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BURRIDGE & SWANWICK RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION (BSRA)

Chairman’s Report 2025/6

The committee has met only 4 times since the last AGM. The few issues arising between meetings have been handled by email. Following a slightly reduced attendance at last year’s AGM we decided to return to delivering invitations by hand.

Planning Applications to Fareham Borough Council (FBC)

Eyersdown Farm site:

This development, approved after the Government Inspector allowed an appeal against FBC’s planning refusal, was expected to be completed at the end of 2025. Problems with site pollution and the wet weather have delayed it. Work is continuing.

77 Burridge Road Gypsy & Traveller Site.

FBC refused the application, quoting a clause in the Local Plan, attempting to restrict use of the adjacent site by insisting it should be used to achieve Biological Net Gain to compensate for loss of habitat. 

The appeal was however, allowed by the Government’s Inspector. Three additional Gypsy Pitches are permitted on this site. These pitches were in the Council’s Local Plan despite objections made at the time.

Land off Rookery Avenue

I expressed concern over the noise levels on this site before it was approved and re-iterated them more recently. A downgraded noise barrier was approved following a new sound engineer’s report commissioned by the developer. A case of caveat emptor for purchasers of these properties.

Land at Botley Road

This plot North of the Yew Tree roundabout proposed 4 new houses on a site that is currently woodland and adjacent to several Grade II listed buildings. Safe access was also in doubt. We and other residents commented objecting to this application and were supported by our local Councillor and the reports from Hampshire County Council’s Officers. The planning officer refused the application.

The Borderland fencing site in New Road

9 houses have been proposed to replace the current business. It presents a quandary.

This site is technically in Countryside, but all vegetation has been destroyed by commercial activity.

It is very close to the protected area of Swanwick Lakes, but there are houses nearby.

Users of New Road fear traffic congestion at peak times, but there would be few heavy vehicles.

No decision has yet been made.

 

Other local matters

South East Hampshire Unitary Authority (UA)

We emailed residents about our areas’ inclusion in this UA.

Local opinion was overwhelmingly in favour of the decision that the Sarisbury & Whiteley ward will be in the UA along with the rest of Fareham, Havant, Gosport and Portsmouth. The parishes of Rowlands Castle, Horndean and Clanfield will also join this UA. Solent City has arrived as many predicted years ago!

This will make BSRA a very small voice in a large conurbation with divergent interests.

 

 

Henry Cort School

This will be relocated in the new secondary school being built in North Whiteley. We did write pointing out that no provision had been made for drop off/pick up of students. The County Council’s policy is that this will encourage walking and cycling.

North Whiteley

Some additional plots have been added to the Winchester City Council Local Plan (WCC). These are adjacent to the FBC boundary in Burridge. Details have yet to be published.

We wrote to Hampshire Highways and WCC requesting signage be erected in North Whiteley showing the correct exits from the roundabouts to follow the main thoroughfare, Whiteley Way. No constructive replies have been received. We have discussed following this up after the dual carriageway is completed.

We do not expect any decision to be made on re-routing traffic from the Botley Road until the Northern part of Whiteley Way is adopted, this is a long way off.

Hamble Estuary Partnership (HEP)

The HEP is a discussion forum including many diverse interests from business to boating, Crown Estate to environmental. We have been invited to join their meetings once or twice a year.

Current topics discussed include:

• Potential pollution in the Hamble River as a result of poor drainage from he M27 bridge. Hopefully this will be addressed when maintenance and repair works are carried out on the bridge.
• Burst sewage drains in Southern Water Authority area. Some relining and the possibility of using old storage tanks to reduce storm water overflows are being proposed.

Litter Picking.

A small team, co-ordinated by Margaret, walk safely accessible areas at intervals. Volunteers would be welcome in order to spread the load.

Bus Service

At our last AGM Ann Ailes proposed a new bus route running through the Western Wards. She has continued to research this and has obtained, from Community First, an estimate of the potential cost as around ¼ million pounds p.a. She hopes funding can be found for this from the new Mayoral South Hampshire Unitary Authority (UA)

We surveyed those on our email list to assess the need for a new bus service as agreed at the AGM. We had 38 replies to 169 emails. Our extrapolation from these concluded that fewer than 70 journeys would be made each week, even if the service were free, dropping to 50 if charged. We concluded that, though there is some desire for public transport, the proposed scheme is unlikely to be viable without subsidy that is unlikely to be available. Therefore, we would take no further action. Personally, I agree that funding is most unlikely to be forthcoming. It would be a precept on the Council Tax charged to all residents in the UA benefiting a very small portion of South East Hampshire.

Residents who expressed a desire for the service were advised of the door to door service run by the Community First Charity and a link added to our website.

 

Viv Holt

Chairman BSRA