Parish Newsletter Sept 2006

Extra News

September 2006

Ashfield Tyre Dump

The application by Afropa for consent to carry out tyre shredding operations at Ashfield is now being considered by the County Council as a waste management proposal. The application also includes the security fence which has in fact already been installed around the site. A decision on this is expected in the next two months.

We considered this application in August and objected both to the permanent consent for the tyre shredding and to the security fence which we consider totally unsuitable for its rural setting.

The number of tyres on this site has been estimated at 5 million. The proposals would take 5 years to clear this number and could well cause a considerable nuisance during that time from noise or smell. The application is also permanent so it would allow long term industrial use of the site whether for tyre shredding or other uses.

We are very concerned about this application and its affect on the area.

Recently there have been moves nationally to introduce speed limits onto rural roads.

For some time we have considered that it is unsafe for many of the rural roads in Romsey Extra to have unrestricted speed limits. The argument put to us has been that speed limits are not appropriate in these circumstances "because they are unenforceable". We do not accept that argument and consider it is the nature of the road which should determine the speed limit. We also do not accept that limits should relate to the speed that drivers customarily drive on that road.

Examples of roads in our area that we consider should be restricted are Highwood Lane, Lee Lane, Ridge Lane, Gardeners Lane and Old Salisbury Lane.

Between Friday July 28th and Sunday the 30th the Game Fair was held at Broadlands. It drew visitors to the area from all over the country and its success as a huge attraction and its promotion of Romsey generally has to be recognised.

The traffic arrangements were complex and drew on the experience of four years ago. On the Saturday and Sunday these worked extremely well. The Friday was different and the traffic hold-ups were considerable. Accidents contributed to these and there were instances reported where the signing for motorists caused some confusion.

As a Parish Council, we were sent a written statement of the proposed traffic measures which detailed the traffic regulation order. Our immediate concern was that local residents, particularly those in Ashfield and Lee, were not being consulted nor made aware of how the proposals affected access to and from their properties. We objected to the proposals in late June and similarly following our meeting in July. It was not until about a week before the event in July that affected residents were invited to a meeting and we were able to withdraw our objection.

Consultations for future events such as this must take place well in advance.

With September comes the end of summer. A summer of heatwaves, drought and torrential rain! Plan your barbecue well and it was great, choose your date badly and you could be cold and wet. It is usually a quiet period for parish business and this one has been so.

There have been several significant planning applications that have come before us and the Ashfield Tyre Dump is one of note. The question that comes to mind is why did we end up with around 5 million tyres in the dump in the first place with all the attendant fire and other risks this creates.

The original consent in 2002 sought to control the numbers of tyres by limiting the area and height of stored tyres. Tyres were brought in from Broadgate Farm in May last year to resolve an enforcement issue there with the result that the height limit was far exceeded. Enforcement action by TVBC then failed because the owners declared themselves bankrupt.

This does raise issues about the speed of reaction when planning consent conditions are abused. We certainly aim to collate any such information ourselves and where appropriate will immediately pass this to the Enforcement Officer at TVBC.

The Council meets at 7.15pm in the Council Chamber at the TVBC Offices, Duttons Road, Romsey. You are always welcome to attend and there is a short section at the start of each meeting which is set aside for public participation.

The dates of our next 6 meetings are:

Thursday 12th October 2006

Thursday 9th November 2006

Thursday 14th December 2006

Thursday 11th January 2007

Thursday 8th February 2007

Thursday 8th March 2007

Originally from Southampton, where I did my schooling, after several moves around the country, I moved back to the south coast in 1992 with my family.

Not wishing to live in the ‘big City' again, the Gee Family ended up in Romsey by chance and we have never regretted it, moving to our present home on Sandy Lane in 1993.

For many years I commuted to work mainly by cycle to my job as Director of one the south's major advertising and marketing agencies based in Southampton. However I launched my own business, GEM Business Consultants early in 2004 with a former colleague and I now work with agencies throughout the south of England as a business development consultant based in Romsey.

Originally, I was co-opted onto the Council in 1999. I was then re-elected in 2003. I have served as Vice Chairman for two years during that period. As part of my Council work I have served four years with the Romsey and District Society Footpaths and Environment Committee and I am currently active on the Woodley Village Hall Management Committee.

When not at work or involved in Council related matters, I enjoy the sport of cycling and currently I am Chairman on the area's biggest cycling club, Sotonia CC and I am active as a competitor and race organiser. Another interest is public speaking and I am currently a committee member of Winchester-based Wessex Speakers.

Married for 20 years to Linda, a nursery assistant with Hopgarden Day Nursery in Lockerley, we have two teenage daughters, Brioney, currently studying A levels at Peter Symonds College and Bethany who attends Romsey School.

Test Valley's concessionary travel arrangements have changed as a result of new requirements set down by Government . To meet these, TVBC would have to give free bus travel for the over 60's or disabled within the borough boundaries only and only off-peak.

The scheme actually introduced by TVBC continues to give free bus travel via Hampshire Farepass. However, this is all day, not just off-peak, anywhere, as long as the journey starts or ends in Hampshire. It uses a new plastic credit-card style pass. For TVBC, community transport within Hampshire is also included. In additional customers who are disabled and in receipt of a means tested benefit have a choice of a Hampshire Farepass (bus travel) or Rail Warrant to purchase a Senior or Disabled Railcard (cheap rail travel) plus £40 top-up vouchers. The vouchers are a cost to the council only if used.

Test Valley are also carrying out a study into the problems of accessing hospitals via public transport. Initially covering Andover and Winchester hospitals, they will later look at problems with accessing the Romsey and Southampton hospitals.

Besides information on meetings, our accounts, annual report etc. you can also find copies of our newsletters on our website. So if you want to refer to previous editions of Extra News or having discarded this one you want to refer back to it, please have a look at our website.

Planning applications that we will consider at our next meeting are always shown on the website. It is helpful for us to hear your comments on these.

Some months ago, we entered our newsletter for an award in a newsletter competition organised by the Hampshire Association of Town and Parish Councils. We never believed that our entry to a competition such as this would achieve a result.

To our great joy we have now been told that the Romsey Extra Council newsletter has won the Local Council Publication award. We will be presented with our award in November.

Recently a number of instances where hedges have been allowed to grow beyond the property boundaries have come to our attention. Overgrown hedges may well block footpaths or obstruct sight lines for road users. We do urge householders to cut back their hedges so that they do not interfere with other people's use of the area.

Are you aware of any places in the parish where there is a need for a new street light? Possibly there is a dark corner that could well benefit from a light. If so do please let our Clerk have details.

The National theme this year is ‘The Dignity of Difference' and information on this special day can be found on the official web site, www.hmd.org.uk

Please let us know of any services or activities taking place.

The Look at Romsey project is a community project set up to analyse the appearance of Romsey. The design recommendations in the detailed statements that are relevant to Romsey Extra are summarised below.

The area is bordered on the north and on the east by open fields and woodland and this rural aspect is appreciated.

The area is a mix of detached, semi-detached and terraced houses, bungalows and cottages. There is a shortage of parking spaces in some roads, especially in Hunters Crescent.

This part of Romsey has very little public open space. At the other end of Woodley Close there is an informal playing field.

Design Recommendation

• There is need for play facilities for younger children near their homes.

Building Form, e.g. height, shape

The buildings in Hunters Crescent are mainly two-storey and rectangular. The houses along School Road and Braishfield Road have more complex shapes.

Streets & Street Furniture

Pedestrians often walk across verges where footways join at junctions. There is no cut through from Hunters Crescent to the bus stop in Winchester Road opposite Halterworth Lane.

Ganger Farm Road is wide and not particularly welcoming.

A number of the small grass areas are surrounded by low tubular rail fences.

The eastern side of the area is dominated by overhead power lines.

The two seats on the corner of School Road and Short Hill make this corner welcoming.

The entrance arrangements to Woodley Village Hall are confusing. At night it is hard to see where to turn into the car park.

Trees, Hedges, Walls and Fences

The older roads contain a number of mature trees and there are copses on the eastern side of the area. Sadly the large cedar at Cedar Lawn died. There is a serious shortage of trees along Ganger Road and Hunters Crescent.

There are some very good private hedges. A number of houses are surrounded by very high hedges. Within Woodley Close and Hunters Crescent some hedges encroach on the footpath.

Crampmoor and Highwood

Village Setting & Landscape

The area is predominantly wooded. There are open fields in Highwood. The woods are much appreciated both for walks and as scenery. There are some pleasant views across the valley, specially from Highwood and views southward to Toothill and other hills of the Test valley. The little church of St Swithun's at the junction of Halterworth Lane and Winchester Road is a notable landmark in this area.

Open & Other Spaces

Public open spaces include the verges beside the A3090 in the New Pond area, and the service roads alongside Straight Mile. The southern service road leads to a footpath in the neighbouring parish of Ampfield forming a popular walk. The stretch of Crampmoor Lane south of the railway line is now closed to traffic and is maintained by the Parish Council as a public footpath.

Design Recommendation

• Pedestrian access through the area should be maintained and extended where practical

Building Form e.g. height, shape etc.

There is no prevailing building form in Crampmoor and Highwood. The various houses reflect the fashions and aspirations of their owners. There were few houses here in 1800.Design Recommendation

• For a group of buildings of the same type or with similar characteristics, owners should be encouraged to maintain the unity of the group

Materials, Fenestration and Chimney Details

The houses are brick built with very little ornamentation. A few of the nineteenth century houses have decorative ridge tiles and finials, but these are exceptional.

There are overhead cables in most of the area except for Straight Mile and Groveley Way. These spoil the views of individual roads. Even more obtrusive are the high voltage overhead power lines that march across the valley from Highwood to Woodley.

Boundary Features e.g. walls, fences, etc.I

n this area, there is no prevailing style of enclosing land. There are examples of the use of trees and shrubs, high hedges, low hedges, low walls and open plan.

Halterworth

Open Land

To the east of the area there are level open fields across which there is a footpath to Highwood Lane. These are much valued and form a local gap between Romsey and North Baddesley.

The open space here is valued as an amenity and its loss causes concern. 

HISTORY SPOT

PAUNCEFOOT HILL.

Formerly known in 1206 as ‘Pauncevot' and in 1487 as ‘Paunesfotes'. Pauncefoot House used to be the Manor of the de Pauncefot family, an Anglo Norman name meaning ‘Strong Belly'.

Was formerly known in 1541 as ‘Brodeland' and in 1547as ‘Brodelandes' when it was sold to Sir Francis Fleming. The house itself has many royal and historic associations. In 1736 the 1st Viscount Palmerston became the owner. It was he who began the deformalisation of the gardens between the river and the house and produced the 'gentle descent to the river'.

In 1822 Charles Smith aged 27 was hanged at the gallows in Winchester. What was his crime? He was accused of shooting at, not killing, Robert Snelgrove, assistant game-keeper to

Lord Palmerston (Secretary at War) at Broadlands.

The Gardens were founded in 1953 by Sir Harold Hillier when the family took up residence in Jermyn's House. Sir Harold was at that time president of the well known Hillier Nursery company which had introduced many different types of plants to the UK over the previous 100 years. He was able to start planting the gardens with plants already held by the company, many of which accrued from the pioneering expeditions of the great Victorian plant hunters.

Sir Harold took part in many expeditions around the world and brought back rare and unusual plants to add to the collection. He collected specimens from countries as botanically diverse as Korea, Australia, America and South Africa. Together with his many contacts from all continents he built up the most complete collection of woody plants, hardy in the temperate zones, ever assembled in one garden and is recognised by English Heritage as a Garden of Special Historic Interest. It is also one of the UK's largest National Collection Holders.

Sir Harold formed a charitable trust to hold and secure the continuity of his collection and he gave it to Hampshire County Council in 1977. As sole trustee the Hampshire County Council are fully responsible for the management of the gardens. It is their commitment that has helped to develop the unique collection of some 42,000 plants (12,000 different types) which now thrive in an area of 180. The gardens attract visitors from all over the world.

Carers Forum & Carers Club -anne@meader.com

Diabetes Aware - 01794 515126

Mobile Library 023 80 267393

NOMADS - amateur dramatics - ticket sales 01794 523578 or 02380 348317

Romsey Acorns Out of Schools Clubs -

02380 735744

Romsey Citizens Advice - 01794 516378

Romsey Dial-A-Ride - 01794 521515

Romsey Sea Cadets - 01794 514387

Test Valley Community Services - 01794 519998

Scouts - Romsey District Scout Council - Mr D Sutton 01794 502817

Woodley Village Hall Booking Mrs Garland -01794 523473

Youth in Romsey - 01794 500581

If you're a woman with a business idea & you want help to progress call 08454 58 85 58 or visit www.businesslinkwessex.co.uk/women

Was your child born between:

If so, it is important that you apply for a school place by:

Or for more information call

Romsey District Scouts and 1st Romsey Scout Group have joined forces to build a new Community Centre on the site of 1st Romsey's Scout Headquarters in Baden Powell Way, behind Romsey Fire Station. The aim is to build a new facility that will incorporate a large hall and meeting rooms that both the Scouts and other community members will be able to use.

Having done a great deal of preliminary work and raised nearly £35,000, they now wish to attract volunteers who have an understanding of the processes involved in obtaining a grant from the National Lottery and various other funding sources.

If you would like to consider helping in any way, please contact David Sutton on 01794 52817 or Terry Hamer on 02380 736620.

Whilst at a concert at Broadlands recently, we discovered a new local charity. Brainstrust is a UK charity based locally which has been set up to help young people who are diagnosed with critically sited malignant brain tumours.

Their icon is Meg Jones who at 19, when she was about to begin a new life at university, was diagnosed with such a brain tumour. Like many cases, her tumour is tricky, it is in tiger country - not easy to reach. Since Meg's diagnosis, it has become clear that there isn't much out there in terms of co-ordinated support. It is the role of the charity to solve that problem. For information ring 01794 388960, e-mail hq@brainstrust.org.uk, write to 3 Furzedown House, Kings Somborne SO20 6QL or visit www.brainstrust.org.uk

We welcome any feedback you might have on any issues raised in this newsletter or any other issues that concern you in the local area. Your feedback will help us to confirm that we are representing the general views of the parish as well as identifying particular problems that we are not aware of. We welcome any comments you might have and your participation in our activities. Please send them to the Clerk at the address on Page 1 or e-mail as above.

If you have a son or daughter at Romsey or Mountbatten Schools, particularly in years 10 or 11, why not encourage them to join in with the activities of Romsey Youth Council.

Earlier this year they held Film Nights in Romsey School, took part in the Mayor's Picnic and also had everyone joining in with their games and races at the Carnival opening. There was also something there for the really young when the Youth Council organised face painting. Now they are planning a Fancy Dress Halloween Ball with a DJ and bands chosen from local groups in the area and Romsey and Mountbatten Schools.

There also are plenty more events being planned so why not encourage your young people to come along to a meeting. For details see:

www.ryc.org.uk

The club meets on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of each month in Woodley Village Hall at 2 pm and is open to members over 55. Interest is provided with slide shows, talks, demonstrations, bingo and some social time (chat) at each meeting.

Meetings for the next three months are:

Oct 4th - St Cross Hospital, Winch. - The Master

Oct 18th - Looking back on 56 years - Mr Paul Goldstone

Nov 1st - Australia & New Zealand - Mr Don Smith

Nov 15th - Sing Something Simple - Mrs Eireen Goulson

Dec 6th - Christmas Bingo

Dec 20th - Christmas Tea Party

We welcome any feedback you might have on any issues raised in this newsletter or any other issues that concern you in the local area. Your feedback will help us to confirm that we are representing the general views of the parish as well as identifying particular problems that we are not aware of. We welcome any comments you might have and your participation in our activities. Please send them to the Clerk at the address on Page 1 or e-mail as above.