Category Archives: News

Black Swan Planning Application

by Monxton Matters

If you have already objected to the Black Swan planning application 19/01229/FULLN then please also advise TVBC that you also object to the related planning application 19/01230/LBWN by simply emailing Emma Jones the case office at TVBC (ejones@testvalley.gov.uk) to that effect.

In addition, if you have not already commented either to support or object, please do so as soon as possible, while the application is still under consideration and before the TVBC planning committee meeting expected at the end of August.

This includes ALL the Monxton and Amport villagers and not just the immediate High Street, if you wish to have the Black Swan back as a pub and the village green kept in the current state and not reduced in size with trees cut down by the developer.

Parish Council Minutes July 19

by heatherbourner

Minutes of the Monxton Parish Council meeting held on Tuesday 09th July 2019 in Monxton Village Hall at 7.30pm. 

Present: Cllr M Cleugh – Chairman, Cllr J Balding- Vice Chairman & Cllr P Weston

Heather Bourner – Parish Clerk,Test Valley Borough Councillors Mrs Maureen Flood and Mr David Coole, Hampshire County Councillor Mrs Z Brooks & 5 Members of the Public

Apologies: None

WELCOME: The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting.

DECLARATION OF INTERESTS: There were no declarations of interest recorded.

PUBLIC PARTICIPATION: None

MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING.

The Chairman signed the minutes of the previous meeting of 14th May 2019 as a true record.

PLANNING.

The following decisions by TVBC were noted: – None

Resolved: that the planning advisory committee’s approval on the following applications were endorsed:19/01230/LBWN & 19/01229/FULLN

Application for change of use Old Black Swan to dwelling and application to build a new pub and two new houses on old Black Swan Car Park- objection.

Monxton Parish Council objection to this application has been logged at TVBC. Cllr Cleugh confirmed the main reasons being, a large impact on loss of village green, loss of 4 mature trees and a bus shelter, problems envisaged for parking for new houses, over development of car park site, relocation of the electricity substation as the developer does not own this and has not contacted SSE regarding the application, and impact on sewage system. Cllr Cleugh encouraged parishioners to submit objections direct to Test Valley Borough Council if they objected to these applications. A member of public asked who owned the land on which the bus shelter stands. Cllr Cleugh said a plan from 1948 showed this to belong to Strongs Brewery but Cllr Weston said on a recent land search the land shows as unregistered.

Cllr Cleugh said he had attended an Abbots Ann Parish Council meeting recently to discuss the Alpine Penchards planning application. Abbots Ann Parish Council originally objected to the application however, following a change in members the new Parish Council have asked to visit the site. It is likely the application will be resubmitted because new sewage arrangements are required. The possibility of building some affordable housing has now been discussed and would be possible on the site if an application were approved. Cllr Cleugh felt that Abbots Ann PC will be more open minded than in the past.

FINANCE

 

  • The Clerk provided details of the National Joint Council for Local Government increases in pay points and the increase in HMRC home as office allowance, both of which were reflected in her pay. This had been highlighted and agreed at the annual meeting.
  • The Clerk reported that the internal audit was complete, and no errors had been reported. The necessary exemption form had been sent to the Audit Commission and notices required displayed on the notice board.
  • The move to electronic payments was discussed. The Clerk had established that for this to happen she would need to be a signatory on the account and when payments were set up another signatory would have to log in and approve payments. Cllr Cleugh said so few cheques were written he did not believe it worthwhile. The Clerk suggested standing orders be set up for the two regular payments, her salary and the income tax attached. All agreed this was sensible. Clerk to obtain and complete forms. 

To note balance in Lloyds bank as at 16/06/19 £29033.77

Resolved: that the following payments be approved and cheques signed

Payments to be made

Clerks salary May, June & July -£320.13

Clerks expenses                         £41.91

Clerk lengthsman payment         £160.00

HMRC                                         £120.01

Thruxton PC lengthsman           £1000.00

David Eaglesham                      £105.00

Carl Cafferty                               £220.00

Retrospective

BHIB insurance                         £278.93

Carl Cafferty                               £315.00

Carl Cafferty                               £270.00

TVBC election exps                   £28.80

The Clerk confirmed that if ICO were paid by DD in future this would cost £35 per year rather than £40 if paid by cheque. The necessary direct debit form was signed.

VILLAGE HALL UP-DATE

The team working on this project were still waiting for quotes for the work required so were not able to give a meaningful report at this meeting. Report to be given at next meeting in October. 

ENVIRONMENT AND FOOTPATHS

Cllr Balding highlighted the issue with the Parish Council paying for a bin to be emptied that was the responsibility of the housing association upon whose land it was installed. Cllr Weston agreed to establish who the Clerk should contact to rectify the situation.

Cllr Weston reported Sunny bank footpath 8 ‘The Gallops’ had been filled by the farmer with chalk which has made the footpath much more user friendly for walkers.

Cllr Weston also reported some hedges generally encroaching on footpaths, he will monitor and speak to residents if necessary. He asked if the lengthsman could clear grass growing in footpaths Cllr Balding will speak to the lengthsman.

TRAFFIC

Cllr Weston reported on the speedwatch initiative and gave statistics from when the machine was located outside Sunny bank. This was recognised as problem area, so the machine has been based there for 2 months. During this period 68200 vehicle movements were recorded 23475 of which were within the speed limit. It was generally felt that the machine did encourage drivers to slow down and that the solar panel powering this is a very good investment. The machine has now been moved to the road that comes down the hill from Grately, so far, most traffic has been recorded as driving below 30mph although one was recorded at 65MPH!! Cllr Weston said there is a perception when noisy vehicles pass, they are travelling at faster speeds which is not always the case. Further sites to install the sign will be considered although there must be a road sign or telegraph pole for the sign to be attached to and the location needs to be one where speeding traffic is an issue.

A comment was made that people should be driving to the conditions, 30mph is not a target! The village suffers from traffic displacement because of the problems at 100 acre roundabout in Andover, bridge alterations between Andover and Monxton and the closure of a gap on the A303. Cllr Cleugh said the police speed camera van had made a recent visit to the village but there was only one area they could park in safety. He recommended villagers record details of vans and lorries if seen speeding as these details could be passed on to the relevant authorities. 

Finally, Cllr Weston said he had received a complaint about parking at the bottom of Broad Road. No offences were being committed but locals were encouraged not to park there.

Borough & County Councillor Reports.

HCC Brooks reported that HCC must save a further 80 million pounds by 2021 and are asking the public for their views and ideas as to how to achieve this. There is a public consultation open, details of which are on the Monxton website. One issue is that children’s services are not fully funded by central government and there is a large impact on budgets for the costs associated with asylum seekers and looked after children.She also reported that HCC are trying to improve environmentally and have started fitting curb stones made from recycled plastic, they are also expanding car electricity charging points and confirmed almost all vehicles they own are now electric.

TVBC Mrs Maureen Flood confirmed she had attended a presentation on the master plan for the regeneration of Andover Town centre. There will be a public consultation in due course which will be open to all residents of both the town and the surrounding villages. She also said all car park machines will be changed later this year so cards can be used to pay.

TVBC David Coole highlighted Unity, a Test Valley umbrella organisation who organise minibus transport that can be cheaper than using a taxi (details on village notice board) He confirmed to all present that Andover Festival of motoring will be held on 22nd September.

Correspondence 

The Clerk gave details she had received regarding compensation payments received by residents in respect of power cuts in 2017. Households had received payments of £15 each.

CLOSE OF THE MEETING

The Chairman thanked everyone for coming and closed the meeting.

DATE OF THE NEXT MEETING

The next meeting will be on Tuesday 29th October 2019, 7.30pm at Monxton Village Hall.

 

Test Valley Rural Policing

by Monxton Matters

Leaving aside the likes of CID and Intelligence, there are two levels of “Local Policing”.
The Response Teams are based at Hedge End and Andover. These are the officers who respond to 999 calls and the more urgent matters reported via 101. In the limited time between calls, they patrol areas based on intelligence and crime patterns.

Alongside that there are the Neighbourhood Teams, which is where we come in. Andover and Romsey towns are policed by their own neighbourhood teams. The Rural area, in-between and surrounding the two towns, is covered by us, the Test Valley Rural Team. We investigate local crime matters, work with partner agencies to solve problems and patrol hot spot areas.

Test Valley District covers an area of over 200 square miles and our patch covers all of the rural beats, from Vernham Dean in the North to Wellow in the South and from the Wiltshire border across to the border of Winchester. Police Sergeant Lyons looks after the team which is comprised of three Police Constables and three Police Community Support Officers. That’s a relatively limited resource for such a big area. If there was ever a time when a PC or a PCSO had responsibility for only one village, sadly those times have gone. Below are the team members and the areas for which we are responsible.

We work very hard to focus our attention on the right places and on ‘High Risk’ and ‘High Harm’ people and places. To do that we rely completely on the public reporting what is happening. We often hear people state that “crime is so bad these days”, but there are no crime figures to support that. That is either just a perception that crime is bad, or, more likely, an under-reporting of crime.

We know that sometimes calling us on 101 doesn’t always go through as quickly as we would like, this is often due to high demand. Please be patient – we need the information that you are ringing to tell us. You can now report to us online on our website www.hampshire.police.uk. You can report crime, road traffic accidents, anti-social behaviour, missing people, civil disputes, lost/found property, lost/stolen vehicles to us online. We can’t encourage you enough: please tell us what is happening. But please; don’t expect us to take reports via e-mail. You need us to be out and about, not sat in an office creating reports. If you try to report something directly to one of the team via e-mail we will politely decline.

When you make a report you may be told it will be filed as there are no lines of enquiry. Don’t worry: we still see what’s been reported from our daily searches, so we do capture the information.

Please consider signing up to Hampshire Alerts. We use this system to send out information and alerts. We send out location-specific alerts to ensure that people receive information that is likely to be useful for them. When you sign up you can tell the system the types of alert that you want to receive or do not want to receive. We are also using Twitter. Follow us on @TestVlyRuralPol. We are aware that many people prefer Facebook as a means of networking—we will be coming to Facebook soon.

The team resources are slowly coming back up to the numbers that they should be, so we will be able to get out into the communities that we have across our district.

Parish Council Objection to planning application for former Black Swan and Car Park

by heatherbourner

Please see the Parish Council objections to the above applications. Villagers are encouraged to submit their own objections directly to Test Valley Borough Council

Monxton Parish Council Letter of Objection

Application Nos: 19/01229/FULLN & 19/01230/LBWN
Proposal: The relocation of the Black Swan to a new building erected on the Black Swan Car Park, construction of two 2-bedroom dwellings and the conversion of The Black Swan Public House to a single dwelling

Monxton Parish Council strongly objects to this application on the following grounds:

The applicant’s Design and Access Statement intimates that, following a meeting on the 16/10/18, this proposal is supported by Monxton Parish Council (MPC) and that it also has support from the villagers following a survey for a new village hall (aka Hub) in 2018.  MPC wishes to totally refute this statement, which conflates support for a new village hub with the relocated village pub. The applicant in claiming this application has community support has confused both villagers and TVBC consultees.

It should be noted that the village hall project was planned to be on the same site with the same developer but had to be abandoned due to the inability to agree commercial terms with the developer.  This was, in part, due to the developer not owning a critical part of the land, which is occupied by the SSE sub-station and which is presently screened at the rear of the car park and not visible from the crossroads or the village green.  We object to any plan to move the sub-station to the front of the car park/village green where it will be visible and materially impact the views from both the Village Green and the road. 

This application does not comply with: Policy COM9: Community-Led Development

This is NOT a Community Led Development contrary to the developer’s statements in the application.

The development does NOT have the support of the Parish Council or the villagers and this has been confirmed by the results of the survey conducted by MPC following an open village meeting to discuss this planning application on the 13th June 2019.

There are no villagers supporting the application based on valid planning reasons, merely one person who wishes to have another pub, ignoring the fact that we already have a perfectly good public house, which could easily be re-opened. 

We object to the change of use of The Black Swan to Residential

Policy E9: Heritage

Test Valley Borough Council states that heritage assets are ‘irreplaceable’ and ‘should be retained wherever possible’. Development affecting a heritage asset will be permitted provided that: a) it would make a positive contribution to sustaining or enhancing the significance of the heritage asset taking account of its character, appearance and setting; and b) the significance of the heritage asset has informed the proposal through an assessment proportionate to its importance.

The proposal for The Black Swan does not sustain or enhance the significance of this heritage asset.

The “relocation” of the Black Swan appears to be simply a mechanism to obtain change of use by replacing one community venue with another while appearing to offer facilities to the village for meetings and other functions.  This is totally unnecessary as the current village hall will be revamped in the near future in a new project funded by the community.

The developer has, so far, failed to refurbish and re-open the Grade 2 Listed Black Swan, despite buying an on-going freehold pub business, which without the high rent and alcohol prices charged by Enterprise Inns could become profitable again. This is a fact based on the work undertaken by the team which looked at buying and re-opening the pub as a Community Asset.

The developer will need to undertake many of the refurbishments required for a residential property in any event and, therefore, it is extremely disappointing that they want to build a new pub when we already have “The Mucky Duck”, a well-known and loved pub with such an important historical pedigree dating back to the 17th century.

The logic which the developer has used to justify the building of a new pub appears very flawed, in that if there is a demand for a pub, the Black swan could be re-opened for a fraction of the cost of building a new pub.  The new pub would have less car parking spaces than are currently available and there is no obvious demand or need in the village for two new houses with tiny courtyard gardens.

We object to the developer taking any land from the Village Green to expand the car park, which is contrary to TVBC Public Amenity Open Space policy.

Policy LHW1: Public Open Space

Development proposals that would result in the loss of existing open spaces or other recreation facilities will only be permitted if: d) the space or facility is not needed to meet the full range of leisure and recreational needs of the local community; e) the proposed development is for an alternative open space, sport or recreation facility for which there is such a need as to outweigh the loss; or f) any space or facility to be lost would be replaced by an equivalent or better provision in terms of quantity and quality and be in a suitable location.

This proposal would result in the loss of an existing open space which will not be replaced by an equivalent or better provision in terms of quantity and quality.

The village green is an iconic part of Monxton and provides the key to the character of the village being situated next to the idyllic Pillhill Brook, the ancient bridge and the original crossroads from which it is highly visible. It is critical to the village as it hosts both local and national events including, in the past, the Royal Wedding and the Queen’s birthday celebrations. The village green is the most important open space in the village, previously being used as allotments for the “Dig for Glory campaign” during World War 2. The villagers levelled the ground and laid the grass lawn seen today.  Monxton Parish Council has maintained the Village Green for over 70 years under an agreement with Strong’s Brewery of Romsey, then Enterprise Inns and currently with DC Li Builders, in exchange for unlimited use by the village for events.

DC Li Builders Ltd confirmed at our village meeting on13th June 2019, that to give them space for the expanded car park, they would require a section of about 6-8 feet of the green and, to do so, they would need to remove the existing mature hedge and replant it in a new location This is unacceptable and represents an intolerable attack on our village green and, as TVBC has defined this area as Public Amenity Land, no permission should be granted to take any land from the village green or to remove hedges or fell trees in the Conservation Area.  Monxton Parish Council has successfully obtained an order to make the village green the subject of an Asset of Community Value (ACV), which provides additional protection.

We are also concerned that the very poor quality drawings make it very difficult to assess the measurements of the land being taken from the green and the size of the buildings. We request TVBC to make the developer submit new detailed plans with precise measurements plus a current and a proposed detailed site map including the views of the new pub, car park and new houses.

Village Green – The application is in contravention to Policy E2: Protect, Conserve and Enhance the Landscape Character

To ensure the protection, conservation and enhancement of the landscape of the Borough development will be permitted provided that: a) it does not have a detrimental impact on the appearance of the immediate area and the landscape character of the area within which it is located; b) it is designed and located to ensure that the health and future retention of important landscape features is not likely to be prejudiced; c) the existing and proposed landscaping and landscape features enable it to positively integrate into the landscape character of the area; d) arrangements for the long term management and maintenance of any existing and proposed landscaping have been made; and f) it does not result in the loss of important local features such as trees, walls, hedges or watercourses.

The proposed alterations to the Village Green and pub car park do not protect, conserve or enhance the landscape or character of the village.

We object to the felling of any trees on the Village Green

The developer has defined four trees as needing to be felled, which includes a mature Lime tree at the right-hand north corner near the river.  This tree has important amenity value and its removal should not be permitted, especially as it is to allow the expansion of the car park and the building of a pub/hub which is not required.

This has been confirmed by the TVBC tree officer in their objection:

Trees

This area of the village is highly prominent at a crossroad and the trees on this land are of high amenity value, which contribute greatly to the character of the area.

The submitted arboriculture information identifies that three trees, T3, T4, T5 and a hedge, H6 will need to be removed to achieve the proposed development.

T3 has been identified as an ‘A’ category tree and its removal has been highlighted within the arboriculture information as having a significant impact on the visual amenity of the local area and the wider landscape. The constraints of this tree need to be taken into consideration at the design stage so that the tree can be retained.

Objection to the loss of an ‘A’ category tree with high amenity value within the Monxton conservation. 

We object to any works that will have a detrimental impact on the Bus Shelter

Monxton Parish Council has owned the Bus Shelter for over seventy years as it was built by villagers in 1948.  There is no mention in the application regarding the Bus Shelter and the applicant has not approached MPC for consent to move it, which would be needed to enable the two proposed houses to be built on the present Bus Shelter site. There is not another suitable location in the village to relocate the Bus Shelter.

We object to the impact on the Monxton High Street and parking in the village

The two semi-detached houses at the front of the car park have their parking spaces sited directly on the High Street, which means cars will have to back in to or out of these spaces onto a very busy road which would be very dangerous for all road users. The number of spaces is inadequate, being only one per household, which will lead to even more vehicles parking on the High Street. In addition, cars and delivery vans exiting the proposed pub car park will have very poor sight lines and, therefore, reduced visibility of the traffic coming from either direction, which could cause serious road traffic accidents.

We object to the over-development of the site

The site is simply not big enough to support a pub with 15 car parking spaces, two semi-detached houses with car parking spaces for the occupants and a new site for the sub-station at the front of the green/car park. We also have serious concerns that, as to facilitate the proposed pub, the SSE sub-station would need to be moved and that it may get sited on the village green.  The drawing submitted is unclear on this point.

The application is contrary to the Monxton Village Design Statement

The Monxton Village Design Statement (VDS) was adopted as Supplementary Planning Guidance on the 5 May 2004 to help to provide the necessary guidance for appropriate change within the village. Any new development in the village should be informed by this document to ensure that it is carried out sensitively and in harmony with the setting and style of the village. The village context is summed up as “nestling in the valley of the Pillhill Brook between chalk uplands”. The VDS acknowledges that new houses contribute the character of the settlement, “Monxton is given its distinctive character by its pleasant mix of old and recently built houses.” The VDS sets out various Design Guidelines to which particular attention should be paid: • Any new houses should be built in similar style and scale to nearby dwellings.

The proposed two semi-detached houses are not in keeping with the neighbouring Listed thatched properties.

Village Survey

We have now reviewed the results of the village survey following the open evening on the 13th June 2019, which the developer attended to answer questions from the public.

The results show that there are zero % supporters, zero % not objecting and 100% of villagers object to the proposals. This clearly underlines the fact that whilst the developer has claimed villagers and MPC support their proposal, this is not correct, and their attempt to justify the proposal on the grounds that this development is community-led is false as, in fact, it has no support from either the villagers or the Parish Council.

Summary

TVBC should reject this application, which would cause considerable harm to the village landscape and character and would have a major impact on the village and is without any support from Monxton Parish Council or it’s residents.

Parish Council Agenda Tuesday 9th July

by heatherbourner

MONXTON PARISH COUNCIL

There will be a meeting of Monxton Parish Council at 7.30 pm on Tuesday 9th July 2019, at Monxton Village Hall.

Heather Bourner

Clerk to Monxton Parish Council

Agenda

    1. Welcome and Apologies.
    2. Declaration of Interests & register of interest forms3
    3. Members of the Public (Pre-booked slots if requested)
    4. Minutes of the Previous Meeting – sign off & matters arising
  1.     5. Reports:- 
      1. Planning
      2. Finance
      3. Village Hall
      4. Environment & Footpaths
      5. Sunnybank
      6. Traffic
      7. HCC and TVBC reports (if provided)

Correspondence

Dates for the next meeting 29th October 2019 

Close of the meeting

 

 

Road Closure Notice

by heatherbourner

Temporary Road Closure of Monxton Road Jul 19

Temporary Road Closure – Part of Monxton Road, Amport

Description: Temporary closure of part of Monxton Road to allow a safe access for works in connection with renewal of old telegraph pole.

Extent of Closure: Part of Monxton Road from its junction with Sarson Lane to a point 130 metres east.

Alternative routes: From the western end of the closure, west on Monxton Road, north on Wiremead Lane, northwest on Amesbury Road and Weyhill Road, south on Red Post Lane, southwest on Andover Road, north and west on Amport Road, further west on Monxton Road to the eastern end of closure and on the same roads in the opposite direction.

Duration of Order: From 16 July 2019 for a period of 1 month or until completion of works, whichever is sooner.

Period of Works: Notwithstanding, it is expected the closure will only be required between 09:30 am and 15:30 pm only on the 16th of July 2019.

NOTE:  The 6’6” width restriction (Order Number 72) on Wiremead Lane and Red Post Lane will be temporarily suspended during the closure

Reasonable access will be allowed to adjacent premises while the work is being carried out. If you have any queries regarding the above works, access or alternative route please contact Stuart Smith of HSC Worcester Ltd telephone 01264773833 on behalf of BT Openreach. For other queries please contact Ejikeme Ibe, telephone 01264 368728 on behalf of the Head of Estate and Economic Development Service.

Parish, Borough and County Ward Members

Parish Council(s) Amport
Borough Member(s) Anna
County Member(s) Test Valley North

 

Dogs & Heat

by Monxton Matters

The Blue Cross recommends the following for dogs in heat waves.

Heatstroke in Dogs

Dogs can suffer fatal heatstroke within minutes. Unlike humans, dogs can’t sweat through their skin and so they rely on panting and releasing heat through their paw pads and nose to regulate their body temperature and keep cool. Imagine wearing a thick winter coat on a hot summer’s day and you’ll understand why dogs succumb to heatstroke so easily.  Signs of heatstroke in dogs include collapse, excessive panting, and dribbling.  If you suspect your pet is suffering from the condition, move them to a cool place, preferably with a draught, wet their coat with cool – not freezing – water, and contact your vet immediately.  Once a dog shows signs of heatstroke the damage is often already done, which is why it’s so important to prevent it

Dogs in hot cars

Never leave a dog in a car, even for a moment. “Not long” is too long.  A car can become an oven very quickly even when it doesn’t feel that warm. When it is 22°c outside – within an hour – the temperature in a car can reach an unbearable 47°c.

Can I smash a window to free a dog from a hot car?  If you see a dog in distress inside a car, official advice is to dial 999 immediately and ask for the police. A dog in distress in a hot car is an emergency and the police will advise you what to do based on the situation.  Depending on the severity of the situation, the police may attend and break into the car to gain access to the dog, or they may advise you to do this. Call the police and tell them what you intend to do and why. Take photos and/or videos of the dog in distress and the names and phone numbers of witnesses.

How to keep a dog cool and prevent heatstroke

  • Make sure your dog has access to clean water at all times, ideally a large bowl filled to the brim. Carry water and a bowl with you on walks.
  • On hot days, walk your dog during the cooler parts of the day, in the early morning and late evening
  • Watch your pet for signs of over-heating, including heavy panting and loss of energy. If you recognise these signs when on a walk, stop, find a shady spot and give your dog water.
  • Never leave your dog (or any pet) alone in a car, even with the windows open
  • Be particularly careful with short-nosed dogs such as bull breeds, boxers, pugs, older dogs, and those that are overweight. These dogs can get heatstroke simply by running around.
  • Hold your hand for 5-10 seconds on a paving stone or road etc. If you cannot keep your hand there then it’s too hot for your dog’s paws too. So walk in the cooler parts of the day.