Tag: Winchester

I Don’t Get It


https://app.portsmouth.co.uk/2024/02/28/747-new-houses-purchased-by-portsmouth-city-council-in-largest-acquisition-of-its-kind-to-boost-social-homes/content.html

I don’t understand how this works !

Portsmouth City Council purchases houses that are already occupied. In so doing, they become responsible for the management and maintenance of 747 properties.

The homes were sold to the council by Clarion Housing Group, who were trying to shed the properties from their portfolio. 

Has anyone asked why Clarion was getting rid of these properties?

Equally puzzling, to me, is why Portsmouth City Council wants to responsible for housing and tenants spread throughout Hampshire.

The majority of the new buildings are in Portsmouth, with others situated in Gosport, Havant, Fareham and Winchester.

How does this help with the existing shortfall of available properties to house those who are already on the local waiting list for social housing ?

Wouldn’t the money have been better spent on new build properties, which would be empty and could, therefore, have a direct impact on the waiting lists.

Police Get Tough With Nuisance Drivers


Great work.

https://app.portsmouth.co.uk/full_page_image/page-8-2023/content.html

It’s good to see that our local bobbies are getting tough with the hoons. Can we have more of the same, but in the Horndean / Waterlooville area

Over two days of a preplanned operation, the police spotted 66 vehicles speeding, which gives a sense of the scale of the problem.

One of those vehicles was doing 86 mph in a 40 zone.

More positive news …

It just to show that the British Bobby is as tenacious as his Canadian counterpart. He will always get his man.

Hampshire Care Home Closures


Here we go again. A local council has been given approval to close down a number of elderly care homes.

Of course, the council are promising to build or refurbish existing properties to replace the homes earmarked for closure.

All this at a cost of £173m.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-68262269

Call me a cynic but I would like to see the council spend the money first, create the extra 100 rooms before closing the existing facilities.

Yes, you did get that right, £173m will increase the available beds from 900 to 1000.

If the council go ahead I can envisage the care homes closing, the residents moved to where ?

And then some more deserving  cause will be found to use the £173m !!!

Huge purchase of 800 new council houses by Portsmouth City Council takes step closer to reality


https://app.portsmouth.co.uk/2023/12/14/huge-purchase-of-800-new-council-houses-by-portsmouth-city-council-takes-step-closer-to-reality/content.html

How many of these properties are vacant ?

Certainly, the council is increasing their housing stock, but I wonder what the true impact will be to the council housing waiting lists.

Very little, I suspect.

Seems to me what the council is actually doing is purchasing the increased responsibility for housing maintenance.

My Condolences To The Bartons Farm Protesters


A few days ago protesters lost their fight to prevent the building of new homes on a site just outside of Winchester. The Government has approved the building of over 2,000 homes at Barton Farm on the edge of the city. Campaigners have been fighting for over 15 years to prevent this decision.

This decision echoes that which has allowed the West of Waterlooville development to go ahead despite local opposition.

I note that the Winchester protesters concerns very much mirror mirror my own with regard to the loss of countryside, lack of infrastructure to support the additional housing, traffic and load on utilities. Once again the developers and planners are citing the additional jobs that the development will generate.

For Bartons Farm the developers are claiming generation of 8000 jobs ???

One can only assume that they are talking about temporary jobs for the construction workers. Once the development is completed will these jobs still be available. I don’t think so.

Strangest comment comes from Mike Emett, director of Cala Homes.

On traffic Mr Emett said the 2,000 homes would reduce the congestion because fewer people would need to drive into Winchester from Eastleigh and Southampton.

Does he assume that existing Eastleigh and Southampton based work force will all up sticks and move to Bartons Farm or perhaps that they will give up their jobs, hand them over to local workers who are the new residents of this development.

It really is bizarre to suggest that an additional 2000 houses will reduce traffic congestion. Time will tell.

My condolences to the residents of Winchester and to the protesters.