Welcome to new members. We are delighted that so many people have responded to the recent recruitment leaflet drop and are joining HHRA. We hope that you will find your membership interesting and useful. Do get to know the website www.hhra.org.uk which has a wealth of useful information on it. Previous Updates, similar to this one, are on About Us Latest News.
Members’ meetings. Our next two meetings, both in the church hall on Bells Lane at 7.30pm are
· Monday 24 June: Tom Barnett from the Maritime & Coastguard Agency will describe the wide range of work undertaken by the MCGA – you may be watching Coastguard on Channel 5 Sunday evenings which shows examples of their rescue and regulatory work. Tom advises that he will have a lot of information to convey and tales to tell, so be prepared for a late night!
· Monday 4 November: Fiona Gray Project Director Buckland Group will put us in the picture about the Welborne development.
At the meetings we will also hear about local news and issues from committee members and our councillors.
Bargate Homes proposed development on Old Street. Those with a long memory will remember Bargate’s earlier proposals for 160 houses on the two fields on the west side of Old Street, between Plymouth Drive and Short Road. They were refused by Fareham Borough Council (FBC) in 2017/18 and again refused by HM Planning Inspector in 2019 when taken to appeal by Bargate. Throughout, HHRA worked with local people, councillors, volunteers at the Haven and FBC to oppose what was felt to be a completely inappropriate development bordering the Haven.
Since then
· Bargate have committed the bottom portion of the two fields as mitigation for the loss of habitat for Brent Geese and other Solent waders at a development off Newgate Lane for which they have consent but have not yet started.
· Bargate have also planted the middle section of the two fields with saplings, presumably in recognition of the Planning Inspector’s observations that a housing development on the fields would be very visible and unsightly from the Haven, the canal and surrounding fields.
· The area of the two fields nearest Old Street remains as before and it is there where Bargate now wish to put 70 houses.
It is helpful that last year, FBC’s Local Plan was approved by government, demonstrating that the council was able to meet what is called the ‘Five Year Housing Land Supply’ (5YHLS). That Local Plan identified sites which are or are not available for development: this site on Old Street is not included as a site for housing..
Bargate have dropped a card into many of the houses near Old Street inviting you to log onto www.bargatestubbington.co.uk and leave comments by 23 June 2024. Presumably, their formal planning application will then be sent to FBC and we shall all have the opportunity to comment to the council. Do of course comment to Bargate direct if you wish, but my inclination is, on the whole, to ‘keep our powder dry’ for when it becomes a formal application and we can comment to FBC. We shall send brief comments to Bargate making it clear we oppose the plan, but we shall save our detailed comments for FBC. Your committee will be working on comments and evidence and will keep in touch with you.
Our councillors have all indicated they will oppose the plans and Cllr Steve Dugan has said ‘In my view, nothing has changed since the last application. The inspector agreed it was countryside and valuable land within the Meon gap. Objections should point this out and that, this time, we have an adopted local plan which provides a five year land supply and this site is not in it’.
Haven House. Hampshire County Council have replied to the trustees of Titchfield Haven Community Hub confirming that progress is being made towards the sale of Haven House: a statement will be made once completion is achieved and they state that any issues relating to planning will be for the purchaser to pursue.
Queen Alexandra Hospital. You may have read that the North Entrance to QAH is now closed until early 2025 as both internal and external work is done. The Emergency Department (A/E) access remains as now but all other access must be by the Main Entrance, towards the bottom of the site on the west side of the hospital. The new car park above the north entrance remains open.
Fareham 999 Day. Fareham’s 999 Day is on Saturday 22 June from 10am-4pm in Fareham Town Centre. More details were included in the 18 May Update which is posted on that excellent website www.hhra.org.uk About Us Latest Information.
Scams. One of our members continues to keep us posted with offers he receives pretty well every day, all of which should be avoided and deleted, apparently (but not) from Wickes, John Lewis, B&Q, Boots, Decathlon, Morrisons, Lego, DH Gate Pallets. Another member has sent us the following from Which: https://www.which.co.uk/news/article/most-convincing-scams-2024-so-far-asUDo6C1IvjC?utm_medium=email&utm_source=engagingnetworks&utm_campaign=supporters&utm_content=Scam+alert+060624+-+Most+convincing+scams+of+2024
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