I'm sitting here typing my column on a beautiful Spring morning.
Apparently, Spring has come early this year and I have already had a request for the water to be switched on in the allotments. We will have to wait a little longer and perhaps try to educate some of our allotment holders to harvest their own water via water butts.
Many tenants are very good and are already doing this and it really does help to keep costs down in the allotments because one of our biggest expenses on that site is the bill from Southern Water. Conversely we have a problem at the Romsey Road end of the allotments with too much water during wet weather and we are hoping to instigate some drainage down there this year.
We are now in the election purdah period which means that our Councillors must not use their position to seek publicity from now until the election takes place (always supposing, of course, that we have one).
Lyndhurst has twelve Councillors so if more than this number are nominated we will have an election. Anyway, for this month only I will not mention our Councillors by name but will try to concentrate on the business of the Parish Council. Elections for Parish and District Council, together with the referendum, take place on 5 May.
At our January Planning Committee meeting the application for Hill House was deliberated. I am sure you will all have realised that the building is no longer used as a care home but a new application was submitted to extend the building and permission has now been granted for a 50 bed care home. This will incorporate the present building.
Our Annual Parish Meeting was held during March and this gave Committee Chairmen, your County Councillor, District Councillor, two local charities and our Police Constable Andy White the opportunity to submit their reports for the year. Andy was able to report that a "No Cold Calling" zone is to be set up in The Meadows.
Please also be aware that you should not leave your car with valuables, such as handbags, cameras, phones, etc inside. Thefts are particularly rife in Forest car parks. People seem to think their valuables will be safe if they hide them in the boot or under a coat—they are not as there are thieves watching these areas.
Many of you have contacted the Parish Council about the vans that have been parked on the grass verge on the A35, causing muddy ground and tyre ruts. The problem is being dealt with by the Highways Department of Hampshire County Council. The grass verge will be reinstated and the Parish Council have asked that consideration be given to placing dragons teeth along this stretch of the verge to prevent reoccurrence of the problem.
The Parish Council meet again on Tuesday, 12 April at 7.15 pm in Lyndhurst Community Centre. Members of the public are very welcome to attend and there is an opportunity to raise matters during public participation.
Margaret Weston,
Clerk to the Council,
Woodlands,
Fritham,
Lyndhurst,
Hampshire
SO43 7HJ
Tel: 023 8081 3218
Email: lyndhurstpc@woodlands.mail1.co.uk.
Please note that it would be appreciated if telephone calls could be kept to office hours as much as possible. |
