By the time you read this column the decorations will be down and the festivities over for another year.
So it’s noses to the grindstone again as far as Parish Council activities are concerned, with the hope that there will be success and enjoyment along the way as well.
First, some good news—the Parish Council will once again be holding its Precept for another year.
This is the second year running we have been able to do this and it all boils down to careful and prudent planning, with a lot of hard work by Councillors and some of our residents who choose to assist with voluntary work.
It seems to have been a year of “You win some, you lose some”.
It was good to see that the Government took some notice of the people and abandoned plans to sell off parts of the New Forest, but closer to home the Parish Council have been very concerned about the amount of affordable housing that is being lost to developers who now insist that they cannot provide it within the scope of their planning applications due to a downturn in the housing market.
Notable cases in our area have been 2/2a Gosport Lane and South View, also in Gosport Lane.
How can we retain the dynamics of our village when young people can’t afford to live here?
As it was the first year the Parish Council had decorated a tree for the Christmas Tree Festival in St Michael and All Angels Church, I went along during the weekend to have a look and didn’t the Church look beautiful.
The thing that struck me was that all the trees had hand made decorations and clever ideas had been used.
A lot of hard work had gone into them and it really paid off.
Turning to 2012 the Parish Council will continue with its plans for the Cemetery, Recreation Ground and Allotments.
It is hoped to improve still further the play equipment in the Recreation Ground, this time for the older age group, although the work may have to be phased in over several years.
New noticeboards will be appearing shortly in the Allotments.
If you are considering an allotment in the Spring please get in touch now as we are likely to have a few available.
Public seating and bus shelters will be maintained and enhanced as necessary—a new bus shelter in Southampton Road is the first project.
The next Parish Council meeting takes place on Tuesday 10 January 2012 at 7.15 pm in Lyndhurst Community Centre.
Members of the public have the opportunity to speak during public participation at the commencement of the meeting so why not come along and hear what the Parish Council is doing for you?
In the meantime can I wish all our residents a Healthy and Prosperous New Year.
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. |
