August 2016 Update

Hi everyone

Welcome to the latest Abbotts Barton Community Group update.  Jane and I haven’t had the time to get along to the councillors’ surgeries recently so this is the first update for a while.  With elections and holidays there’s not been a lot to report but it’s all kicking off now so here goes…

Work has started on the new council houses in Hillier Way.  Details of the scheme here: http://www.winchester.gov.uk/housing/new-affordable-housing/considered-schemes/abbotts-barton/. When new houses are built in an area there is money available for local improvements. 

To find out what improvements residents want the City Council have planned two consultation events.  These are 16 August 3-8pm and 6 Sept 4-7pm at the main park on Chaundler Road.  Hampshire Wildlife trust will be giving guided talks and offering activities for children. The Council discussed with us the initial arrangements for the consultation; we suggested that they move one date to September, extend the hours to include the evening and consult on each possible improvement individually rather than put them together in packages.  If you have any suggestions for how the consultations could be improved do let us know on info@abbottsbarton.org.uk or on the Abbotts Barton Community Forum on Facebook.

If you can’t make the consultation events you are welcome to complete our survey about improvements to the area: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Y7FXQYZ?sm=dhdiw85gByyjwSmM1FLPVg%3d%3d the results of which will be passed to the City Council.

There have also been changes to the plans for the scrubland behind the car park at the bottom of Hillier Way.  According to the Scouts, one third is wanted by the Hampshire Wildlife and the Landscaping team to make a nature trail/dog walk area with nature viewing.  This is presumably the area furthest from Hillier Way which backs onto the current Hampshire Wildlife Trust land. The third nearest the car park could be made available to the Scouts for them to build a headquarters and have a small amount of land which would be fenced off.  The middle third is a relatively open grassy area.  The Scouts are planning to negotiate with the Council about how much of this middle third they can have fenced off for their sole use.  The land needs to be fenced for safeguarding and security reasons and to avoid issues such as dog fouling. They also need a certain amount of land for outdoor activities which are a key part of Scouting for both boys and girls.    In return for the land the Scouts will be making their building available for community use at certain times. 

In our view key details are: when the building would be available; the rates which would be charged and the accessibility of the building.  This is because the rugby and football clubs are currently available for hire for evening and weekend events but there is currently nowhere in Abbotts Barton for toddler groups, lunch clubs for the elderly, after school clubs etc.  These require regular daytime slots, preferably with ground floor access, and rates that can be afforded by voluntary groups.    

The Scouts are planning to be at the consultation events in August and September and may also be leafleting the area again so there will be an opportunity to speak to them then.  There will probably also be articles in the local papers which may have more information. We have not been approached by the Council for our views on these plans.

On a different topic a group of residents are meeting informally to play football and rounders at the main park on Chaundler Road.  Football is on Mondays and rounders on Wednesdays, both from 7pm.  This isn’t a formal group so under 18s remain the responsibility of their parents but all ages and abilities are welcome. Numbers for football have been around 15-25 and rounders 10-12 with a bit of a drop-off during the holidays.  The plan is to continue through the summer until it gets too dark to play. 

Finally we have our community picnic from 1pm-3pm on Sunday September 4th.  This is a good opportunity for children starting or restarting school or preschool to get together before term starts. Staff from Riverside preschool usually come along.  It gets called the ‘back-to-school picnic’ in order to give it a focus but everyone is very welcome.  Bring a picnic and something to sit on.  Children’s toys and bubbles will be provided. Hope to see you there!

Lynne and Jane