Vacancies for a councillor on the Parish Council.

The Parish Council currently has a casual vacancy that is subject to an election if called for.

OLIVER’S BATTERY PARISH COUNCIL

Vacancy for a Parish Councillor

  1. There is a currently a vacancy on the above council.
  1. A by-election to fill the vacancy will be held if, within 14 days (Not counting a Saturday or Sunday, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, or Bank Holiday) from the date below, ten electors of the Oliver’s Battery civil parish give notice in writing claiming such an election to the Returning Officer.
  1. The address for the Returning Officer is:

Returning Officer
Winchester City Council
City Offices
Colebrook Street
Winchester
SO23 9LJ

  1. If no such notice is given, Oliver’s Battery Parish Council will fill the vacancy by co-option.

Dated: 26th July 2023

Signed: Brendan V. Gibbs (Parish Clerk)

Address: 15 The Heath, Denmead, Waterlooville PO7 6JT

Bloor Homes publishes its latest proposal for the re-development of the South Winchester Golf Club.

Bloor Homes has recently launched a website outlining their plans for a new community to be known as Manor Parks.

The website explains their latest proposal – including plans for 40% affordable housing, a new Park and Ride for the city, a new primary school, a community Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) tennis facility, and a large country park.

Please visit www.manor-parks.com where you can find out more information and register for updates.

For the avoidance of doubt, the Parish Council has a consistent record of opposing any attempt to re-develop South Winchester Golf Course and does not support this proposal in any way.

Our public comments on the proposal were recently published in the Hampshire Chronicle and can be viewed HERE.

Oliver’s Battery Annual Parish Assembly 23rd May 2023.

The Annual Parish Meeting was held on the 23rd May at St Mark’s Hall.

This year the PC received presentations from the Oliver’s Battery Sustainability Group and the Repair Café .

OB Sustainability have not been in existence long and their aims are to support the community in making our life more sustainable and to enhance the biodiversity of the parish.

The group can be contacted at obsustainability@gmail.com.

The PC purchased a thermal imaging camera, with the support of a grant from Cllr Warwick and on the 14 January the OB Home Energy Subgroup launched at St Marks Church Hall.  Volunteers brought information and examples of green technology, including heat pumps and solar panels.  Several people signed up to take part in the trial of the thermal camera use.  Four volunteers attended a training workshop to learn how to use the thermal imaging camera and others will be trained “on the job”.

OB Sustainability Group are also encouraging people to have wildlife friendly gardens, including making gardens more attractive to hedgehogs.

The Repair Café is an even newer enterprise, at least in Winchester.  A repair café is a free meeting place where you can take ordinary household items that are no longer working, or that have become damaged and volunteers will attempt to fix them.  It is a fun, social community event that values the expertise of volunteer craftspeople and helps to reduce waste and consumption.

The sorts of items which may be repaired include clothes, furniture, electrical appliances, computers, bicycles, and toys.

Their current venues are Badger Farm Community Centre and Unit 12 in  Winnall.

The Repair Café can be contacted on info@repaircafewinchester.org and you can book a repair and subscribe to their newsletter for information about upcoming events and updates on their website https://www.repaircafewinchester.org/.

 

Exploring carbon neutrality for Winchester

On Monday 10th July, WCC will be holding its next Carbon Neutrality Open Forum drop in event between 2pm to 8pm at Winchester Guildhall.

The City Council has plans to be a carbon neutral district by 2030 – renewable energy is likely to be one of the most effective ways to reduce our carbon footprint. Focusing on Renewable Energy, the drop in event will explore the different types of renewable energy, their pros and cons and will seek the opinions and views of participants as to the renewable energy they’d like to see in the district.

Participation in the event can be booked via Eventbrite – https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/exploring-renewable-energy-for-winchester-climate-neutrality-open-forum-tickets-633209254927

Texas Field and Yew Hill Butterfly Reserve, Asset of Community Value.

Nominating an Asset of Community Value (ACV)

Texas Field and Yew Hill Butterfly Reserve Survey 2023

Oliver’s Battery Parish Council needs to re-nominate Texas Field and Yew Hill Butterfly Reserve as an Asset of Community Valve (ACV), as the previous determination only lasts for 5 years.

The key to success is providing as much relevant supporting evidence as possible.  It would be a great help if you would answer as many of the following questions as you can based on your own knowledge and experience:

NB some of the wording is quite formal but these are the questions they need answering when making a decision.

If you have any photos (including aerial photos), especially across the field, demonstrating current usage, or usage over the past five years, please can you also email these to Cllr Leach at constance@leach154.plus.com.

The link to the questions may be found here for you to download and complete.

An Update on the Local Plan from the WCC Strategic Planning Team

Notification of Public Consultation on the Regulation 18 draft Local Plan 2039

The Regulation 18 Draft Local Plan will be open for public consultation for a period of 6 weeks from 2nd of November until 23:59 hours on 14th of December.

The consultation welcomes views on the key issues of the Local Plan, and we want as many people as possible to be part of this process that will set out the future of the district.

The Local Plan will cover all of Winchester District except for the part within the South Downs National Park (which has its own Local Plan). The Local Plan will set out the development strategy and policy framework for the area and allocate or designate land accordingly. Once adopted, will be used to guide decisions on planning applications up to 2039.

 

What will be included in the draft Regulation 18 Local Plan?

The draft Regulation 18 Local Plan will bring together and review existing Development Management policies from the existing adopted Local Plan (Part 1 & Part 2), the Gypsy and Travellers Development Plan Document and it will include new Local Plan policies and site specific allocations that are needed to deliver the development strategy in the new Local Plan.

The new Local Plan will be structured so that polices addressing particular issues will be grouped together under a number of specific topics.

This consultation will give everyone the opportunity to have a say in the final shape of the Local Plan.  It will be important that you take part and also please help us reach as many of our members of public as possible.