07/09/2023
Just to bring you all up to speed with what I, Jerry, and the group have been up to. You will be aware now that the results of the village survey have been collated, analysed and published on the village website.
Many thanks to Jackie Nelson for her untiring efforts on this and to Andy Muir for putting them onto our website, Holybourne.com. A small group took the results and conducted research in specific areas to co-author the Strategic Response to Planning Applications that is also published on the web site.
It’s a heavy read but please do look through it. I’ve had a series of meetings with people I hope might be able to help us including with the Planning consultant we have engaged to advise us. Helen Walters and I walked him all around the village and surrounding countryside on a boiling hot afternoon but he got a genuine impression of what it is that we are trying to protect. I’m meeting the Chair of the Alton Society this Thursday afternoon and Vanessa Gist is arranging for us to meet a representative from the CPRE. I just think the more friends we can gather, the better.
As you know the consultation on the Alton Neighbourhood plan takes place tomorrow and I won’t bore you by pleading with you to attend. If there is anyone who might need a lift down, please do offer to help if you can.
A key distraction from building on green-fields sites is the implementation of something called Neighbourhood Development Orders which would allow local communities to demand the redevelopment of unused or inefficiently used sites to provide opportunities for the development of affordable housing. The redevelopment of the old Post Office site in Alton and perhaps building houses on underused car parks would mean that they don’t have to build in Holybourne. Please clamour for this approach.
Finally, could you give some serious thought to where in Holybourne we might welcome development? Currently we have a housing need in the village of two dozen affordable homes. Where might we put them? I would counsel that a total opposition to any development at all is unlikely to win us any friends while at the same time, disadvantage those villagers who need affordable homes.
I’d be very grateful to hear your thoughts either by WhatsApp or by emailing Chair@holybourne.com.