The Reservoir.

The need to plan for future additional water resources in south-east Hampshire was recognised in 1965 when Portsmouth Water brought 160 hectares of land at Havant Thicket for the construction of a new reservoir. The site lies between Rowlands Castle, Warren Park and Staunton Country Park. It would be about 1 mile from East to West and 0.5 miles North to South.

The geology of the area is critical here and is the reason why the site was chosen. The site is underlain by impermeable clay, including the London Clay which will provide the ideal material to form the reservoir basin and hold water, as it can easily be excavated out and shaped to form the reservoir, with the excavated clay used to form a perimeter embankment high enough to retain a water body which will be up to 20m deep. Much of the natural bowl shape for this is already there. (Click on the image below to enlarge).

The last cost projection for the reservoir project was put together a few years ago when it was estimated that the reservoir and ancillary facilities would cost about £54 Million. Unlike most other water companies Portsmouth Water currently has no raw water storage capacity and the reservoir would provide excellent resilience against drought, future increased housing needs and pollution incidents at other sources. In addition, it could help to meet the needs of other adjacent suppliers who are under greater pressure than Portsmouth Water in relation to their water supply needs. The reservoir could be a very important part of the regional solution to forecast water shortfalls in the south-east.

The water to fill the reservoir will come from the Havant & Bedhampton Springs. Surplus water from the Springs overflows in to Langstone Harbour and there is so much surplus water that the reservoir is expected to fill in just 2 years after diverting some of the surplus water into it.

Portsmouth Water own all of the land required for the reservoir, and are working with the water regulators through the Water Resources in the South East Group to encourage the development of a sustainable strategic solution along the South Coast as they believe the reservoir could be a key part of the measures to provide a sustainable solution to the water shortfalls in the south-east.

Community Use

Portsmouth Water carried out extensive consultation with local communities, schools and clubs in 2008 to determine what the reservoir might offer beyond just water storage.

One of the first questions was should it be designed for Low, Medium or High usage. The split in views was not clear cut with High getting 31% support, Medium 36% support and Low 33%, which on balance suggested a low to medium level of recreational usage would be preferred. As a result Portsmouth Water propose to include the following:

• A 5k perimeter bridleway, cycling and walking paths,
• Visitor facilities including toilets and information centre (environmental, ecology information), function room, education area, changing area for water sport training uses,
• Bird hides,
• Sanctuary area with Islands for wildlife to safely nest and roost,
• Club use on the water like Scouts, College groups (but not a private sailing club) and
• Spaced out play facilities for children.

Hopefully this project will get to a point where it becomes a fully supported and strategic resource for the south-east and goes ahead. At the moment Portsmouth Water has enough water to meet the needs of people in their supply area.

Facts:

How would the reservoir be filled? Behind the Portsmouth Water Bedhampton Head Office site there is a natural spring line along a 1km long fissure in the ground. The water rises out of the ground naturally and will be pumped up to the reservoir. When needed the water will return to Bedhampton by gravity, no pumping will be needed. A pipeline would need to be built from the springs to the reservoir.

How clean is the water? It has been filtered as it passes through the chalk and provides very high quality water at very low cost. Currently the surcharge is discharged into the harbour. Portsmouth Water can not divert all of the surplus water as a minimum flow to Langstone Harbour must be maintained to provide freshwater for birds to drink and bathe in.

How much water is needed to fill the reservoir? About 8,700 million Litres and it would take approximately 2 years to fill.

How long would it take to build the reservoir? With planning, site preparation, infrastructure, excavation, construction of the facilities, then filling, it will take about 10 years.

How long has this been planned? Portsmouth Water put significant resource into the current plans from 2004 but the site was chosen in the 1960’s and first got planning permission in 1965 (now expired).

How often would it be needed? Based on drought conditions perhaps once in every 10 years. The top 15m of the reservoir could be drawn down leaving 5m in the deeper areas for fish etc. It would then take perhaps 2 years to refill to the original level.

How was the consultation carried out? Letters were sent to 17,000 local residents, information was put in libraries and shops, newspapers, TV and local radio covered the consultation as well as presentations to local organisations, authorities and public exhibitions. Workshops were held in schools.

Here is a link to the full Portsmouth Water Summer 2008 newsletter that details the scheme and the community use: Portsmouth Water 2008 Newsletter

County Councillor HPC Meeting Report:

Both County and District Councillors often give reports at the monthly HPC meetings and this month Cllr Harvey (our County Councillor) gave a written report on White Dirt Lane and other highways issues which follows:

As most of you will know by now, the scheme for White Dirt Lane has now been decided by the portfolio holder Cllr Sean Woodward.

I do realise that there are many people who do not agree with the decision, but there are just as many who are happy with it. Whatever happens, I think that this scheme will make the lane safer.

Work still continues on Victory Avenue and hopefully when that is completed, those who were unhappy with the scheme, will also realise that it was essential work that needed doing.

Footways are now being looked at and if you have any footways that need attention, then please contact me and I will pass it on to the appropriate officer.

I have spoken to the officer about traffic calming on Catherinton Lane and it is in the programme to be done in this financial year. There is still a lot of work to be done to get the scheme right and hopefully the public will get involved with the consultation.

Things are changing at HCC as far a schemes are concerned and the way they are going to be addressed. I will keep you in the loop about this as soon as it becomes clear.

Please let me know if you have any matters that need attention by contacting me on marge.harvey@hants.gov.uk

A short while ago Land East Of Horndean (LEOH) was given Outline Planning Permission. This is not full permission for a developer to go ahead and build, but only approves the principal of the number of houses, the housing density and the access points with a lot more information to be provided.

One of the areas that is of significant importance on the development that will need a lot more robust survey and analysis is the concerns from Portsmouth Water to ensure the development can be safely designed and built without affecting the public water supply.

The outline planning permission has a number of conditions attached to it, several of which require very significant works by the developer to satisfy Portsmouth Water, the EA and EHDC that the works can be carried out, and very simply if they can not, then detailed approval will not be given.

To find out more about the issues and how they might be resolved I contacted Portsmouth Water and spoke to Tracey Viney, the Environment and Biodiversity Specialist, who very kindly agreed to set aside some time to discuss this in more detail and explain the issues.

Why were Portsmouth Water concerned about the development of LEOH?

Essentially there are three reasons:

• Bechsteins Bats
• Footpaths and Access
• Water Supply.

Bechsteins Bat.

This is an endangered species and Wikipedia advises that there are thought to be about 1,000 in the UK. Surveys undertaken by a number of developers in the area have confirmed that Bechsteins bats are present in a number of woodlands around Horndean and Rowlands Castle, including at the LEOH site. The bats are protected by European law and any developer needs to demonstrate that the development will not impact the population. If not, the development cannot be permitted.

There is a strategic issue here. Portsmouth Water have plans for the Havant Thicket Reservoir which is a long term and very important future water supply site which could also support the needs of adjacent water companies like Southern Water (who are currently considering desalination plants as an option). As Portsmouth Water have considered the plans for the reservoir over the last years this has included their own significant research and study into Bechsteins bats and other ecology.

At the moment there is no evidence of a maternity bat roost on the site planned for the reservoir, but they do use the site, and the risk is the displacement of the bats due to construction work, moving them onto the planned reservoir location, potentially affecting Portsmouth Waters plans.

The LEOH development removes very few trees, and none of these affect known Bechsteins bat roosts but the detailed application will need to show more information on where the bats roosts are, their feeding / commuting areas, and that sufficient open space has been set aside to protect these areas so their habitat remains sustainable. This also includes conditions such as no flood lighting which might deter the bats. The good news is that the result of this is more public open space (about 21 Hectares or 50 acres on the site in all).

You may recall the LEOH application was delayed while further studies were carried out. This gave time for a specialist consultant to capture bats, fit a radio transmitter on the bat with a glue (that drops off after a few days) and track where the bat travels. This identifies the roosts, feeding areas and flight paths. Essentially this data was then used to design in zones of no development to be left around the remaining woodland. The final report that is submitted with the detailed applications needs to show this has been fully designed in and works as a overall strategic approach to the area to ensure that Bechsteins bats are not displaced.

Footpaths

The Havant Thicket Project is not just a water resource, it will provide a community recreational facility with access for clubs to undertake sail and canoe training, fishing, bird watching hides, cycle paths, footpaths and public parking with an information centre.

To optimise the green infrastructure opportunity the reservoir development could provide there must be good public access to Horndean. Therefore the opportunity to provide improved linkage from the existing woodland and excellent path network at Havant Thicket / Staunton Country Park via LEOH should not be missed.

Over the next 12 to 24 months the final layout of the housing and roads will develop and this will introduce opportunities to plan in a network of public accesses which will join up with Horndean, the SDNP and also tie in with the existing bridge over the motorway which will connect LEOH with Cowplain.

Water Supply

This is the important one and to explain the concerns we need to understand a little about the geology of the area, how water travels through the ground and is collected by Portsmouth Water, and the control measures that would be required.

Part of the land at LEOH is clay and part is chalk. The clay is pretty impermeable and where it is thick enough caps the aquifer very well. The chalk can act as an exceptionally good filter for water as it makes its way through the ground and water from Buster Hill that fell as rain tens of years ago is only now arriving at the Havant Springs. This is a natural resource area where good, clean water literally flows up out of the ground and is collected, treated and then made available to us all.

The drawing shows the Geological Plan where we are and the section runs through Butser Hill, Horndean and Havant Springs. You can see the area of Reading and London Clay meeting the chalk where we are in Horndean. Click on the image to enlarge.

It would be very simple to assess the risk if the geology was uniform but it is not. The layers of chalk and clay, were folded and then in part scraped away by glaciers and erosion over millions of years and this has created below ground paths (like pipeways) that allow water to flow very quickly from parts of Horndean to the springs at Havant & Bedhampton. Testing with tracing dye has shown that this can be very fast (54 hours). Vertical ‘Solution Features’ (we have heard the term Sink Holes used extensively) provide a number of vertical shafts to some of these pipeways. These fractures and fissures in the ground are relatively small in diameter, perhaps typically 4 to 8 inches in diameter. Where they appear at the surface the ground can be unstable.

These solution features could allow contaminants to enter the ground and get to the public water supply springs very quickly. Portsmouth Water have had experience of oil spills at Lovedean & Worlds End which have lead to the need to stop using the works. Nitrate and pesticides used in farming can also pose a risk to the public water supply.

There has been survey work on LEOH over a number of years associated with different development proposals and this has identified perhaps 30 ‘Solution Features’. Portsmouth Water are looking for these to be surrounded by a 10m diameter exclusion zone. For example, they could be designed in to form small areas of green space, locations for play equipment, grazing areas or left to grow wild.

As the plans evolve more robust survey will be required to ensure that the ground conditions are more fully understood and all solution features have been identified.

The drawing shows the location of the known ‘Solution Features’ (the coloured dots) and these will need to be properly surveyed and coordinated into the detailed plans. The area of clay and chalk can be seen on the plans.

The construction phase is also a key issue. How the foundations are built is of significant interest to Portsmouth Water, as piling operations could have an impact. It does not take a pollution incident in this sensitive area to close the springs. The simple action of drilling boreholes or piling for foundations in to the ground can cause particles to be released in to the groundwater causing turbidity. These particles can interfere with the water treatment process, slowing down the filtration process and reducing the effectiveness of disinfection. Previous drilling operations at Horndean close to junction 2 of the A3(M) have resulted in turbidity problems at the Havant & Bedhampton Springs. (Photo)

Some of the control measures will be to prohibit piling on Hazleton Farm. Parts of Pyle Farm or North of Rowlands Castle Road which are over clay are less affected by this, especially where the clay is deeper, provided the piles do not penetrate the clay in to the chalk.

The risks need to be considered not only in the construction phase (which would hopefully be well controlled) but also once occupied. The drainage for the local roads will need to go into separate pipes (storm water drainage) and pass through petrol interceptors before going into balancing ponds.

The next steps then are for the developer to agree with Postsmouth Water the additional survey work, then carry it out and then submit clear construction methodology plans which address every concern in full. If this is satisfactorily achieved then this would address the conditions for detailed planning to be granted. The main control measures for this are a presumption against building in vulnerable areas, for example within 10m of a sinkhole and a presumption against piling or any form of ground improvement (vibropiling) to prevent the water supply becoming turpid.

The detailed applications will also give further opportunity for Portsmouth Water to consider the control measures to be included as planning conditions.

The outline permission has a large number of conditions which were put forward by Portsmouth Water and the Environment Agency and which have been incorporated into the approval which must all be addressed prior to any detailed permission being given. If they are not, then EHDC will not be overruling the Water Company and the developer will need to work on their plans again to submit robust schemes which will address the risk.

Looking further forward, the proposals for the Havant Thicket Reservoir would provide a colossal water supply that would give Portsmouth Water a buffer they do not currently have and a resource that can be shared with adjacent water companies who are stretched, as well as an excellent community facility for us to use. A blog on this will be published later this week.

A few months ago I posted an article about the possibility of a Solent LEP based Combined Authority. In the last few months a rival bid has come forward for a larger Hampshire Wide Combined Authority and this was recently debated at our EHDC Council Meeting.

Essentially this is the devolution of some powers from Whitehall to local areas, on a similar basis as Greater Manchester, but the powers that get devolved need to make economic sense but might include Skills, Transport and Infrastructure.

Following almost two hours of debate at the full council meeting at East Hampshire District Council, members agreed to support the motion: “This council supports in principle the concept of a Hampshire combined authority. Clear benefits must be demonstrated to East Hampshire residents and business entities and it must build on the direction set by the council’s corporate strategy prior to any future commitment.”

All of the 15 local authorities in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight have to support the proposal if central government is to devolve its powers and enable a  combined authority to be created.

If the Hampshire combined authority goes ahead then it could take on some new areas including:

–          Local control over funding for skills, post-16 education, apprenticeships and lifelong learning

–          More local control over national infrastructure spending on transport and housing

–          Integration of health and social care

–          Freedom to borrow against the forecast proceeds of local growth to support enabling infrastructure (this would include big ticket items like roads and schools)

–          A comprehensive public sector ‘land bank’ making surplus NHS and Ministry of Defence land available for housing

–          Ability to use public procurement and national business support budgets to support local business growth

–          Greater retention of growth in business rates

Cllr Ferris Cowper, Leader of East Hampshire District Council, said: “I think we need to say that we are in this until we understand the effect it has on our community and we will not commit beyond that.

“This is an exploratory first step to see whether a combined authority would benefit East Hampshire. Combined authorities have good and bad points and the only way we can make an informed judgement is to stay in the scheme long enough to get the information we need.”

There are currently five ‘combined authorities’ in the country – these are in Manchester, Sheffield, West Yorkshire (Leeds), Liverpool and the North East.  Of these, Manchester is the most-developed and includes 10 local authorities.

A combined authority is a corporate body which enables local authorities to work jointly to deliver improvements in things like economic development, regeneration and transport across a functional economic area. It does not replace, merge or take over the individual councils that together form it.

A short while ago the LEOH (Land East Of Horndean) development was given outline planning approval. Over the next 12 to 24 months the developer will be working up their detailed plans for the development and we need to ensure these contain the best community facilities that we can design in, as well as following up on highways issues, employment and other areas.

The land sits within Horndean Parish as well as Rowlands Castle Parish so both Parish Councils have an interest in this development as well as East Hants and all are very keen to ensure the best opportunities are made of this development for the local community. We also have lessons that can be learned from Green lane in Clanfield where similar facilities were secured and are now in the process of being delivered. It is also important that what we design in does not undermine existing facilities but caters for the new development and brings in new opportunities for everyone South of Butser.

To manage this, I have set up a Development Panel of local Parish and District Councillors which will coordinate the local views and ensure the design develops to best support the community and that the widest views are taken on board. This includes the advice of an Architect to help ensure the facilities are well designed. We will also draw in officers from EHDC to help on the communities, employment and sustainability side where appropriate.

A very key part of this though is community input and over the coming months there will be several opportunities to have your say. This will include what the community building should offer, the detail of the other community facilities and more.

Just over a year ago we held a ‘Where to build’ housing consultation and this was very well attended. 90% of the people that do come to these events though are over 50. We are keen to hear from residents of all age groups and would encourage all of you to attend these events. If you have a view, and do not go, then it will not be heard. These consultations will be announced in the local papers, through the Parish Councils, via community groups and online here too.

Community Buildings:

As well as what the community building should offer, we need to consider the multiple uses for the cricket pitches and pavilion. Ultimately these are playing fields for suitable sports and it is hoped a club will come forward to help take this forward. Opportunities to register your interest will be available at the consultations.

Away from the community facilities there are many other areas that we will be working on to ensure we get the best we can.  These are detailed below:

Shops

The plans show an area for shops. One possibility is a horse shoe layout with ground floor convenience store, café, restaurant, etc and first floor professional services. We want to make sure any new retail does not undermine the existing shops in the villages but provides a local service and perhaps brings in new offerings.

Employment

The care home, school and retail area may provide up to 200 jobs but we want to make sure we get the best out of the employment site which is 1.8 Hectares. For this reason the infrastructure in this area is required to be delivered with the first homes so that businesses can be built and people can live and work in the same community. We are not looking for big industrial units like Hazleton interchange but perhaps an enterprise building, smaller workshops for small businesses and possible a medium size employer. Horndean has a professional and well qualified population so the starting point is job opportunities that match and bring in some local wealth.

School:

The new development brings in a Primary School. This has the potential to address the growing need as well as relieving the current over subscribed schools in the community. We will be working with HCC to ensure there is a robust plan and that the school land and construction is available at the right time to meet the need.

Havant Road:

Funds are allocated in the Section 106 agreement for improvements to local roads and footpaths. The planning committee referred to a report which suggested only 10 cars per hour would leave the development and head South down Havant Road. This needs now to be properly assessed and prior to detailed planning being considered a more robust view taken and any improvements firmly planned in.

A3M Improvements:

Crossing the A3M at the junction is hazardous. The development will provide funds to improve the junction incorporate ‘on demand’ traffic lights. As local councillors we know from experience that we (and predecessors) had strong views against the Catherington Lane traffic lights and the narrowing of London Road outside the Gales Development. We will want the plans for this development to be appropriate and well thought out as they evolve to not hinder vehicular access to the motorway.

Footpaths, connectivity and 50 acres of open space:

The development will allow funding for interconnectivity to Horndean, Havant Thicket and Cowplain over the existing motorway bridge. The layout of these paths, how they network and connect and enable access to the 50 acres of open space is going to be key and is a great opportunity for the public to be involved in shaping this.

Bus:

First and Stagecoach are interested in large, busy and profitable routes. We live in a semi rural area and this limits the affordability of these to the big companies, however there is no reason why we cannot have better networks with lower cost operators. The new development wants to have this designed in, and EHDC are looking at how we provide a smaller network of local buses in the community.

Developing Design:

The development has a major impact on the properties that border it and it is important that we work to mitigate this. The developer has agreed to hold discussions with local residents and home owners to take on board as best possible comments about the design as it develops. For the detailed planning applications we can expect to see the developer hold their own consultation on the appearance and design of the new buildings. Of particular importance will be accessibility and screening from the roads.

Further planning conditions:

As the detailed applications are submitted further planning conditions will also be applied. These will give us the opportunity to ensure issues like the construction impact are minimised. Examples would be a condition requiring the developer to prepare a construction vehicle access strategy that shows how construction traffic will not queue on the roads around the development. That contractors must park on the development site and not on surrounding roads. That provision is in place for road sweepers to keep the roads clean.

All of these (and a lot more) will be going through the Panel, Parish Councils and also public consultation at Special Community Forums. The next 12 to 24 months is going to be an exciting opportunity to get the best we can for South of Butser and we very much hope you will come to the Parish Meetings and Community Consultations when they are announced and help give input into the community side of the development as the plans progress.

Cllr Guy Shepherd, Southern Parishes Portfolio Holder

Over the last few months the Allocations Plan has been going through its rounds of Public Consultation and feedback. Some community groups, residents associations and residents have given comment, but it has mainly been a forum for developers to lobby for the land they have links with to be reconsidered.

The Allocations Plan has had all of the comments received and incorporated where appropriate and on the 9th July 2015 it was formally submitted to the Secretary of State.

The Local Plan, as submitted, will be considered through the process of a Formal Examination in Public, along with the representations that were made on the Proposed Submission version of the Local Plan that was published in April 2015. The Secretary of State will appoint an Inspector to conduct the Examination. The Inspector will decide on the matters to be examined and who will be invited to appear at the Examination hearings.

I will blog an article when the public hearings are advertised and if you are interested then please attend.

In the meantime the Allocations Plan has been used to assess the need for strategic developments allowing EHDC to refuse a large number of speculative applications like CHR, Crookley Park, Lovedean Lane and Blendworth Lane.

All documents along with other supporting evidence documents can be viewed online on the Local Plan pages of the council’s website at www.easthants.gov.uk/siteallocations<http://www.easthants.gov.uk/siteallocations>

If you have any queries regarding the Local Plan examination process, you can contact the Planning Policy Team either by email at localplan@easthants.gov.uk<mailto:localplan@easthants.gov.uk> or by telephone at 01730 234102.

Over the last few years, there has been a great deal of debate about the extraction of shale gas via hydraulic fracturing, or fracking as it’s commonly known.

Many people have expressed quite understandable concerns about the environmental impact of this process.   A couple of years ago, I made it clear to ministers that I would not support fracking in Hampshire if it endangered our water supply.

Since then, I have conducted a considerable amount of research and many of my fears have been reduced.   My remaining concerns now centre on two issues: the integrity of well casings and therefore the inspection regime around them, and the disposal of waste water produced by the fracking process. I continue to seek information on these issues that are really about safeguarding the drinking water supply.

But there is no doubt that fracking could be of great benefit to the country. The Government is very aware of its potential to lower energy bills, but not at any cost to the environment. To help address concerns while making the technology practical, the recently passed Infrastructure Bill has changed the rules of trespass to allow energy companies the same rights as utility companies when operating under private land in an attempt to make the whole process actually work.

There has been opposition to this but it seems to me that if fracking pipes have to be moved sideward to extract gas then it seems reasonable and practicable that there is legislation that allows it, particularly in such a crowded island. The proposals will only allow access to underground land below 300m (nearly 1000ft) and any hydraulic fracturing would actually only occur at far greater depths of 1.5 kilometres (around 5000ft) or more.

What was largely missed by the media were the added protections in the final bill, which go a long way to satisfy me about the safety of this process. Energy companies will now have to carry out an environmental impact assessment prior to being granted permission to drill and rigorous, independent inspections and monitoring will be carried out. Importantly, the bill also forbids fracking directly inside in some sensitive environmental areas like national parks, although fracking can take place underneath such places, if it started outside the boundary.

Does all this mean we are now ready to ‘frack’?   No, but it shows that a thorough regulatory framework is slowly being constructed.

Get the kids off the sofa this summer holiday with Get Activ8ted and RAPP from 27th July to 28th August.

Sports activities for 7 to 14 year olds including tennis, squash, golf, cricket, trampolining, gymnastics, athletics and a host of other activities. Book now on http://www.easthampshire.org/rapp

Click on the images below to enlarge for more details!

EHDC have launched their new website which is modern and much more accessible. The team have carefully designed the layout so it is easy to navigate and not ‘gimicky’.

The home page gives options for Planning, Your Councillors, Bin Collections, Interactive Map, Stay Connected and Council Tax. There are also direct links for planning applications, enforcement and other very well used services.

Click on the link for ‘Interactive Map’ and enter your postcode to get a raft of information including contact details for doctors, dentists, planning applications, your Councillor and MP, Tree Preservation Order details, Environmental issues, bin collection including calendars and more. there are also three tabs on this page that take you to more information on local services and maps for planning etc.

The link for ‘Search for and comment on planning applications’ is now on the home page and takes you directly to the planning portal. A big improvement for accessing key local information.

The new site is packed with information and with your postcode will filter information that is relevant to you. You can also subscribe to information alerts and adjust the settings to keep you informed about what you are interested in.

The website link is http://www.easthants.gov.uk and is well worth a visit. Well done to the team at EHDC for making this major update.