Longparish Parish Council

This report covers the February meeting. Minutes of meetings are on the village website www.longparish.org.uk.

Welcome event for new villagers

This year's welcome event for new villagers will be on the evening of Tues 27 March. See separate note.

Elections

There will be parish elections in May. If you'd like to find out more about becoming a parish councillor please come along to The Cricketers any time between 7.30 and 9 on Tues 20 March to meet some councillors and have a chat over a drink.

Annual Parish Meeting

The APM will be at 7pm on Monday 16 April (details next month). This is the time when the Council reports to the Parish on what it has been doing in the last year. If there is a contested election we will invite all the candidates so you have an opportunity to ask them for their views on any matter of concern.

Planning

Affordable Housing

The TVBC planners have now looked at the various possible sites identified at the exhibition. They have concluded that two sites are "least constrained" and therefore potentially suitable for an affordable housing project - the Zurich field and the field immediately west of North Acre at the rear of Lower Mill Villas (see very rough plan). This means that there are no longer any potential sites in Middleton. It is now a question of exploring how either or both of these potential sites might be used to provide housing and community benefits such as a village green, parking and a community building, with the minimum of impact on the village. Then we can consider whether such a project will have community support. The total area is much more than would be needed for housing so the sites offer considerable flexibility.

Jeff Bishop, the independent facilitator appointed by the Parish Council to lead the Open Forum, has held a preliminary meeting with a group of people representing the full range of interests and opinions. Thank you very much to all concerned for contributing. The group will be meeting again to agree areas of common ground and clarify the differences. The outcome of this will be a shared 'briefing' which will provide the basis of discussion at the Open Forum which will take place in April or May to enable them to complete this work. There will be more in the next edition of Hill & Valley.

New policing arrangements

Sergeant Glenn Curtis explained that our new beat officer is PC Richard Jewell. He is part of a new team, led by Sgt Curtis, based at Stockbridge. They will concentrate on the sort of issues that affect villages which sounds like good news for us.

Subsequently the Council has been informed that as from now, the Mobile Police Office will visit North Acre from 10am until 12 midday on the first Tuesday of every month.

The next Council meeting is at 7.30pm on Monday 12th March in the Ellicock Room at the Community Hall. Meetings are public and all parishioners are welcome to come and can speak.

Jeremy Barber Chairman. Tel 720459

email jeremy.barber@longparish.org.uk


New Forest & Hampshire County Show

24th - 26th July at New Park, Brockenhurst

If you or your colleagues wish to have a stand, book corporate hospitality or take part in any type of sponsorship however large or small, contact the show office on 01590 622400 now.