Consultation to open on Large Development Sites for Local Plan

Some of the largest potential development sites in East Hampshire will be the subject of a special consultation in the autumn. The consultation, to be held from 3 September – 15 October, will focus on ten large sites, of which two will be included in the Local Plan.

Run by East Hampshire District Council it is another step towards producing a new Local Plan. The Local Plan provides guidelines for future development in parts of East Hampshire outside the South Downs National Park.

The six-week process, called the Local Plan Large Development Sites Consultation, will put the ten possible sites to the public and invite comments and information.

Residents will have the chance to give the council information about sites that might affect its suitability for development and to say what infrastructure is needed in that area. The responses received will be used by the council along with technical information and evidence from other organisations to decide which two sites will be included in the plan. It will not include other policies and sites already considered in the draft Local Plan.

The consultation will last six weeks and include six drop-in events, all in September.

Alton Assembly Rooms – Tuesday 3 Sept, 4-7pm
Barton Hall, Horndean – Saturday 7 Sept, 10am-2pm
Alton Assembly Rooms – Saturday 14 Sept, 10am-2pm
Forest Community Centre, Bordon – Thursday 19 Sept, 4-7pm
Barton Hall, Horndean – Monday 23 Sept, 4-7pm
Forest Community Centre, Bordon – Saturday 28 Sept, 10am-2pm

Cllr Angela Glass, Portfolio Holder for Planning, said: “The council is committed to working with the local community to deliver a new Local Plan. Developing a Local Plan is like having a conversation – we listen to people’s thoughts, consider them and respond accordingly. We are particularly keen to receive representations from across the community and involve local people as early in the process as possible.”

A broad consultation was held on the Local Plan in February and March. During that process the council received more than 2,000 comments.

Cllr Glass said: “The overriding message from those responses was concern about infrastructure and the impact of new development on existing communities. We therefore intend to consult on all potential large development areas, to gather further information and ensure local communities are engaged and aware from the early stages.”

The results of the consultation will inform the council’s decision as to which sites will be included in the Local Plan. The council will not be taking comments on polices and sites not included as part of this consultation.

The ten sites under consideration are:

Northbrook Park, Bentley
Whitehill & Bordon extension
Chawton Park Farm, near Alton
Land East of Horndean Extension
Land South East of Liphook
Neatham Down, near Alton
Four Marks South
Land west of Lymington Bottom Road, South Medstead
South Medstead
Winchester Road, Four Marks

Detailed plans of the sites will be available during the consultation at www.easthants.gov.uk/draft-local-plan

Re-location of Horndean Surgery

As many of you will know, the Horndean Surgery has been looking to re-locate for some years – since before 2012 in fact.

Those of you who know our practice will be aware that it is in a small converted house originally intended for 500 patients. We now have around 5,500. We have seen an 18% increase in registered patients since 2012, including 300 in the last year alone. There is no potential to expand on our existing site, which is up a leafy lane with next-to-no car parking.

My reason for writing to you is that we are delighted to say that our plans are finally coming to fruition and it is our intention to relocate in late September or early October this year to a purpose-built new surgery just 200 or so paces (0.2 miles) from our existing site in Blendworth Lane to 7-9 London Road, PO8 0BN, in the heart of Horndean.

It has been a long process for us, but we have been working with our Patient Participation Group on this since before 2014 and keeping them up to speed with developments and any news, and they are fully supportive of our plans.

We have not only worked with East Hants District Council and a local developer , but we have also liaised closely with our commissioning organisations – initially NHS England and the former Hampshire Primary Care Trust and more recently NHS South Eastern Hampshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) since it took on delegated commissioning responsibilities for primary care services in 2016.

The CCG has received a letter of support for the practice re-location from both the district council and the chairman of Horndean Parish Council.

The patient support for our plans, along with our PPG, and the local parish and district council support, has been invaluable in helping us to secure our new building and we would like to take this further opportunity to thank you for this support.

Clearly moving to a new purpose-built and a much larger site in the centre of Horndean village will provide the community we are proud to serve with improved facilities which are fit for purpose in the 21st century and meet the challenges facing primary care services today. These new premises will give us adequate space to provide a number of things that we cannot currently provide for our patients and staff, including:

• More much-needed clinical space for our existing GPs to improve their services to patients
• A training area for GPs
• Clinical space for nursing staff to help improve their services to patients
• A staff area
• A private area for patients
• A separate kitchen
• A much more appropriate sized waiting room, to further improve facilities for our patients
• Storage space
• Conference/meeting facilities
• Much improved facilities for patients with a disability, parents with pushchairs and the frail elder.

The new premises will not only serve our existing patients, but they will give us the potential to take on new patients from the additional 900 homes being built within a 500 metre radius of the site.

In 2014, in liaison with our Patient Participation Group and Patient Reference Group, we undertook a detailed patients’ questionnaire to help us adapt and develop our services in response to the needs of our patients. In the survey, we asked about potential services that could be run from the new premises which might prove useful to our patients.  A pharmacy, physiotherapy, minor surgery and orthopaedic services all featured strongly on our patients’ wish list. There is now a pharmacy next door to our new building and we are in discussions for specialist clinics include a physio, minor surgery and orthopaedic consultants.

We are also working with our Primary Care Network to develop services in the local area – some of which could potentially be offered from the new building. Our PPG is currently looking at a potential dietician coming on board and we hope to have dementia-friendly coffee mornings.

We will be exploring these options further with our patient Participation Group, but we would welcome any view that you might have on this too. We will be writing to the head of household of all our registered patients addresses to bring them up to speed with our proposed timetable, but we are already communicating with patients via the news section of our website, and our posts on our Facebook page have reached more than 3,000 people. This page has been maintained for the last two years.

And we know that a number of you have been following progress in recent years with stories in the local press including The News (Portsmouth), the Petersfield Post and most recently on April 30, 2019), the Horndean Post.

I know that this is a long letter but I thank you for taking the time to read it. If you require any further information, please email or Practice Manager Mrs Jean Smees Jean.Smees@nhs.net.

Yours Sincerely,

Dr Mark Coombe, M.B., B.S. 1989, FRCGP, MFFP, DRCOG, PGCE
Senior Partner

EH783 – Downwood Way, Horndean – Drainage Maintenance

As part of Operation Resilience, Hampshire County Council’s programme to make Hampshire’s roads more resilient to the effects of extreme weather and heavy traffic, this letter is to advise of upcoming Drainage Cleansing on Downwood Way, at the roundabout with A3 London Road.

Currently the work is programmed for Monday 22nd July 2019 and is estimated to take 5 nights to complete.

Due to the nature of the work and for safety reasons, it is necessary to carry out the works under 3-way temporary traffic signals, between the hours of 20:00 – 06:00hrs.

As a resident, you are receiving this letter to inform you that due to the close proximity of your property to the works, you are within an area which may experience some noise disturbance overnight. We are aware of the issues created by night working and will endeavour to keep noise to a minimum during the works.

In order to help us to complete the work as quickly as possible, please ensure that no vehicles are parked on the road on the days of the resurfacing. Please be aware any vehicles left parked on the road that prevent the works taking place, face the risk of being removed.

For your safety and that of our workforce, we are unable to guarantee vehicular access to and from your property during working hours. Pedestrian access will always be available.

In order to avoid potential injury or damage, please do not walk within the works area during the works unless directed by a member of the workforce.

Thank you for your co-operation and, if you need more information regarding these works, please call our contact centre on 0300 555 1388.

Did you work at the Gales Brewery? Would you like to share your stories and experiences? We are looking for a few people to film as part of this project. If you are interested please contact Rebecca on 01730 234186 or e-mail rebecca.probert@easthants.gov.uk

So the new team of local District Councillors are holding regular surgery meetings and the first will be at the Ship and Bell in Horndean on Monday 1st July between 7pm and 8pm.

Councillors from all the 5 wards plan to attend so there should be plenty of opportunity to raise issues about planning, housing, parking, bin collections, council tax and more.

While Brexit isn’t in their remit the current topic of Boris – V – Jeremy is something you might also like to pose…

Even if you don’t have a pressing issue why not join them for a drink and say hello!

In the run up to D-Day many thousands of troops from England, Canada and the United States as well as troops from occupied countries were billeted around the immediate area. Most of these quickly built up a rapport with many of the villagers. Some shared their food with villagers especially in Clanfield where the area around Manor Farm was known as the ‘Canadian Kitchens’.

Villagers also did their bit to help the servicemen. They would do their washing or invite them in for an evening and include them in their families activities. As D day got closer many more troops arrived and camped with their equipment in woods and hid their large vehicles as best they could. Queens enclosure in Cowplain was full of heavy equipment. They all knew they were here for something special but they were not sure what.

One day the servicemen gave their last sweets and cigarettes to children telling them that ‘they wouldn’t be needing them where they were going’ and on June 05 they were gone!

The photographs are of tanks lined up along the A3 in Horndean and Clanfield awaiting departure.

Sara Schillemore

Horndean Parish Council would like to welcome everyone to attend this years Armed Forces Day ceremony at the War Memorial on the 29th June at 6:00pm.