Next meeting changed to Monday 26 February 7.30pm. The next meeting was scheduled for Monday 4 March, but will now be held one week earlier. Please put the new date in whatever form of calendar you use!
The reason is that Councillor Sean Woodward, leader of FBC, tactfully mentioned that HHRA was the only residents’ association in the borough that had never invited him to speak…. and, given his departure from the council in May, time was getting short. As you know, Councillor Woodward has been immensely supportive over our bid for Haven House and many of us also remember the very positive partnership with the council over the Old Street fields planning application and appeal.
Our own councillors, who were scheduled to do a Question & Answer session on 4 March have courteously agreed to stand aside and Councillor Woodward will join us. He will focus at least initially on the plans for the town centre redevelopment but will doubtless be happy to answer question on a range of issues.
The reason for the changed date is that 4 March is the date of the meeting of the Executive committee, chaired by Councillor Woodward, hence going a week earlier.
We shall also hold our AGM on 26 February. We shall be at our usual location, the church hall in Bells Lane.
Consultation on HCC budget for 2024. Many of you will have seen coverage of the proposals under consideration by HCC to try and balance their books for the coming financial year. Potential cuts include bus services subsidised by HCC (of which the number 21 is one); closure of some household waste recycling centres; closure of some museums including Westbury Manor and the Ashcroft Centre in Fareham; complete removal of the budget to support people who are homeless; ending of various grants to community groups….and more. The link to the consultation, which runs until 31 March, is https://www.hants.gov.uk/aboutthecouncil/haveyoursay/consultations/future-services-consultation HHRA will certainly respond as an organisation but do please send in your individual comments as well – if you don’t respond, they don’t know what you think. (Yes – we know the experience with Haven House consultation is not encouraging, but we have to keep trying!)
‘Cloning’ of car key codes. Further to our note sent out on 5 January about the vulnerability of car key codes if the keys are left in an accessible location - ie close to the front door/letter box/window – a number of members have reminded us that it is wise to keep coded car keys in what is, in effect, a Faraday cage. That can be purchased from your usual online supplier as can a pouch which does the same job whilst your key is in your pocket or bag.
Haven House. There is no definitive new news, but we are happy to include the latest communication circulated by the THCH Trustees:
We wanted to provide a brief note to add to our 21 December message, reporting the news that Councillor Oppenheimer had accepted a bid from a private purchaser for Haven House. He did make contact later that day to draw our attention to the press release issued by Hampshire County Council and, in particular, the phrase 'We hope that the aspirations of the local community will be met by the successful bidder'. The full press release is on the website www.thcommunityhub.org.uk Latest News. It would be marvellous if the purchaser wanted to re-open the cafe and we would be delighted to speak to them at any appropriate time. We do appreciate that the process of moving from an offer being accepted to contracts being exchanged can be a long and sometimes difficult one, so we shall remain patient and be glad to respond if we are approached. Indeed, should the accepted bid not come to fruition, ours will still be there on the table!
Crofton pub planning application for two houses. As many of you will have learned from the local publicity, the Planning Committee on 13 December refused planning permission, despite the officer recommendation to approve. There were deputations from local people and Councillors Kay Mandry and Pal Hayre also spoke, opposing the plan. The basis for the refusal recorded in the draft minutes is the permanent loss of eleven car parking spaces from the Crofton pub and the resulting effect on the surrounding roads. It is of course possible that the applicant may appeal and we will keep you updated on that.
Subscriptions for 2024. Subscriptions of £3 per household are now due for membership in 2024 – our thanks to those who have already paid. It would be very helpful if as many as possible can pay by bank transfer or by standing order. HHRA's bank account details are:
Hill Head Residents’ Association; sort code 30-98-97; account number 74507262.
For those who prefer to pay by cash, do bring your £3 to the AGM on 26 February, or drop through our new Membership Secretary Julie Taylor’s letterbox at 53 Knights Bank Road PO14 3HZ. Cheques should be made payable to Hill Head Residents’ Association and posted to the same address.