Updated: Oct 12
Bargate Homes P/26/1074/OA
As many of you will know, Bargate are back. They have resubmitted their application for 62 houses on the fields west of Old Street. The application is pretty much the same as the one refused by FBC last year and dismissed at appeal by the Planning Inspector in July, but they have, predictably, amended the section which deals with the basis upon which self build homes would be provided, which was central to the Appeal dismissal. We will review the documentation provided by Bargate and return to the Appeal decision (which is at the foot of the documents submitted by Bargate, with their highlighting of sections they consider relevant) and see what we can come up with by way of comments. We will share them with you.
Those who were at the members’ meeting on Monday will have heard Councillor Dugan refer to the new National Scheme of Delegation of Planning Functions which will come into effect at the end of October. A positive take on it is that it is intended to remove unnecessary blockages and delays in reaching decisions on planning applications, but a more negative view is that it transfers a good deal of decision making power from elected councillors to the planning officers.
Councillor Dugan is now the Chair of the Planning Committee – on which we congratulate him – and, whilst that does not in any way mean his ward will receive any preferential consideration, we are glad that he will be able to keep us in touch with what is happening and how the application will be decided – by officers, or by Planning Committee.
Hampshire & IoW Wildlife Trust
Happier news in relation to the Old Street fields is that Hampshire & IoW Wildlife Trust (HIWWT) has now taken over the maintenance of the bottom section of the two fields: this is the area given over, under a S106 agreement, as mitigation for loss of habitat for Brent Geese and other Solent waders at a Bargate building site on Newgate Lane. It has taken some time for FBC to appoint a body to take on the long term responsibility for the land, as the precise boundary line needed to be determined, but that has now happened. We are delighted that it is HIWWT who will be responsible and I have met the person who will be in charge. They have erected a perimeter fence as they are intending to bring livestock onto the lower part of the fields, probably cattle and/or ponies.
Osborne View
The members’ meeting on Monday evening was packed, with standing room only – the church health and safety rules allow a maximum of 100 seats, so many thanks to those members who kindly stood.
Paul Edwards, consultant project manager for the Osborne View rebuild gave a clear and concise summary of the scheme, including the many challenges and delays which had arisen – most recently the steel contractor going bust.
It is hoped that opening will be possible around Easter 2027. More immediately, with regret, the road closure must remain in place until at least the time the huge crane leaves the site – currently estimated in early December.
Camper vans on Cliff Road
As you may recall from earlier Updates, HHRA and residents of Cliff Road have been working with Councillor Pal Hayre on the issue of overnight – and often long term – parking of camper vans on Cliff Road. Last month, Cllr Hayre reported that the request for a Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) to forbid overnight camping had been refused by HCC officers. We asked her to press the matter and we are grateful that she has arranged for Councillor Steve Forster, Cabinet member for Highways and Transport (who attended our last meeting about M27 Junction 10) to meet a small delegation from Cliff Road residents and HHRA on site next month.
We are grateful to our colleagues in Cliff Road and Cllr Hayre for maintaining efforts on this long standing problem, which my records show we have been raising since 2021.
Local Plan and changes to planning procedures
As set out above, changes are coming into effect nationally about how planning applications are decided. Here in Fareham, the review of the Local Plan is also underway and comments are welcome until 23 October: https://www.fareham.gov.uk/new_local_plan/haveyoursay.aspx
Dogs on beaches
From 1 October until 31 March, dogs are not allowed on the beach in front of the beach huts below Cliff Road. This is to protect over-wintering birds who feed in this area.
At Monks Hill and Salterns, the opposite applies as the humans who occupy the beach in summer are deemed to have departed, so dogs are permitted.
Scam alerts from Hampshire Constabulary
We have the usual list of scams from Hampshire Alert – do please register with it if you have not already: https://www.hampshirealert.co.uk/
Current warnings include doorstep crime and bogus traders; investment fraud; and email and social media fraud.
Gosport Digital café
You may have seen in the current edition of Choice magazine the advert for the Gosport Digital Café run by Brendoncare, which may be of interest to members who are not too confident about matters digital.
Topics for future HHRA members’ meetings
The committee will be meeting shortly to put their minds to topics for future meetings, amongst other matters. Do let us know if you have any suggestions. My possibilities so far are an update on the building developments at Daedalus and a presentation on all that is happening on the Haslar site.