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Latest News from the WVCA

 WHAT HAS WVCA ACHIEVED? (2011/12)

 

  • FLOOD EMERGENCY PLAN – Has been updated, re-printed and distributed.

 

  • IMPLEMENTATION OF THE “HOUSEHOLD LEVEL” FLOOD PROTECTION SCHEME – 49 properties benefited and a Flood Protection Exercise was conducted in Sept 2011.

 

  • FLOOD DEFENCE BUND (WSR) – completed and has already proved effective.

 

  • OIAW – remains an excellent Village Magazine, the XMAS 2011 Edition being a case in point.

 

  • WVCA Website. www.wvca.co.uk is constantly updated and contains not just archive information, but tells you what’s happening in the future – Save/Bookmark our Website and please use it – The information you want is there!

 

  • VILLAGE FETE - 2011 was an excellent year and together with the Annual Draw, boosted our coffers to the tune of £3,272; next year will be even better! – Who remembers the Beatles?  Well, the Beatles will be at Wallington in 2012.  Come to the AGM and secure your tickets early - XMAS & Spring OIAW’s refer)

 

  • STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT AREA (SDA) - FBC’s plan to build a New Town (the size of Petersfield) between the M27 & Wickham) – Wallington is at the forefront of opposing the SDA; the aim being to try and minimise the impact on the Village in terms of traffic congestion, downstream flooding risk and reduce the environmental damage caused by this massive and unnecessary development.

 

  • RECRUITMENT OF POTENTIAL TRUSTEES – x 4 have attended “taster sessions” with a view to becoming members of the Exec, with others in the pipeline; it is YOUR Village – we need YOUR support.

 

  • IMPLEMENTATION OF THE “RESIDENTS PARKING SCHEME – which despite some mostly minor glitches, has cleared some 30/40 Daytime Parkers, if not more, from our roads.

 

  • THE ANNUAL WALKROUND – Has resolved a number of Village issues and despite earlier threats (from FBC) as to its future, the latter now seems assured.

  

  • ENVIRONMENT – Tree management & the planting of some 400 trees in South Wallington has been completed and a coppicing regime re-instated on the Riverbank in North Wallington. Perennial weeds have been removed from both the Watermeadow and the Riverbank; much has been achieved, but we need your continuing support.

 

  • VILLAGE HALL – Continues to provide a 1st class amenity, which now includes a chairlift to facilitate access to the 1st floor. The focus of current efforts is to: drive down annual running costs/energy use, to market the hall to its full potential and to examine whether an “online booking facility” would help increase Hall bookings, which are markedly down as compared to last year.

 

  • SAINSBURYS RE-BUILD – With that wonderful thing called “hindsight” (if only we were all blessed with it!) then clearly the current building, with it’s Illuminated Signs (Visible from Boarhunt) is a “ Blot on the Landscape”; comparable only with the Magistrates Court & the FBC Civic Offices, all of which are an absolute disgrace to Town Planning.

 

  • WVCA FINANCES – Are well managed and remain on a very sound footing. The Reserves policy has recently been updated, as have the TOR’s of the Finance Sub Cttee (FSC), which now comprises the Officers of WVCA plus one other Trustee.

 

  • WALLINGTON BUS – Continues to provide an excellent service, without which some residents would not be able to access the town centre.

 

  • ENTERTAINMENT – The Entertainments team have again produced a broad range of events, a prime example of which was the XMAS programme; an increasing number of events are routinely “Sold out”.

 

  • PLANNING – A number of Village sites, including Gauntlet’s field are under threat of development and the plans for all 4 sites will be examined very carefully by WVCA in the coming years. On a more positive note, the footpath @ Sainsbury’s (By the Bottle banks) has been re-instated and subject to appeal, inappropriate plans to develop a property in Delme Drive have been turned down.

 

NORTH OF FAREHAM STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT AREA (SDA)

 

 

In late July and despite the opposition of ALL the local Community Groups and CPRE, the Planning Inspector ruled in favour of the FBC Core Strategy, including plans for a new Town of 6,500 – 7,500 houses (the size of Petersfield!) between Fareham and Wickham.

 

Whilst extremely disappointing, the Core Strategy is but the “concept phase” for this development and the next phase of the Planning process, namely production of a detailed “Area Action Plan” (AAP) will prove much more demanding for FBC, not least because they will be forced to address all the difficult issues such as traffic impact, funding of infrastructure works etc, all of which they have ignored thus far. There will be a 2nd Public Inquiry into the AAP in mid 2012.

 

On a brighter note, the plans for a major new Business Park at Junction 11 of the M27 were thrown out by the Inspector, which I suspect may mean that the plans for a new road costing £25M - £40M, intended to link the SDA with Junction 11 of the M27, may never happen and SDA traffic will be forced to use the A32 and Junction 10; an absolute nightmare for residents living anywhere near that Junction.

 

The SDA has been and will continue to be, bitterly opposed by the residents of North and East Fareham, Knowle, Funtley and Wickham on whom it will have the greatest impact. It is, in our view, a totally unnecessary and unwanted development, that is being driven by the Leader of Fareham Borough Council and his chums in the Western Wards.

 

It will obliterate some of the best farmland in Southern Hampshire and those members of FBC who have supported this monstrous proposal, against the wishes of local residents, should hang their heads in shame.

 

 

                                                                                                David Walton

See the SDA chapter for more detailed information