Please read the Littleton and Harestock Parish Council January e-newsletter here.
Please note, the Parish Council sometimes provides links to third party websites. LHPC is not responsible for the content on the linked sites and we urge our users to be careful when clicking on any advertising that third party websites contain. Here is a link to some useful tips from Age UK for staying safe online.
Tuesday 17th January 2023
You will be acutely aware that we are heading into another prolonged cold snap and temperatures are expected to remain very low until at least the end of the week. This will have further implications for the Highways service, and it is highly likely we can expect to see more potholes and degradation on our roads, and especially so given the expected daily freeze-thaw cycle that caused so much damage before Christmas. The recent heavy rain has added to the service pressures with widespread surface water flooding and high groundwater still evident in many places, increasing the risk of ice. It is likely that at least two gritting runs will be required every day until the temperatures rise in order to deal with the continuous wash-off and the freeze-thaw impact – this has consequential impacts for Milestone’s resources as many of the gritter drivers are also frontline operatives.
The highways team are continuing to work flat out to keep on top of the situation, including working evenings and weekends, but these current challenges will mean a further re-prioritisation of frontline activity to ensure resources are directed to where they are most needed. The ongoing issues, together with the impacts of further wintry weather, means that it could be several months before the frontline service can return to anything like business-as-usual activity.
The team are taking urgent steps to update our highway webpages to highlight the peak demand and to inform users/residents that there may be a delay before lower priority repairs can be actioned. So you are aware, and to put the current situation into some perspective, over the weekend alone more than 700 reports/enquiries were received!
Milestone are endeavouring to scale up their resources through their supply chains to meet the heightened demand but most, if not all, of the regional authorities are trying to secure the same resources as their networks also deteriorate.
This is a significant issue, unprecedented in fact, and whilst we welcome new reports of defects using the County Council’s online reporting system at https://www.hants.gov.uk/transport/roadmaintenance/roadproblems, it is taking more time now to deal with the demand so we would be grateful for your patience and understanding.
Ice is a considerable challenge in some parts of the County this morning. There are road closures in place and you can see the latest situation with traffic via the ROMANSE map which you can find here: https://romanse.org.uk/
The better news is that we are now less likely to see any snowfall in Hampshire, but the team will remain vigilant, monitoring forecasts so that if the weather does deteriorate, we are in the best possible shape to respond.
Winchester City Council have released the revised Littleton Village Design Statement (VDS) for public consultation which will run until midnight on 20th February 2023.
Following the public consultation, the VDS will be finalised for adoption by the City Council as a supplementary planning document. The VDS will provide design guidance for development within Littleton and it will supplement the Winchester District Local Plan Parts 1 & 2, replacing the existing VDS adopted in 2010.
The draft VDS can be viewed here or on the Parish Council website at https://lhpc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/2023-LVDS-Draft-V0.9.5.pdf
Please take this opportunity to comment on the draft via the online consultation using the following link: https://winchester.citizenspace.com/policy-and-planning/littleton-village-design-statement
If you are unable to view the draft LVDS or access the consultation form online, or need any help with these, please contact Strategic Planning for assistance on 01962 848575.
The Parish Council’s response to the recent Winchester City Council’s Local Plan consultation is available here.
Littleton and Harestock Parish Council has prepared a draft Littleton Village Design Statement which will be put forward for adoption as a Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) to the current Winchester and District Local Plan. Winchester City Council has agreed that it is ready for formal consultation. The proposed dates for the consultation period will be from 9th January 2023 to 20th February. Any comments should be submitted via the consultation process. Further details to follow.
You can find the draft document here.
The show was a great success this year, attracting 2700 visitors. We received a lot of positive feedback from visitors, who were pleased to see the show return after a 2 year break and to enjoy a day out meeting old friends in the happy, friendly atmosphere the show always provides.
I am pleased to report that the show made a modest profit this year. We will be making a donation of £1500 to the Hampshire division of the Family Counselling Trust and £500 to the Winchester Basics Bank. In addition, St. Catherine’s Church is donating the collection from the service in the show marquee, which amounted to £176, to the Basics Bank. The Family Counselling Trust provides support to young people struggling with a range of psychological problems. The number of children suffering from anxiety, ADHD and other issues has increased markedly because of the disruption to their education caused by the Covid lockdowns, and we think it appropriate that our first show after Covid should support this cause. You will be familiar with the Winchester Basics Bank, of course, and we hope our small donation will help them cope with the increasing demand they are seeing.
The show is, and always has been, a community event organised by volunteers in the community for the benefit of all. My most sincere thanks to all of you who helped with this year’s show and to the very many of you who have helped in years gone by. For those of you who have not yet helped with the show, the hour is at hand, your destiny awaits you, you stand on the threshold of greatness. Choose your cliché, but offer your help now or it’s curtains for the show.
We have been steadily losing volunteers for many years and we no longer have enough people to organise the show. This year’s show was only possible because the committee members all took on several jobs in addition to their normal role. We can’t do this again. The show is now on hold until we get enough volunteers to help organise it.
We have specific jobs that need to be done in the areas of managing the layout of the show; advertising via flyers, posters, newsletters, and social media; IT support; putting up road signs, traffic management and so on. You can find detailed descriptions of all the roles and what each entails on the Volunteer First website (www.volunteerfirst.co.uk). Enter your postcode and search for Littleton.
Please contact me if think you could do any of these jobs and would like to help. Alternatively, if you would like to help but you’re not sure how, I’m sure we can work something out so please drop me a line.
Tony Ormston
Chairman, Littleton & Harestock Show Society
01962 883682
Please read the Littleton and Harestock Parish Council November e-newsletter here
Please note, the Parish Council sometimes provides links to third party websites. LHPC is not responsible for the content on the linked sites and we urge our users to be careful when clicking on any advertising that third party websites contain. Here is a link to some useful tips from Age UK for staying safe online.
I moved to Littleton in 2014, and I rely on the no 7 Winchester/Sparsholt bus which I use twice a day, every day. I am pleased to report that the service is excellent, but I’ve been very sad to see the number of users decline. If we have ever lost a service I have always written to both Stagecoach and the Hampshire Council Transport department, and the answer is always the same: it’s because of reduced demand.
Why not join us on the bus to reduce your carbon emissions, save Winchester from congestion and pollution, join a group of friendly bus-users and keep our services going! This really is ‘use it or lose it’ time. Once it’s gone, it’s gone. Stagecoach need to see support for the service among Littleton residents if we want to keep it. It’s true that the signage is terrible, and I know individual journeys can seem expensive, and it’s not perfect for everybody, but if we don’t use what we have, we won’t get any better.
I buy a weekly pass for £15.50, which I think is incredible value. I find the only reliable timetable info is via the free Stagecoach app, and yes, that doesn’t suit everyone either, but it is accurate. I do print the timetable and put it in the bus shelter at the crossroads, and if you go online always use the Stagecoach website and check the date – plenty of old ones still lurk around online.
The no 16 survives with three subsidised services a day, and if that suits you better, I hope you’ll be encouraged to use it. But we must make sure the no 7 is not cut in the same way.
I do hope my experience will encourage you to try the bus and leave the car at home. It really is a very good service They were short of drivers over the summer, but this problem has eased. Of course, there are occasional delays, but ironically, they are nearly always because of traffic congestion. So come and use the bus to cut that congestion, save carbon, reduce air pollution and keep Winchester moving – and I hope to see you soon for a friendly chat on the bus!
Rachel Platt
Sparsholt school have arrange some open morning for the Year R intake in 2023. The next open mornings are on Wednesday 2nd and 16th November.
With the colder season just around the corner and low sun, poor weather conditions and mechanical strain on vehicles, drivers are often advised by motoring organisations to get their vehicle checked. But, what about the driver? Hampshire County Council’s Road Safety team’s experienced assessors are on hand to provide some useful tips for winter driving.
Mature drivers generally have fewer accidents than young drivers. However, as we grow older, gradual changes take place which mean our ability to deal safely with some situations diminishes. The ‘Driver Skills Scheme’ is a confidential skills appraisal for drivers aged over 60.
Find out more here: https://www.hants.gov.uk/transport/roadsafety/drivertraining/driverskills