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All posts for the month March, 2014
If you have not met them then the Police have a ‘Safer Neighbourhood Team’ who deal with our local issues, and you can speak to them at Morrisons on their surgeries once a month.
Here is the South of Butser neighbourhood team, the front line in day to day policing who are supported by other teams such as CID, Traffic etc.
I had lived in Horndean for 3 years before I had heard of one of Horndean’s hidden secrets, and came upon it by chance.
Tucked away up Blendworth Lane is a very hard working charity called The New Blendworth Centre who support day provision for 19 adults with varying degrees of learning difficulties and disabilities. They also have a public sales area which is even less well known, and a great opportunity to compete with Keydell for plants and hanging baskets while supporting a great local charity.
Each year I get my hanging baskets re-filled at New Blendworth Centre, and they are incredible.
The text below is provided by the centre who I would urge you to support by purchasing excellent value bedding plants etc from. Opening times are below.
The Centre offers it’s Users a work orientated placement in a semi-sheltered environment situated within the South East Hants area. The Centre aims to develop and support individual goals, encourage friendships, raise self-esteem and promote confidence and independence.
Within the Centre grounds there is a small nursery outlet with many poly tunnels and potting sheds which facilitates the user’s activities. From seed sowing, plant cuttings, potting on, cleaning stock and generally keeping the nursery and its display areas clean and tidy, makes for a busy day. The end product of these on-site activities can be purchased by the general public in our nursery shop.
Out-reach contractual work ranging from small gardens to larger grounds maintenance is carried out by a small team under the supervision of a member of staff.
The Centre offers the opportunity for its Users to join together in recreational activities during the week. Basic adult education is delivered at the Centre in a small classroom setting for Users who wish to continue to develop their numeracy and literary skills.
Centre Users feel passionately about their Centre and this is demonstrated by the enthusiasm each individual exhibits through-out any one Centre day.
Our Nursery shop is open:
Monday to Friday 9.30 am – 3.15 pm
During the Months of April, May & June
the shop will also be open every:
Saturday from 10 am – 3 pm
Over the last few months Southcott Homes have been holding consultations looking at the development of a site off Lovedean Lane. This is very much outside of my patch, but is of interest to all Horndean residents as it is part of the progressive change we may face. The text below is from local resident Stephen Cox:
`Following the controversial Bargate Homes planning application in Lovedean Lane, a second developer has provided the attached proposal at a `public exhibition` on the 27th March in Lovedean Village Hall, for backland development up the valley side behind the properties on the west side of Lovedean Lane, from the Bethesda Mission hall towards New Road. Again, this is another unwelcome `intervention` into Lovedean, with what appears to be a suggestion of some 40 properties built on rising ground which, if allowed, will have an immense impact on the rural, visual amenity and adjacent properties of the part of the village, as well as increasing traffic and potentially adding to the flood risk. If you have objections to this proposal, please contact Southcott Homes on 01329 220227, or EHDC Planning Dept on 01730266551.`
Thank you to Stephen Cox for emailing me a photograph of the plans and they have been updated on Southcott’s website here: http://www.southcotthomes.co.uk/public-consultation/lovedean/
Text from the website advises that they are still inviting comments to consider and incorporate into the design before submitting an application to East Hants District Council.
Please email comments to info@southcotthomes.co.uk copying in Cllr Sara Schillemore who will ensure they are also passed to the case officer. Sara is on sara.schillemore@easthants.gov.uk
The image below is an extract from the website link above.
And in context with the adjacent proposals with thanks to Mrs Cox of Lovedean:
SORRY – EVENT CANCELLED DUE TO OPERATIONAL REASONS, I WILL ADVISE WHEN IT IS RESCHEDULED.
Please find below a message from PCSO Chris Penfold about Rural Community Engagement which may appeal to residents in the outer reaches of Horndean, and adjacent parishes.
“We are pleased to announce that we are holding a rural community engagement from 1900 – 2100 on Tuesday 1st April 2014 at Butser Ancient Farm..
This meeting will be an ideal opportunity to come and engage with your local Safer Neighbourhood team, Country Watch officers/liaison Wildlife officer, equine liaison officer, a representative from the Police Crime Commissioner and some guest speakers.
This is an open invite to anyone within our rural community so please pass this invite on to anyone you think who may want to attend and discuss any issues, really hope to see you there.”
The meeting will be held at the following venue:
Butser Ancient Farm, Chalton Lane, Chalton, Waterlooville, Hampshire PO8 0BG
Please could you email Chris on chris.penfold@hampshire.pnn.police.uk to confirm if you can attend so the Police can gauge numbers
Chris Penfold
PCSO 15457
Country Watch Liaison
Waterlooville North SNT
countrywatch@hampshire.pnn.police.uk
CHANGE OF DATE
The Horndean Parish Council Annual Meeting is being held at Jubilee Hall on Monday 7th April.
Refreshments from 7:30
Meeting from 8:00
For those readers “north of the border” and those interested in the Green Lane community developers contributions (and to give comfort they are progressing!) Clanfield Parish Council are inviting all Clanfield villagers to an exhibition to demonstrate and discuss the new facilities being proposed at the new Community Centre planned for New Clanfield in the Green Lane development. This facility is likely to be completed late in 2015 subject to its approval.
The exhibition will be held at Clanfield Memorial Hall, South Lane on Saturday 05th April between 10:00am and 4:00pm and is being organised by Clanfield Parish Council.
Some of the facilities under consideration include:
Meeting Rooms
Coffee Shop/Cafeteria
Allotment plots
Outdoor play areas
Multi use games areas
Tennis Courts
Football facilities
Badminton facilities
Table Tennis facilities
More information can be found on contacting the parish council.
– See more at: http://www.clanfieldonline.com/14/276/new-community-centre-for-clanfield#sthash.Jl416fft.dpuf
East Hampshire District Councillors were given a £3,000 budget this year to grant to schemes of between £250 and £1000.
This has been surprisingly difficult to do. However this year I have been pleased to support the following great projects:
Catherington Playgroup, located in Catherington Village Hall have over 40 children that regularly attend the group which is open five days a week. They are lucky to have an extensive play area overlooking open countryside. Their ‘farm equipment’ much valued by the children had been broken last summer. I was able to help them purchase new outdoor toys with a grant of £250.
The New Blendworth Centre is a wonderful facility in Blendworth Lane. Adults with learning difficulties spend time there helping with the garden and growing plants for their colleagues to arrange in hanging baskets for sale to the public. They also help with garden maintenance and help to look after local Churchyards. They needed some additional paving to allow safe access around the site and I was happy to assist with a grant of £1000 to lay some new slabs.
Catherington Parish Hall have surprisingly suffered a theft this year. They had two six foot tables stolen from the hall. I was able to help with a grant of £500 to replace the two that had been stolen and a couple more that had been damaged. They were also able to replace a broken electric hot water urn, vital to the many users of this busy popular hall.
Merchistoun Hall are committed to building a large Bandstand in their grounds using young men and women, currently training at Highbury College and giving them some practical experience of tackling real building projects. I was pleased to be asked to support this worthwhile project and gave them £1000. I really hope this will be finished in time to support the War Memorial re dedication on July 20th, it would be great to have band playing forties music there during the afternoon.
Horndean Business Network ran another successful Christmas Market in Horndean and asked for my support. I was able to help with a grant of £250 Which allowed them to replace electrical leads that were stolen last year as they cleared up after the event, and enabled the purchase of some new Christmas lights.
I am very keen to get ideas on local causes to support in the next financial year, so please let me know your ideas by email at sara.schillemore@easthants.gov.uk
Sara.
Posted by Cllr Sara Schillemore, Catherington Lovedean Ward, Horndean.
East Hants District Council held a 2 day public housing consultation at Merchistoun Hall (21st, 22nd March 2014) at the request of the 5 Horndean District Councillors to seek the communities view on where to build and what community facilities we should get with the housing we are required to take.
The consultation was very well attended with the average attendance over the 8 hour period at 30 to 40 visitors at any one time. In all we estimate 800 people came and took part. Displays included information on the Social, Economic, and Environmental aspects of Horndean including designated flood zones and heritage information. For those who just wanted to find out more about Horndean it was a very informative consultation, and thank you to East Hants for organising this.
The key area of interest was for people place a mark on a map of the parish to show where they felt housing should go, (or perhaps the least worst place for it to go). The overwhelming feedback is that this should be directed to the South of the parish adjacent to Junction 2 of the A3M on Hazleton and Pyle Farms. The opinions expressed were that it was the most sustainable location based on the traffic that would otherwise be added to the village, the land had the lowest landscape value, and an aspiration that it was large enough to take all of Horndean’s housing needs. (Photograph is part way through the Day 1 consultation)
Community facilities were also discussed and the most important areas were ‘Infrastructure’ and ensuring the Schools, Doctors, Libraries, Roads etc keep up with the growing need. The importance of the open public space was also very high and as most of us have deliberately decided to move into a semi rural area this should be no surprise. (Photo below from Day 1)
And finally, the consultation map towards the end of Day 1 showing where people thought we should build below:
Keep watching this website to see the full results in numbers as soon as they come in, and to find out how we hope this consultation will be used to steer housing into the right places.
In the last 6 months a district Councillor Grant Scheme was brought in where each District Councillor received up to £3,000 to spend on local good causes.
This was advertised in my newsletters and this website, and has to be honest a challenge (surprisingly) to get people to come forward with applications! Hopefully the next years funding will generate more interest and more applications.
Next year I would like to see if we can organise a group to prepare and look after say 50 hanging baskets in Horndean village. If this interests you then please get in touch. I would also like to try to spend more of it in Downs Ward itself, and if there is support for a community BBQ on Downs Park one weekend then this might be a good way to meet more people in the community. If you like (or do not like) these ideas, or have suggestions for other great causes then please let me know.
In the meantime here are the good causes I supported and I have invited my colleagues to provide an article I can post here to let you know the local organisations they supported too.
£930 for 2 benches, a picnic table and 10 ornamental trees to be placed and planted in Downs Park. These will be purchased and installed by Horndean Parish Council. If you live nearby and are happy to help water the trees when they are planted to make sure they establish quickly then please let me know, the rangers will be very grateful for the support.
£1,000 for New Blendworth Centre for new paving materials to the plant sales area. New Blendworth Centre provides day care and structured activities for Adults with learning difficulties and is a little known charity in our community. They also have a plant sales area and prepare hanging baskets etc. I will be posting an article about them shortly and hope you might support them with some purchases?
£500 for Merchistoun Hall towards the Bandstand Project. This is a great community project I am proud to be involved with, and will also give local students studying at Highbury College a chance to learn some valuable skills on a real life project.
£480 for the HPC SID team to fund a service, re-calibration and new battery for the SID unit they deploy in the parish. The data used by the SID team is sued to help plan speeding enforcement and also being fed into HCC to support cases for road safety improvements.
Well, that is something you hear a little less these days with the higher visibility of PSCO’s and police bycycles, but who not come and meet the SNT – Safer Neighbourhood Team, our local community police force. As well as their monthly surgeries at Morrisons they do regularly patrol the area. Meet the team and find out more on Friday 11th April – Details below. Hopefully you will get to know some of our local officers, hear about the crime they are tackling, and find out why we have one of the lowest crime rates about.
When you see the Police team at morrisons, how often do you speak to them? Why not stop a few minutes, ask about local crime, what to be worried about at the moment, and let them know we appreciate their hard work?
I have received this from Stuart Bland, one of the new PCSO’s in our SNT ( Safer Neighbourhoods Team).
Dear Sirs,
I am one of the PCSO’s on the local safer neighbourhood team, and I am writing to introduce myself and also to make you aware of a project I am undertaking following a spate of reported thefts from motor vehicles.
Please could you help me to publish crime prevention advice regarding it.
South of Butser neighbourhood team would like to make residents aware of our most recent crime trend. There has been a spate of thefts from rural car parks and lay-bys, increasingly as the weather has improved and more of us are choosing to visit the countryside. The thefts tend to happen at car parks which are located at parks and beauty spots; Finchdean, Butser Hill, Peel Park and Havant Thicket would be examples of this. Owners are away from vehicles, typically walking a dog, with their valuables often left in the vehicle, thieves then target these belongings.
Please adhere to the following advice;
Look for public car parks approved by the Park Mark scheme.
Take all your personal possessions with you.
Remove sat nav holders and visible sat nav ring marks from windscreens.
Leave the glove box open to show there’s nothing inside.
Fit an alarm or immobiliser to your car.
Record the details of your property on the Immobilise website.
Secure your wheels using locking wheel nuts.
More information about alarms can be found on the Thatcham and Sold Secure websites.
Try to park in sign-posted parking areas.
Be cautious about parking your car in isolation. Thieves can be put off when other people are around.
Do not leave anything in your vehicle. A jacket or coat left behind may be of very little value to you, but a thief may think it has been used to hide a laptop or handbag and will break into your vehicle to find out.
Take items with you rather than locking them in the boot, you can not be sure who has seen you.
Before you leave home, think about what you need and leave any unnecessary items of value at home.
Make sure you do not leave documents which have your personal details on in your vehicle.
Remember to shut all windows and sunroofs and lock all doors. Activate the alarm and immobiliser. Make use of any security products you might have such as steering locks.
Whilst enjoying the sights make sure you keep your bag and possessions with you.
Also if you are at a park or beauty spot and you see something suspicious please phone 101 or if you witness a crime being committed 999.
One recent report at Staunton Country Park described two males on push bikes who were seen to smash a vehicle window.
Suspicious activity could include looking into vehicles, trying door handles, looking under vehicles (this could be preparation for stealing catalytic converters), or distractions such as people asking for directions.
We are looking with the support of partner agencies to tackle specific car parks in the area with posters, leaflets and police patrols.
Regards
Stuart
PCSO 15650 Stuart BLAND
Hampshire Constabulary, Waterlooville Police Station Swiss Road, Waterlooville, Hampshire, PO7 7FX
External: 101
Email: stuart.bland.15650hampshire.pnn.police.uk
Website: http://www.hampshire.police.uk
Crime reports http://www.crimereports.co.uk
Click here for good advice on car crime prevention: steer_clear_of_car_crime
The Next Community forum meeting is being held at Merchistoun Hall on Tuesday the 8th April from 6:30 and will cover the current progress on the Joint Core Strategy, the Allocations Plan and how this will be rolled out. The Allocations plan is the ultimate document in setting the strategy for designating the strategic development of the community in the most sustainable manner and we will have further details on how this weekends consultation held at Merchistoun Hall will roll into this, and the short term weight this will have in planning policy.
We are also due any day now to hear from the Government inspector on the Joint Core Strategy and if he will consider this to be sound. Hopefully this will happen prior to the Community Forum meeting.
So, here we have a great community project I am thrilled to tell you about.
Merchistoun Hall, our very busy community centre, is to get a brand new bandstand, but as an awesome community project supported by businesses and Highbury College.
The bandstand will be used for Amateur Dramatics, Weddings, Garden Parties, the many clubs that use the hall, and hopefully the 2014 Last Night Of The Proms which is the target opening date.
The bandstand is currently going through planning permission and if approved will be 8m in diameter and a brick / render structure to match Merchistoun Hall. Importantly it will be built not by local builders, but by students from Highbury College who will use this as a real life project for the training and final assessment of their trades students who are learning skills in Groundworks, Brickwork, Render, Carpentry and roofing. Instead of building a wall in a class room with sand instead of mortar, this will give the students a chance to build a permanent structure as part of their training which will stand up (hopefully) for a very long time. Many of the students at Highbury are from Horndean so this will be a great landmark project for them.
‘This is a brilliant opportunity for our Construction students to work on a very high profile local community project, our students like nothing more than working on real sites and projects that give them a taste of what working life will be like. Highbury College is very grateful to the Horndean community for giving us this great opportunity, which we trust will be a great addition to the residents of this area.’ Dee John Executive Director. Highbury College, Portsmouth.
The architectural design is being carried out by HGP Architects who are based in Fareham and are very pleased to be supporting the project. Nick Beacon of HGP said “We are always looking to engage in the community to give something back, and this project which gives so much practicable benefit to local students as a real life learning opportunity was just too good a project to turn down”.
Strucutral Engineers Reuby and Stagg are also giving their time to the design for free and providing structural calculations for the walls, steelwork and roof structure. Reuby and Stagg are the Structural Engineers at the Gales Site and like HGP are very keen to give something back to the community. Graham Bedford, Structural Engineer said that “Working with students and supporting them in their early career is very rewarding and it is unusual to have such a great and ambitious community project to take part in”.
Merchistoun Hall are thrilled to have this project underway, and to date funding to the value of £3,500 has been secured for materials with a Developers Contributions Grant of £15,000 currently being considered. this will cover the cost of the building materials and provide the students with some tools of the trade to keep in return for taking part.
There are also further sponsors who have committed:
GS Scaffolding – kindly offered to provide scaffolding for the structure
PC Contractors – Are keen to support the project
Linden Homes – Are also keen to support, but the exact nature to be confirmed
Bourne Steel – Are hoping to provide the steelwork for the project
Keep an eye on http://www.horndeanmatters.com to see how this progresses.
So, in life away from White Dirt Lane and development in Horndean Merchistoun Hall’s acclaimed HATS present Dick Turpin on the 3rd, 4th and 5th April. For just £6.00 why not go along and try something new locally, supporting a local organisation? I hope to see you there!
While driving through Horndean you will have seen the Parish Council SID unit – hopefully smiling at you as you pass by within the speed limit. This is deployed and maintained by a group of volunteers who position it around the 22 sites in the villages that are approved by Hampshire County Council to monitor road speeds.
The data gathered shows the date, time and speed of every vehicle passing (but not the number plate).
This data is then used to support enforcement by The Police who target the worst offending times (recently the SID unit recorded a speed of 106MPH in a 40 zone) and also to support cases for road safety improvements.
The SID team are looking for a few volunteers to join their team to help out maybe one hour every month or two to move the unit. This is a very simple task, but requires a few people to do it safely. All training will be provided by the SID team.
If you have a view on speeding and would like to do something about it then please contact Fred Deeks on j-f@deekshome.net
In the last few days I have received notification of a consultation by Southcott Homes for land off Lovedean Lane. This is to be held at Lovedean Village Hall on Thursday 27th March between 2:30pm and 7:30pm.
They are inviting views from the community before proceeding with a planning application, and if you are a resident in the area, or likely to be affected by the development then you should visit and give your comments. There are no further details on their proposals other than the map below of the site they are looking at and their website which is http://www.southcotthomes.co.uk Cllr Sara Schillemore is keen to hear your views so that she can make sure they are represented, and to pass these onto the planning officer. Please email Sara on sara.schillemore@easthants.gov.uk
Sara is also a sitting member of the planning committee which means that she can NOT comment on any planning applications as this would prejudice her seat on the committee so will not be able to discuss the application.
The rate of applications coming in means that it is very important you go to the East Hants Planning Consultation at Merchistoun Hall on the 21st or 22nd March (see preceding article).
This is an important posting to inform you of a consultation on Housing in Horndean, and how you can give your view.
Housing is going to be built at an increased rate in our community to cope with increased demand. For Horndean this means 1190 new homes between 2011 and 2028 (79 new homes or a 1.5% increase a year). It is essential that we ensure we get the right houses in the right places with the right facilities.
To achieve this we (the 5 District Councillors in Horndean) have asked the District Council to organise a consultation to get your views on where the residents of Horndean would prefer housing to be built, the type of community facilities we might ask of developers, and the areas we should work to protect.
This is also being supported by Horndean Parish Council who view this as the quickest and most effective way to help establish some of the safeguards a neighbourhood plan might achieve against building in the wrong places.
This consultation be held at Merchistoun Hall, 106 Portsmouth Road, Horndean on Friday 21st March from 2pm to 6pm and Saturday 22nd March from 10am to 2pm.
This consultation will explain why we need to build these new homes and where land is available to be built on (SHLAA Sites)
There are many things to be considered and your views are being sought to provide evidence for consideration at planning meetings about what the community’s views are.
Some of the questions we would like you to consider at the consultation are:
• Is it important that the villages of Lovedean, Horndean, Blendworth and Catherington retain their own separate identities and do not merge in together even more, or with adjacent communities to the North and South?
• How important to you is the semi rural feel of Horndean and do you wish to retain this by keeping our strategic gaps and landscape views?
• Are there areas where you think housing could be accommodated that would do least harm to the nature and feel of the Parish and its residents?
• Are there areas where you think housing would damage our Parish, its nature, its environment and landscape and what matters most to you and your family, which you therefore consider to be completely unsuitable?
• What sort of housing would be most satisfactory and how should it look?
• Is minimising increases in traffic through Horndean centre a major consideration when siting new developments?
Along with larger housing developments comes the opportunity to obtain from the developers not only contributions to roads, schools etc when these are necessary but also other facilities designed to suit the needs of the particular neighbourhood and the community at large. The scale of these will match the scale of developments and could therefore be quite significant.
We are therefore also particularly interested to hear your thoughts on the desirability of such things as Allotments, A Gym, Ball Games Courts, Football pitches, A cricket pitch, A sports pavilion, A community building, Children’s play areas and so on.
The consultation will be run by officers from East Hants District Council but District Councillors also will be on hand to explain and answer any questions you may have.
We very much hope you will be able to come along to this consultation and contribute to the ideas about how our community should develop over the next fifteen years and beyond.
So you can give this some thought in the mean time, please find below a copy of the current SHLAA Sites in Horndean.
Please let your friends and neighbours know.
Yours Sincerely,
Cllr Sara Schillemore Catherington and Lovedean Ward
Cllr Dorothy Denston Hazleton and Blendworth Ward
Cllr Lynn Evans Murray Ward
Cllr David Evans Kings Ward
Cllr Guy Shepherd Downs Ward
Horndean Parish Council are working hard to secure the last £15,000 funds required to restore the Horndean Village war memorial to its former glory with a 6 foot tall statue to replace the Goddess Nike (Goddess of Victory) that was damaged in a car accident in 1964.
So far the total raised is as follows:
– HCC – £2,000
– EHDC grant – £10,000
– EHDC Cabinet Fund – £5,000
– Business and private donors – £7,200 (please see below)
The total required for this project is £35,200 so the Parish are well on the way with further grant funding still to be decided. The Parish Council expressed sincere thanks for the extreme generosity of members of the community and businesses.
In the meantime the stone block has been hand picked from Jordans Mine in Albions Quarry, Dorset. This is a below ground quarry where the Portland Stone has the least imperfections. The photo below shows where the stone has been sourced.
In the meantime the 1:2 scale Marquette (a clay model) is taking shape with Rotherhams of Selby Moor who are a renowned family firm established in 1927. Jose Sarabia, a skilled statue modeller is crafting the model from historic photographs retrieved from archives, postcards and local collections from historians. The model is made out of wood and clay, and once complete and approved will be used by a robotic cutting machine to create the full size statue in a process taking about 21 days.
The clay model will be brought to Horndean for approval prior to making the full size statue. This is expected to be in the middle of April, and will be on display at Merchistoun Hall for a few days.
The model will take 6 weeks to make in all, and over the next month the final detail will start to be crafted in.
The Parish is keen to have any private contributions from residents and descendants who would like to be associated with or support the project, and wish to gratefully acknowledge the exceptional generosity of several main contributors from local Horndean businesses as follows:
– N A Curtain Walling £5,500
– Horndean Tyres £500
– Universal Vehicle Services £400
– Westfield Vehicle Services £50
– Individual people from Horndean £1,160
Over the next week Sara will be writing to local businesses to seek further support.
Cllr Sara Schillemore is leading the project for HPC and as well as speaking to interested donors is also very keen to locate any photographs of the men named on the memorial. It is rumored that she has managed to rustle up a Spitfire for the dedication ceremony which will be Sunday the 20th July 2014 at 15:00. Horndean Parish Council are delighted that The Lord Lieutenant of Hampshire, Dame Mary Fagan, will be attending along with the Arch Deacon of Portsmouth, Cannon Joanne Grenfell.
Please visit http://www.horndeanvillage.co.uk which is dedicated to this project and further details are uploaded regularly by The Mayne Design, a local web design firm who are sponsoring the website with their time.
Hampshire County Council have been flat out dealing with emergency works in the last few months but recently have been able to catch up with some of the issues we have been raising over winter. One of these is the regular flooding we have seen on Downwood Way.
Several weeks ago I posted an update that Hampshire County Council would be jetting out the drainage to resolve the flooding, but on further investigation this will not address the issue as the drains are not blocked, but the very high groundwater has resulted in the soakaway filling to the top and not draining fast enough.
The team at Hampshire County Council have a plan which means connecting an overflow pipe from the soakaway to a permanent drainage system so that when this fills up, it will overflow into the permanent drains. HCC advise this will be carried out early in the 2014 / 2015 financial year as soon as they can allocate some funds to the works.
Many countries have quite a reputation for red tape, a myriad of organisations seemingly doing the same thing and unnecessary bureaucracy. Luckily, Britain isn’t considered that sort of country, but in one area of government here there’s a fair amount of confusion, not to mention a good deal of frustration, about what councils do, and which is responsible for what services.
Now to put this in context, if I went and asked people on the street who is responsible for emptying the bins or education, for example, I expect I’d mostly receive the vague reply, ‘the council’. This is not wrong of course, but it fails to take into account there are often three tiers of councils in most parts of the country and in most parts of Hampshire and each has very separate areas of responsibility.
So this article is a brief aide memoire to which council does what. I will add the rider it’s not an exhaustive list – that would be a seriously long article.
First is parish councils. These authorities are responsible for small scale issues such as allotments, bus shelters, drainage, footpaths, some parking, open spaces, like village greens, and war memorials. It is the level of local government closest to electors and many people who read this magazine will be very familiar with its important functions.
Next up the list is the district or borough and occasionally city council. These are responsible for much larger scale functions and it’s the authority that does in fact empty your bins. It also collects council tax, offers parking permits, scrutinises food safety and nuisances such as noise and pest control. It is also importantly the planning authority and it often manages housing and leisure centres.
Then we have Hampshire County Council and that is responsible for an even bigger budget and even larger services such as education, social services, roads (other than major routes like motorways and major A roads), trading standards, libraries, waste management, recycling centres and in some cases planning. It is also the authority in this potential age of fracking here in Hampshire that looks after licences for mineral rights.
So you can see that this is all far from straightforward, and you can see where the confusion might occur. And I haven’t even started on unitary authorities that do all these things as one authority – Southampton and Portsmouth City Councils here in Hampshire, for instance.
So it’s best to check and see who does what to avoid frustration, confusion and large phone bill, if you ever need any one of them.
Just to help, here are the contact details of the district and county councils:-
Winchester City Council: 01962 840222 http://www.winchester.gov.uk
Havant Borough Council: 023 9247 4174 http://www.havant.gov.uk
East Hampshire District Council: 01730 266551 http://www.easthants.gov.uk
Hampshire County Council: 0845 603 5638 http://www.hants.gov.uk
Taylor Wimpey held their consultation into the White Dirt Farm proposal today at Clanfield Memorial Hall. Please find below some notes on the consultation, and the next steps.
Consultation:
A total of 627 visitors (Taylor Wimpey count at the door) came to the consultation and the feedback is that the community view is overwhelmingly against the development of the land. The community turnout was very high, so thank you for getting there if you could, and read on to find out how to comment if you could not. It is important to get as many views as possible so that the level of opposition is clear.
Horndean or Clanfield:
Taylor Wimpey have been approached by several people and Councillors and advised that the land is in Horndean, not Clanfield. It is important that the correct Parish is engaged as the Councillors there will have views on the community need, local issues and be able to engage properly. Taylor Wimpey are going to hold a Horndean consultation to make sure the consultations reflect this. Please keep an eye here to see when this will be. At this point I believe it will be the same information presented in a different area, but if Taylor Wimpey advise me otherwise I will let you know.
“It’s a Done Deal”:
A number of people said they left the consultation getting the impression that there has already been a level of discussion with East Hants District Council. Visitors attending advised fellow Councillors and members of the WDF Action Group that they had understood the plans had been agreed, and as a result felt that there might be little point consulting on something that was already discussed and approved. This has been fed back to the planning team at East Hants who, along with the Councillors are very unhappy with this perception as it is totally incorrect. Taylor Wimpey’s consultation letter described “advanced plans” and “Through discussions with EHDC”. I can categorically confirm the following:
* There have been no meetings between Taylor Wimpey and East Hants District Council about this development. Taylor Wimpey have written to ask for a pre application meeting and this will be held on the 19th or 21st March, date still TBA.
* The plans we have seen would not be described as “At an advanced stage”. Indeed, anything but.
* For those who had understood the land was already in the ownership of the council and development was going to go ahead, nothing could be further from the truth. The land remains firmly in the ownership of the farm, and Taylor Wimpey have an ‘option’ to buy this depending on the outcome of planning.
* “The Town Planner on the next stand will tell you…” A number of people were directed towards a member of the presentation team described as The Town Planner, and asked us why a representative of East Hants planning team was supporting the scheme. What was the point in commenting if East Hants were participating in the presentation? There was no-one from East Hants presenting for Taylor Wimpey at the consultation, and this was the first time representatives from East Hants had been given the chance to view the consultation information. The ‘Town Planner’ is a job title and a representative of Taylor Wimpey at the presentation.
If you had any discussions at the consultation with the presenters that left you feeling the plans had already been agreed, that it was a done deal, or that there was little point giving your views as the development was simply going to go ahead then please email me on guy.shepherd@easthants.gov.uk providing as much detail as possible and this will be taken up with Taylor Wimpey.
In the meantime there is every reason to give your feedback and please email this to them on the contact addresses at the end of this posting.
Next Steps:
At the consultation I met with Lynn McIver and raised the issues above. I also discussed the Gap Land, Landscape Value, East Hants’ very clearly stated position on the land. I also informed Lynn we were looking to hold a consultation to form an allocation plan, and East Hants were only interested in building ‘The Right Houses in The Right Place with The Right Facilities’. White Dirt Farm was most definitely the last SHLAA site on the list we felt was suitable to build on, and there was extensive detail stating this in formal EHDC Landscape assessments. Expect the consultation to show that this land will not be supported. I also explained that we were due to see emerging plans for a large scheme that could provide our aspirations on a site which does not damage our landscape and join our villages. Taylor Wimpey have spent a relatively small sum taking the plans to this point and they should stop now before taking plans to a point where they spend a lot of money on a site which is most unlikely to be approved. Essentially, as a business they should invest their money elsewhere.
March – Taylor Wimpey will be looking to hold a further consultation in Horndean.
March – Not Taylor Wimpey related, but significant to opposing this consultation and important that everyone in Horndean participates. EHDC are holding a public consultation on the available site to build on, and your views are essential. The developer looking at Hazleton Farm is also hoping to apply for their EIA Screening application, and hold the first consultations with the Parish Council. Wider public consultations will follow in April.
April – There will probably be a ‘Interested Parties Meeting’ at a local hall which will be organised jointly by myself and the WDF Development Action Group. This will aim to raise the understanding of the planning process, what Material Considerations are, and how to give high quality objections to an application.
May – Taylor Wimpey anticipate a planning application late in May, although this may slip back based on feedback from the consultation.
August – A May application would be decided at a planning committee 13 weeks later at the end of August.
Viewing the consultation and giving comments online:
Taylor Wimpey have kindly given permission for me to repost the consultation document here. to view the plans please click on this link: White Dirt Farm TW Consultation 2014-03-07
To give your feedback please email Taylor Wimpey on clanfieldconsultation@webbpr.net but please also copy in Cllr Schillemore and myself and we will pass all feedback to the case officer too. sara.schillemore@easthants.gov.uk and guy.shepherd@easthants.gov.uk
Please note that Cllr Schillemore sits on the planning committee and can not speak publicly about the application and give her views. It would be like a magistrate deciding a case before hearing the evidence, and this would prejudice her seat on the planning committee. She can however listen to any views given to her so please keep emailing these in.
It is also important to credit the invaluable input of Cllr Carolyne Jacobs, Andy Stevens and the 22 volunteer deliverers who have worked hard to keep the local community informed and I am sure there will be more leaflets to be delivered with updates.
Click here for the report in The News http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/news/business/local-business/anger-as-plans-for-220-homes-are-revealed-1-5922920
A reminder that the Taylor Wimpey White Dirt Farm Public Consultation is to be held at Clanfield Memorial Hall on Friday 7th March from 2pm to 7:30pm. It is important you go and give your views if you can. This has been prepared by Taylor Wimpey and should contain more detail than the single site plan that was attached to the EIA Screening Application (see earlier post). At this point, neither the Parish or District Councillors have seen any further details, and EHDC are organising a ‘pre-application’ meeting following a request from Taylor Wimpey.
The Consultation:
Taylor Wimpey should have a lot of display boards and staff on hand to talk you through their plans. There should also be a log book or forms ready to fill in with your consultation comments. I would be very grateful if in addition to commenting to Taylor Wimpey, you could comment also to either myself, or the ward Councillor, Sara Schillemore as we are keen to hear views on the plans as soon as possible. Please email us on guy.shepherd@easthants.gov.uk and sara.schillemore@easthants.gov.uk
I am fully aware that the proposals are a significant concern to the majority of local residents, but it is important to keep the emotion under control as best possible on the day. Giving clear and carefully thought out views on the consultation is important so that your comments are properly logged with the developer.
Development needs to be sustainable, and this means there needs to be a balance between Environmental, Social and Economy issues. Generally the environmental impact can be very harmful, and this is one of the key areas that provides grounds to object to this application.
Timescales:
Taylor Wimpey hold their public consultation on the 7th March. This then gives them comments which are fed back into their design. I would expect for this application for there to be a follow up consultation to show the changes that had been made to incorporate the communities views.
Taylor Wimpey will then prepare plans, reports and studies to show enough detail to submit an application. We do not know this timescale, but asking on the 7th when they are likely to submit an application is an important question.
When an application is received it takes 8 weeks to decide a minor application, 13 weeks for a major application and 16 weeks if an Environmental Impact Assessment is required. If the documentation provided lacks detail then this can delay the process a bit. It is not unusual for the case officer to ask for further information as the application progresses.
At a guess it will be 2 to 3 months to see an application, and then 3 to 4 months before a planning committee hears the application making a date of 5 to 7 months before we have an outcome, but this may well change when we know Taylor Wimpey’s timescale to application.
There will be long periods of inactivity for the community during this process and my local newsletters and this blog will be kept up to date with the next steps. There will also be a few meetings organised for interested parties, and this will cover why we need housing, what the other options are, and ‘material considerations’. There will also be 2 important new topics on another development in Horndean which I am minded to support, and some community consultation for a local allocations plan.
EIA Screening Application:
The EIA Screening application should be decided very soon. If one is required it adds a bit more work to the application, and the planning process can be 3 weeks longer. This clearly presents a benefit to us while the housing numbers across the district achieve those required in the 5 year plan. East Hants needs to formally respond to Taylor Wimpey as to if a EIA is required, but has strict criteria for doing so. Do not expect this to be a requirement here as this is very much steered to significantly large developments like Power Stations, industry, reclamation, infrastructure etc. If you are interested in reading more about Environmental Impact Assessments then this is the link for when they are required:
What If:
It is important to consider the ‘What If’ scenario. If all efforts from a large part of the community are focused on fighting this and we are unsuccessful then we could end up with a field of houses and little more. While giving views at the consultation please also ask about the community contribution Taylor Wimpey propose to make, and what you would like to see designed in. For guidance, the Green Lane site of 275 homes brings in the following to our community:
25 allotments on the green lane site
Community Centre
£75,000 contribution to a community project worker
£564,653 cash as an education contribution
£150,000 towards local environmental improvements
£65,600 to the PCT for health
£1,198.710 to HCC for Highways Improvements
MUGA (Multi Use Games Area for 5 aside etc)
children’s Play Space
2 sports pitches
This is detailed in something called a Section 106 agreement and here is the link to the Green Lane Section 106 agreement if you are interested in seeing the whole document. It is a large file and will take a short while to download.
I hope the notes above are useful and please don’t forget to copy me in on any comments.
Guy.
