I moved into my current home in 1986, and one of the primary selling points for me was the green space at the front.
This green space, owned by the local council, had two large, over 80ft, mature Beech Trees, a mature Yew, and a number of other trees.
Under the trees, there was a grassy area maintained by Havant Borough Council (HBC).
The council employees would turn to several times a year to cut the grass and generally keep the area tidy.
So pleasant was this area that children used to gather in the shade of the trees, to play and on occasion picnic. Our own children and grandchildren used to play there too.
Over the years, the nature of this green space has changed. One of the great Beeches got sick and had to be taken down. Some branches on the remaining Beech had become so long and heavy that they had to be cut off lest they break under their own weight and cause catastrophic damage to the main trunk. All the tree surgery managed by HBC.
Unfortunately, while the standard of tree care has been exemplary, the same can not be said of general care of the area.
The open area has become a bit of a wilderness, with brambles taking over to such an extent that they are encroaching on the driveway shared by me and my neighbours.
In fact, the overspill of the brambles is such that some of our ubiquitous couriers have refused to drive down to make their deliveries.
My neighbours and I have contacted the council in the past, and someone has come along and cut back the undergrowth. But they, the HBC, are reactive, not proactive.
In fact, after I had complained, one of the workers, clearly disgruntled at having to come back after a less than satisfactory grass cutting session, took it upon himself to inform me that he had been in the job for twenty plus years and that they had never maintained this area.
I pointed out that the council workers used to ride their sit on mowers in circles around the trees. The same trees that are hidden behind the wild scrub and brambles, which now prevents access by the mowers.
The untamed undergrowth has brought with it another undesirable activity. People have used the bushes directly in front of my neighbours living room as an impromptu toilet. Standing, urinating while staring directly into her lounge.
And, then there is the footpath that subdivides the open area, which is nearly always covered in detritus from the trees. Leaves, twigs, and beech mast all combine to make the path albut unusable. At night time it can be quite dangerous. More so since the new street lights have been installed. They may well be less light polluting, but the nearest light has little or no effect on illuminating this pathway.
So there in a nutshell, is my personal view on the deteriorating standard of upkeep by HBC.
It’s a shame that HBC doesn’t seem to want to reduce my council tax in line with the reduced services.
Earlier in the year, I responded to a clarion call for polystyrene boxes, of which I had a few.
My boxes, along with many others culled from the local area, have been transformed into a Halloween Display with a charity collection. The proceeds of which are going to The Rowans, a local hospice.
Twenty speed cameras are being offered to community groups in a bid to put the brakes on dangerous drivers. The discreet, solar-powered devices can track vehicle movement, speed and number plates, and are up for grabs for locations across east Hampshire.
This is good news and positive action from the authorities. but I have two points to make
This is only going to tackle the boy racers. This technology isn’t going to deal with the noise nuisance. How about deploying some noise cameras
This is East Hampshire so it doesn’t include my local roads
To be quite honest, I couldn’t care less about drivers breaking the speed limits. And yes I can hear the protests now. Speed kills, what about the emergency services that have to deal with the aftermath ? What about the families of victims ?
But they don’t encroach on my home life. Whereas the noise nuisance impinges on my life, right inside my living space.
The following image, published by The News, shows just one small part of the Waterlooville shopping centre. “Shopping Centre” is a loose term as there aren’t many shops. This particular area contains a couple of coffee and fast food eateries, tattoo parlour and hairdressers. Not really somewhere to go and browse. At the far end is Wilkos, which is scheduled for closure within the next week or so. This due to the collapse of the brand.
This area equates to approximately 20% of the available shop frontage in the town centre. The remaining 80% is in dire need of refurbishment and occupation. The picture below shows the total area that Havant Borough Council (HBC) are hoping to rejuvenate.
As I have said before, I applaud HBCs recent efforts. And the offer of grants to attract businesses into Waterlooville is most welcome. But, I fear it is too little too late.
Any business moving into this town centre is going to have to bring something special to the table. Something that will increase the footfall in the pedestrian area, both to benfit their own business but also to aid any other businesses that also take up HBCs offer.
If I analyse my own reasons for going into the centre of Waterlooville then it nets out to two, maybe three stores. Boots, Celebrations and the grocers. Boots is now a shadow of its former self and I wonder how much longer it will survive.
I used to be a regular shopper in Waitrose, Wilkos, and the butchers with occsional forays into clothes shops if my wife was with me. There also used to be quite a few charity shops but even they have thinned out.
So, there really isn’t much there anymore. Any new businesses need to be providing something really attractive to peek my interest.
I really do hope this new initiative by HBC bears fruit, but I won’t hold my breath.
Brilliant !!! We need greater visibility of, and access to, our local police.
On the face of it, opening new, or reopening existing police stations is a good idea.
But, if our local area cop shops are anything to go by, access is likely to be limited.
For my home area you can only call in to Waterlooville Police Station on a Thursday or a Friday between 08:00 and 16:00 but not lunchtimes. Accessible for just two days out of seven.
For Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday you have to toddle over to Havant Police Station but again, avoid lunchtimes. A bit better, they are open three days out of seven.
Obviously for emergencies you dial 999 on any phone and, if you are lucky, the police will come. For non emergency situations there is 101 but my own personal experience of using that number is that you end up in a queue. Almost as bad as trying to get a doctors appointment.
If you get mugged in Waterlooville and have your phone nicked, better hope its on a Thursday or a Friday and not lunchtime. Otherwise you need to find a public phone box that hasn’t been vandalised.
If you can’t walk in to your local police station to report a crime or obtain advice then what is the point.
This was posted by our local police. This cache of weapons was discovered at a single address.
My immediate thoughts go to the mental state of the individual , and why he felt the need to hold this stock of weaponry.
Other thoughts then go to the idiots that commented on this post. Seemingly seeing nothing wrong with anyone holding such an armoury.
These same folks question the implied illegality, suggesting that it is OK to hold any of these items in the protection of their homes. While it might be acceptable for a hunter to hold a knife/machete, a bow and/or crossbow. I see no good reason to hold samurai swords and throwing knives. While the guns may well be air rifles, they can still cause harm.
In my mind, the man who was arrested should be subjected to rigid psychological testing, be jailed or at least suffer a hefty fine, and have the weapons confiscated and destroyed.
There is no place for these weapons in a civilised society.
I am pleased to see that finally the council is doing something positive about the dire state of Waterlooville centre. But, I fear it is too little, too late.
I also believe the council is being, somewhat, disingenuous, blaming the pandemic for the current state of Waterlooville Town centre.
Waterlooville has been slowly decomposing since the main road was diverted, and the centre was pedestrianised.
Yes, the pandemic has not helped, and yes, the current economic difficulties are compounding the issues. Long before the pandemic, traders were complaining about the cost of leasing the shop units. Costs that due to falling footfall they could not afford to renew.
I would like to know what the council is doing to mitigate the high tenancy costs.
The Havant Borough Council planning authorities have been gung ho on taking business away from the town centre. Following the out-off town shopping model that they have also applied to Havant itself. Both Havant and Waterlooville have been subdivided. Large stores on one side of the highway whilst the smaller shops left in town struggle to keep going.
Making monies available to assist potential businesses to get a foothold will be a fruitless exercise without custom.
The recent change of car parking charges will help, but again, I fear it is too late. Especially now that Wilkos has gone bust.
Yes, you can now park for up to three hours but Wilkos was prime reason for many folks to park there.
WrAnTz 