approval go through we will then highlight our pathway to re-opening as the process evolves. The best way to keep up to date is to sign up to the newsletter on our website and check out our social media posts on Facebook, Instagram and X.
AGM Voting
Please vote on relevant parts of our AGM
Draft Minutes of the AGM – these will be updated once votes have been added.
Votes up to the end of November will be included.
HOAC AGM 2023
The Annual General Meeting of the Colne Valley Youth and Community Association will be held:
online on Thursday November 16 at 8.00pm
All trustees of HOAC are invited to attend.
Friends and members are requested to submit questions before the meeting to admin@hoac.net
Agenda
• Chairperson’s Annual Report for 2023.
• Principal’s Annual Report for 2023.
• Presentation of Audited Accounts 2022/23.
• Appointment of Auditor for CVY&CA.
• Election of members to the General Committee of the CVY&CA (5).
• Questions for the meeting
• AOB and date of next AGM.
• (Elected officers will be contacted after the meeting to fix the year’s timetable of meetings).
Friends are defined as those people who support the aims and objectives of the association, which are primarily to promote youth training and education in an outdoor environment.
Any friend as defined above is eligible for committee membership except those who may have commercial interests that conflict with those of the association. The final arbiters are the Trustees.
Friends serving on the committee are expected to represent the interests of the Association as a whole and not any particular group. For the Committee to be most effective it is desirable that there is some continuity of members from one year to the next, and also that people with special skills to offer come forward.
Nominations, with proposer and seconder should be sent to the HOAC office in advance of the meeting
Broadwater pre-planning consultation
Hillingdon Council are holding a pre-planning consultation for a new site for HOAC at Broadwater Lake.
Please see flyers
This event is an opportunity to see the initial plans for the site, and gives you a chance to submit questions, support or concerns for the project.
If you are unable to attend and wish to offer your support for the move please email the office and we can forward onto the planning team
HOA AGM Draft Minutes
HOAC AGM Voting
On Thursday 10th November, we held our AGM.
Please click on the link to have your say and vote
Voting will stay open until 17th November, after which time full minutes will be published
AGM
Our AGM is scheduled for 10th November 2022 and will follow the same format as last year.
The HOAC committee and the trustees will meet remotely.
If members/friends of the centre would like to submit questions to be answered at the meeting please send them in advance to the office.
After the meeting has taken place we will post draft minutes here for you to view.
You will then be able to vote on the matters arising from the meeting, including agreeing the accounts and electing the committee. This will be posted on the website shortly after the meeting
Please view the 2022 Accounts
Please view the HOAC Centre Report 2022
Agenda
• Chairperson’s Annual Report for 2022.
• Principal’s Annual Report for 2022.
• Presentation of Audited Accounts 2021/22.
• Appointment of Auditor for CVY&CA.
• Election of members to the General Committee of the CVY&CA (5).
• Questions for the meeting
• AOB and date of next AGM.
• (Elected officers will be contacted after the meeting to fix the year’s timetable of meetings).
Friends are defined as those people who support the aims and objectives of the association, which are primarily to promote youth training and education in an outdoor environment.
Any friend as defined above is eligible for committee membership except those who may have commercial interests that conflict with those of the association. The final arbiters are the Trustees.
Friends serving on the committee are expected to represent the interests of the Association as a whole and not any particular group. For the Committee to be most effective it is desirable that there is some continuity of members from one year to the next, and also that people with special skills to offer to come forward.
Nominations, with proposer and seconder should be sent to the HOAC office in advance of the meeting.
