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News Archive (Oldest articles at the
bottom)
Brook House Planning Passed
News
item added Feb 2009 when removed from home page
Planning has been granted for conversion
of Brook House into 30 flats and the erection of three storey side
extensions to the north and south elevations with roof terraces and a new
floor on the upper level of the existing building. For more information see
Basingstoke Council website: BDB/68041.
Electricity Problems
News
item added Feb 2009 when removed from home page
 There have been
problems in the area recently with residents and the village hall suffering
from low voltage or power cuts. You will know if you are suffering from low
voltage because your lights may be dim or flicker and appliances may not
function correctly. If you do have problems then please report them to
Southern Electric as the more people that complain, the more likely action
is to be taken to improve reliability and supply of electricity to the
area. You can report faults on 0845 770 8090. Let them know if you are a
priority case e.g. elderly or disabled and you should get attention more
quickly.
Merry Christmas from Brookvale Community Association!
News
item added Jan 2009 when removed from home page
 We will be hosting the Children’s
Christmas party at the village hall on Saturday the 13th of
December 1 – 4 pm. Come along for fun with the children and a drink with
your neighbours. There will be a children’s entertainer, face painting,
craft and Father Christmas! This is a free event.
For a post Christmas pick me up come
along to the January pantomime! This year it’s the Snow Queen, performed by
Proteus theatre
company. It will take place at the Village Hall on the 11th
January 2009. Tickets cost £6 for adults and £4 for concessions and will be
available at the Christmas Party.
For more information on either of these
events email info@brookvale.org.uk
Spotlight on the 3Cs Coffee Morning
News
item added Jan 2009 when removed from home page
 The 3Cs Coffee
Morning takes place on the first Saturday of each month, 10 – 12 at the
village hall. Meet members of your community by joining us for coffee,
cakes and chat. Over the coming months there are extra activities going on:
·
Saturday November 1st: Freecycle bring
and take stall.
·
Saturday December 6th Paula will be
selling some lovely and inexpensive original cards for all occasions.
Katrina will be tempting you with nice jewellery and toiletries.
·
Saturday February 7th Old Brookvale Talk
by Debbie Reavell from the Basingstoke
Heritage Society plus sale of gently used books. Refreshments will be
available. This will be a free but ticketed event as numbers are limited,
email info@brookvale.org.uk for
more information.
This is also an opportunity to meet
Councillor Jo Kelly, who holds her Councillor surgeries at the coffee
morning and Chris Hall for his disability surgery and see the lottery
numbers being drawn.
Halloween in Brookvale
News
item added Jan 2009 when removed from home page
As usual, a number of houses did
Brookvale proud with their decorations this year, with the ‘scary house’ in
Queens Road
attracting lots of visitors!
Unfortunately the annual fancy dress
disco held around Halloween time didn’t go ahead this year, due to a lack
of volunteers to help on the night. Hopefully we will be able to bring this
event back next year. This really highlights how dependent we are on help
from volunteers.
Police Beat Surgery
News
item added Nov 2008 when removed from home page
The beat surgery was held on Wednesday
the 3rd of September, from 18.30 until 19.30 at the village hall.
It was an opportunity to meet our local beat officers and raise any issues
you may have. No residents raised any issues at the surgery, which we hope
reflects that residents are happy with security in the area.
The Vale
News
item added Nov 2008 when removed from home page
 A new youth
started on Wednesday 10th January. It’s held every Wednesday in
term time, 7pm – 8.30pm at Brookvale Village Hall. £1 per entry. It’s for
school years 7+, come and see what’s on offer or phone Sarah and Andy on 07890 708696.
Rainbows, Brownies and Guides
News
item added Nov 2008 when removed from home page
St
Michael's Brownies and Guides have spaces available for girls wishing to
find out about Guiding. We have lots
of fun together, learning new skills
and making new friends. Some of the
things we get up to include outings and trips, crafts, community work, working towards badges,
cooking, dance and games, and campfire songs. We are especially looking
forward to celebrating 100 years of Guiding in 2010, which coincides with
the Brownie Pack's 50th birthday. We all have great fun together and would
love to hear from girls who would like to find out more. Brownies is open to girls aged between 7
and 10, and Guides in open to girls aged between 10 and 14. We are also interested in hearing from
any adults that would be interested in helping out, in however large or
small a way, especially with running a Rainbow Group for girls aged between
5 and 7. For more information,
please contact Sue Smith on 01256 411034.
A word from Sarah
and Paul, our ACSOs
News
item added Nov 2008 when removed from home page
 Our names are Sarah Fordham and Paul Bowman, we are Accredited
Community Safety Officers or ACSOs, Working for Hampshire County Council’s
Community Safety Team. We have recently taken on Brookvale as one of our
areas to patrol along with Kings Furlong, Grove, Black Dam and Fairfields.
The
role of the ACSOs across Basingstoke and
Deane is to help reduce the fear of crime and tackle issues that affect residents’
quality of life, such as anti-social behaviour and nuisance.
We
deal with a variety low-level crimes such as underage drinking and smoking,
cycling on footpaths, fly-tipping and abandoned vehicles and combine
community work and enforcement to address these issues.
We
have been given various powers by the police such as the ability to issue
£50 fixed penalty notices and yellow cards, for a number of offences. The
yellow card scheme acts as an early warning system and involves letters
being sent to the parent/guardian of any young person caught misbehaving.
We
aim to get involved in many community events and to get to know all of the
local residents and build good relationships.
Contact
details for the ACSOs can be found at http://www3.hants.gov.uk/communitysafety/communitysafety-contact.htm
The image is ©Hampshire County Council.
Material is reproduced with the permission of Hampshire
County Council.
Report from the 07/08 AGM
News
item added Nov 2008 when removed from home page
 The
AGM went ahead on the
20th May at the village hall. It was a pleasant evening and the
business side of things was dealt with fairly swiftly, with the result that
a new treasurer and 4 committee members were voted in. This left the rest
of the evening free to enjoy the refreshments, chat with neighbours and
look at the collection of photos from the BCA past. Unfortunately there
were only just enough attendees to make the AGM official, which was
disappointing given the effort that had gone into advertising the
event.
The
official business included the voting in of a new, more modern
constitution, a review of the past years business and a review of the BCA’s
financial position. 07/08 was a good year for the BCA, there were many
successful events, 3 editions of the newsletter were published, the hall
was used by a variety of people and the lottery continued to raise funds.
The financial review showed that BCA looks to be in a fairly healthy
financial situation. On the downside, the committee lost several members
due to house moves and we appealed for more volunteers to come forward to
get involved. A whole range of roles could be available, so all skills are
welcome. Anyone who has an interest in getting involved is urged to come to
the next committee meeting at the village hall, 7.30pm on Tuesday 10th
June.
The
next AGM will be on the 22nd September 2009. Provisional minutes are
available (111 KB). You will need the free Acrobat Reader to view this file
which is available at http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep.html
Developments in our Area – Latest News (February 2008)
News
item added May 2008
 Old Allotments Development
·
Work has started, the footway, cycleway and Churchill Way West
are still open.
·
The request for a new footway from the end of Winterthur Way
to College Road
has been ignored (along with other points).
·
Complaint to our town MP resulted in a re-iteration
of existing documentation via the Chief Exec. A complaint to the Chief Exec
is in progress, with no response yet. The local government ombudsman has
also been consulted.
Local Development Framework
·
Consultation has been started, there are some
leaflets in the village hall. The sub committee may comment.
Crown Heights
·
Following an assessment by the council of
alternative routes it is now unlikely that the Crown Heights
bridge will close from 11pm – 6am.
·
The sub committee is concerned that the Brambleys
Drive Doctors surgeries were relocated to Crown Heights
with no consultation. There is now poor signage and access from the car p
ark for the mobility impaired.
·
The station to Liquid steps were repaired and have
been vandalised again.
Brook House
·
The latest application for refurbishment into office
space and 24 flats has been refused (Council ref BDB/66939)
For further information on local
involvement in these plans look at the Sub
Committee pages. Send any comments to malcolm.macinnes@brookvale.org.uk,
the chair of the Development Sub Committee.
Brookvale’s Scariest House 2007
News
item added January 2008
 33 Queens Road
again did Brookvale proud and welcomed 138 trick or treaters (and that
didn’t include mums and dads!
We have more pictures of the house.
Disability Consultations
News
item added November 2007
Chris is seeking views on proposed
changes to Church Street,
the centre of Basingstoke and community
transport. For more details see Chris’s page.
Results of HYLA Competition at the Green Fair
News
item added October 2007
 Following the
'Guess the number of Smarties lids in the jar' competition at the 'Green
Fair', an independent count by local school children was arranged by Helen
Hempstead. The official result was that there were 313 lids in the jar. The
closest guess was 304, by Ms Hollies of Tadley, and she receives the first
prize of a HYLA Water Air Freshener. Runer-up prizes of HYLA kitchen knife
sets go to Ms Whittaker and Mr Green, both from Basingstoke. Further
runner-up prize winners will be notified by telephone. By Ian Morgan, HYLA UK
Brookvale’s Scariest House!
News
item added November 2006
 Many of you will
have noticed the spectacular Halloween display at 33 Queens Road. The house attracted
lots of trick or treaters, Adrian and his family lost count after about 70!
Adrian
would like to mention that he put up the decorations Saturday morning, and
apart from bringing in some of the bigger ones each night, not a single
spider, cobweb or grave stone was touched by anyone for the 4 days that
they were out. The family do not trick or treat themselves but prefer
to dress up the house and invite everyone to come to them. They hope
everyone liked the house and had a good time. They would also like to
thank the people that bought sweets to them, It was a very kind gesture. We
have more pictures of the house on
the site for you to see.
Windows broken at the Village Hall
News
item added on 20th October 2006
Unfortunately several windows at the
Village Hall have been smashed. Despite being caught in the act by a
committee member the Police have been unable to take action yet due to a
lack of evidence. The Committee have been looking at increased security
measures for the hall to prevent damage like this and to help tackle the
ongoing problems with graffiti. This all costs the committee money and
effort that we could otherwise put to better use. We are hoping to apply
for a grant to help with some of the costs. If you have any information on
who is responsible for the damage please can you contact our beat officer,
PC Kerr at Basingstoke Police Station on 0845 0454545. Please report any
anti social behaviour or crime to PC Kerr as she can then apply for more
resources for our area.
Update on the Victory Hill Development – No more “Digging
for Victory” near Victory Hill
News
item added on 30th July 2006
It would be the end of civilisation
should Basingstoke ever stop growing!
There's always something being built or knocked own. Brookvale has had to fight hard to get
the few amenities it has and was short changed in the redevelopment of the
town with most of the new money being spent on the new estates. Residents
had to work very hard to get the village hall (The use of the word village
got us extra funding from the HCC), the fencing of King George V playing
field, the ball wall, benches, the Victory Green and KGV play areas to name just a few. And so
here again Brookvale is engaged in another fight to improve the quality of
life in REAL terms for old and new residents of the enlarged area of residents
in Brookvale.
Thus we find out too late that at
Victory Hill, Rialto
provided a high density flatted development without surrounding
amenities. There is no access to
Brookvale and Winterthur Way
slope is too steep for Disabled Access.
A patch of grass big enough to site a bench, the Penthouse view and
some kind of artefact appear to be their only amenities!
Next door, the Old Allotment site became
vacant in the 70s, partly caused by the post Second World War
reconstruction enabling the growth of supermarkets for vegetable
shopping. This resulted in the most
fertile soil in Basingstoke being re-designated as Brownfield Land
for re-development per the Borough consultation in the Basingstoke Area
Local Plan and expressed in the Local Development Framework for Land North
of Churchill Way West.
Due to the ceaseless efforts of our
local Councillor John Shaw BCA came to understand what all the above meant
for the re-development of the Old Allotments site: a horizontal continuous
line of flats from Victory roundabout to the Thorneycroft Roundabout!
John negotiated on behalf of the BCA our
influence in the development as part of the Borough's Statement of
Community Involvement meaning our comments to be considered and
incorporated.
This new process meant that the Borough
visited the BCA to share with us their evaluated 30th Jan 2006 5 Developer
Tender Proposals on 8th February 2006.
We commented on these proposals to Cabinet on 28th February 2006 and
the Council Leaders visitted the BCA to hear our concerns on 22nd March
2006 After the Cabinet meeting 27th
March 2006 proposals were re-tendered to meet Borough guidelines, the BCA
were invited to a Roundtable with the chosen Developer to comment on this
stage of the plans, which we were also able to take to residents
consultation 18th July 2006.
Further comments including some
particular to Victory Hill were listed out, all submitted prior to the
David Wilson Homes Developer Planning Proposal Submission deadline of 24th
July 2006. These comments included
relationship with Brookvale/Victory Hill, scale, appearance, access,
linkages, social housing, amenities and infrastructure. We have not approved these plans as they
are lacking in detail when additional sectional views were requested to
understand the visual impact of this development on the surrounding areas
and landscape.
There are also difficult issues that
need ongoing community engagement and attention like a bus
stop/bridge/pedestrian crossing instead of car right hand turn, residents
gate between Victory Hill and Old Allotments to Brookvale, Brook House
redevelopment/refurb, Victory Roundabout disabled access, building
sustainable energy saving measures incorporated into this new development
and spending Section 106 money to provide amenity value not mediocre art , when existing infrastructure issues will
become further exacerbated!
After the deadline, there will be
further opportunity for us to comment and to develop the detail as follows:
* Hall user comments and residents
feedback - Chris Hall
* Energy Saving Sustainable technology
Return On Investment Proposal - Ted Blackmore-Squires
* Open Space Amenities and Design -
Malcolm MacInnes
Our thanks to the time and effort our
Borough Councillors and Officers have given the BCA in working with us on
this hopefully prestige and attractive development to the benefit of
Brookvale AND the wider town!
Malcolm
Chair,
BCA, Development Subcommittee
Public meeting on Crime
News
item added on 9th September 2005
We are pleased to announce a public
meeting on crime and safety.
We have managed to gather together our
local beat bobby (PC Lee Stanbrook), the Hampshire County Council ACSOs (or
Accredited Community Safety Officers), representatives from Basingstoke
& Deane’s Community Safety team and representatives from the
Basingstoke Neighbourhood Watch Association.
Each of our guests will give a short
presentation on how they perceive the current situation, and suggest ways
in which we can help.
We hope to establish a Neighbourhood
Watch scheme following this meeting, and it is essential you come along to
show your support. There will be
plenty of opportunities to have your points of view aired, and to have
questions answered.
Please put Wednesday 14th September in
your diary now. The meeting will commence at 7:30pm promptly. Join us at
7:15 for welcome drinks and nibbles.
Reminders from the July issue of Blurb
Please keep this number for Hampshire
Police close to your telephone, and store it in your mobile phone’s address
book: 0845 045 45 45. It is
essential that every incidence of crime or anti-social behaviour is
reported to Hampshire Police. We will not get the resources our area
deserves and requires if crimes are not reported. Even if nothing has
actually been stolen, but there is evidence of a break-in, please report
it. Even if the incident is no longer in progress. You are not wasting
police time by reporting incidents – you could be helping police to collect
intelligence into when these crimes occur and who might be perpetrating
them.
Also, don’t forget to keep an eye out
for anyone you see acting suspiciously, or anyone that shouldn’t be
wherever they are – kids or adults. If you discover kids loitering around
the back of your home, tell them that they are trespassing on private
property. If, for example, you find someone posing as a tradesperson in a
neighbour’s back garden when you’re not aware of any work being carried
out, challenge them. Make a note of their vehicle registration numbers. You
never know when information like that might be required by the police.
One thing is for certain; the crime
situation has got worse in recent months and it is up to every single one
of us to pull together to fight it.
Further development at site west of Victory Hill
News
item added on 9th September 2005
We have been informed by the new Head of
Property Services at Basingstoke & Deane Borough Council, Helen Harbour,
that the council has now completed its
feasibility studies on the land west of the current Victory Hill
development. It’s early days yet, there are no firm plans for any
development at the site yet, but the council is actively looking for
developers who are interested in the site.
They expect to receive tenders back from
suitable developers within the next few months and will then meet with BCA
representatives to discuss the proposals. We will keep you updated with any
information provided to us.
Planning issues
News
item added on 9th September 2005
Please remember that if you wish to
undertake ANY work to the front of your property, most of the buildings in
Brookvale are covered by the Conservation Order which came into effect in
1999. Work must be preceeded by an approved planning application. Contact
Basingstoke & Deane Borough Council (844844) for further information.
Here are a couple of local planning
issues you should be aware of:
Queens
Road Post Office
Work had started at Queens Road Post
Office to turn this commercial unit into a residential property. No
planning application had been submitted and so the council advised the
owner that permission would be required before any further development took
place. A yellow planning application poster has suddenly turned up on the
door of the old Post Office!
We strongly believe that this is a
commercially viable unit, and should stay that way. We are rapidly losing
the local street corner businesses that once flourished in our
neighbourhood. We urge you write in to object to the conversion of the old
Post Office. You can view the application on the council’s website at:
www.basingstoke.gov.uk/planning » and following the links to the “Planning
Applications Register”. The application number is BDB/61428. Please write
to: Basingstoke & Deane Borough Council, Development Control, Civic
Offices, London Road,
Basingstoke, RG21
4AH. Don’t forget to quote the application
number in your letter.
May Street Building
You may have noticed quite a bit of work
taking place to the old DriveTime building on the corner of May Street and
Lower Brook Street, including new signage for another business. Whilst we
are keen to see this building get a new lease of life and
encourage new businesses into the area,
it is important to note that no planning application or change of use has
been filed with the council for this development. We are purely concerned
about representing local residents on any change of use. There was some
talk on the grapevine of a business owner opening a bistro/takeaway at this
site. We are concerned that there might be an increase in noise, food
smells, traffic etc. The council is keeping a close eye on this development
and will step in if any breach takes place. We also have the full support
of our local councillors, both for encouraging local businesses into the
area and for ensuring applications are properly filed.
Upcoming enforcement action
Everyone residing in the the
Conservation Area has received a letter from the council, advising that a
major enforcement campaign is about to take place. We would like to stress
the point that the council has the power to force property owners to undo
work that has not had full planning consent. Satellite dishes on front
elevations, replaced walls, windows and doors and
removal of period features will all be
up for scrutiny by the enforcement team. We advise that, if you have undertaken
work without getting prior planning permission, that you file a
retrospective application. Satellite dishes must be relocated so that they
are not visible from the street.
Pride of Place grants
News
item added on 9th September 2005
A new grant scheme has been announced by
the council. The Pride of Place Partnership Initiative (POPPI) might be
able to provide the Brookvale area with a grant for regeneration. If you
have any ideas for suggestions, we would love to hear from you. please
email info@brookvale.org.uk
We will be meeting with council
representatives at our August Committee Meeting to discuss the scheme.
Proposals to alter Deep
Lane junctions and traffic priorities
News
item added on 9th September 2005
Cllr Doris Jones has advised us that the
council has plans to alter portions of Deep Lane. We will keep you updated
as soon as we have further information.
Crime increases in Brookvale
News
item added on 30th July 2005
Over the last few months, Brookvale
Community Association has seen a rise in reports of crime in the local
area. Many people have contacted us by email to advise us of their
experiences and we have heard of countless other incidents. Sheds have been
broken into and tools have been stolen. Bicycles have been robbed from both
back gardens and locked garages. A large number of the May Street garages
were actually broken into, one after the other, in one night. We have also
heard of a number of larger house break-ins, in which many expensive or
much-loved and irreplaceable items have been taken. It is believed that
children have been responsible for some of the smaller incidences (mainly
those involving back garden thefts) whilst it seems more organised criminal
gangs are likely to be responsible for the larger burglaries.
Our local police officer
Having now had a fairly lengthy
discussion with our local beat bobby, PC Lee Stanbrook, we can see that
there are a number of areas which can be improved. Many of these areas can
be directly improved with the help of the community itself.
It is very clear to us that PC Stanbrook
is already very stretched. His “local beat” covers a huge area of
Basingstoke including Eastrop, Blackdam, Viables, Cranbourne, Kings
Furlong, Brookvale, the Brighton Hill Retail
Park, Harriet Costello and Cranbourne Schools as well as QMC and BCOT!
There are a number of crime hot-spots in his round. These obviously take up
a lot of his time, and much of his time that is dedicated to on-foot patrols
is eaten up by these high priority areas. In comparison, Brookvale is
considered a low-priority area. There are apparently very few incidences of
crime reported for our area. It seems that many crimes are not being
reported.
Although it is clear to us that there is
a recent huge increase in criminal activity in our area, PC Stanbrook can’t
see this for himself. He explains that there hasn’t been a notable increase
in reported crime: “We rely heavily on the public to help us do our job. It
is essential that residents report every single incidence of crime in the
area, no matter how trivial or insignificant it might seem. Only then can
more of our resources be dedicated to patrolling the area.” If more
incidents were reported, this might be justification to recruit another
officer to help PC Stanbrook on his beat. “I receive daily reports of every
single reported crime in the area. If more crimes were reported, I would be
able to convince my bosses that there is a need for a stronger police
presence in Brookvale. I cannot stress how important it is for the public
to phone absolutely every single incident in to the call centre.”
So please, keep this number for
Hampshire Police close to your telephone, and store it in your mobile
phone’s address book: 0845 045 45 45. Whether you discover that your shed
has been broken into, your car damaged on the street, or whether there are
a group of kids riding around a park on a motorcycle, you should report ALL
incidences of crime and anti-social behaviour to this number. Even if
nothing has actually been stolen, but there is evidence of a break-in,
please report it. Even if the incident is no longer in progress. You are
not wasting police time by reporting incidents – you could be helping
police to collect intelligence into when these crimes occur and who might
be perpetrating it.
Please remember that 999 should be used
for emergencies only. An emergency would include a suspected break-in in
progress.
Other local schemes
Both we and PC Stanbrook have contacted
Officers from Hampshire County Council’s successful Accredited Community
Safety Officer (ACSO) scheme. ACSOs deal with ‘low-level anti-social
behaviour’, freeing the police to focus on ‘core policing functions’. They
can issue penalty notices for littering, graffiti, fly tipping and cycling
on footpaths, confiscate tobacco and alcohol from underage people, request
the removal of abandoned vehicles and obtain the name and addresses of
anyone acting in an anti-social manner. Uniformed officers patrol the
streets in much the same way as police officers do; that in itself can help
with reduction in crime. Two ACSOs operate in this area and have promised
to dedicate more of their time to patrolling our streets more routinely.
Similarly, they weren’t aware of a particular crime problem in our area.
If you are aware of routine incidences
of anti-social behaviour, or have information relating to any of the
offences listed above such as graffiti or fly tipping, you can report it to
the ACSO scheme on 0845 600 1747. More information can be found at www.hants.gov.uk/communitysafety
Another local scheme set up to assist in
the reduction of crime is Basingstoke & Deane’s Community Warden
Scheme. They currently don’t have a Warden patrolling the Brookvale area,
but if the scheme’s steering group can see a need for more wardens, we may
be able to change that. Please write to: Community Warden Scheme Steering
Group, Community Safety Team, BDBC, Civic Office, London Road, Basingstoke,
RG21 4AH.
Alternatively, you can email: z.o'donnell@basingstoke.gov.uk
What the BCA is doing
We are committed to help our community
reduce the level of crime in our neighbourhood. We will be holding a public
meeting in mid-September to allow you to have your say. We will be inviting
our local beat bobby, the ACSOs responsible for our area, and
representatives from Basingstoke & Deane’s Community Safety team.
Residents themselves must also become more
pro-active in deterring crime in our community. We hope to establish a
Neighbourhood Watch scheme at this meeting.
At the moment, a date is not confirmed,
but is very likely to be either the 12th, 13th or 14th of September. Please
pencil these dates into your diary now. The date will be confirmed in the
August issue of Blurb.
Please also continue to report any
incidents of crime or anti-social behaviour to us. You can email info@brookvale.org.uk or contact Karin Joseph,
our Street Rep Co-ordinator (details on our Contact page).
Other things you can do
It is more important than ever to make
use of every lock you have on your homes and outbuildings. If you have
window locks, make sure you make use of them. Similarly, if you have
deadlocks or additional mortice locks on your doors, make sure they are
used! Ensure that sheds and back gates get locked up too. Spending £10 on a
padlock and hasp lock now might save you the grief of a break-in and move
would-be intruders onto easier pickings.
There are hundreds of products on the
market to help you decrease the likelihood of having your home broken into,
from spiked plastic fence strips and intruder paint to full blown security
systems and CCTV. It is of course down to your personal circumstances how
much money you are able to spend on securing your home, but bear in mind
that criminals will usually look for the easiest option when selecting a
property.
Probably the most likely point of entry
for an intruder is a back entrance. Back gardens and back doors are
surprisingly often not as well protected as the fronts of people’s homes,
despite being more secluded and so giving would-be burglars more time and
more privacy to break-in and enter.
Many of the houses in Brookvale have
rear access via a common access point. If you have an alleyway between
homes with a path that runs along the back of all the adjoining properties,
consider getting together and sharing the cost of installing a gate at the
entrance to the shared alleyway. A push-button combination lock (around
£40) is a great alternative to a keyed lock (which requires lots of keys to
be cut, somebody to co-ordinate the issue of keys, and requires everyone to
have a key on them whenever they want to make use of the shared alleyway).
Local police have indicated that installing gates in these locations is a
great idea, and highly recommend residents consider taking this measure.
Finally, please keep an eye on anyone
you see acting suspiciously, or anyone that shouldn’t be wherever they are
– kids or adults. If you discover kids loitering around the back of your
home, tell them that they are trespassing on private property. If, for
example, you find someone posing as a tradesperson in a neighbour’s back
garden when you’re not aware of any work being carried out, challenge them.
Make a note of their vehicle registration numbers. You never know when
information like that might be required by the police. It is up to every
member of the community to pull together to fight crime. This is a problem
for all of us, and we can all be part of the solution.
Subway closures
News
item added on 30th July 2005
The subways at Victory Roundabout will
soon be closed one-by-one in rotation to allow refurbishment works to
continue. To assist you in planning alternative routes, here are the dates
of each closure:
North
West (Allotments/Leisure Park)
25th July - 29th July
1st August - 2nd August
South West (Essex Rd/Victory Park)
3rd August - 5th August
8th August - 11th August
North East (Alençon Link/Station)
15th August - 19th August
22nd August - 23rd August
South East (Glebe Gardens/Church St)
Any closure dates to be confirmed
Fireworks event
News
item added on 30th July 2005
We regret to announce that we will not
be able to hold the fireworks event this year. Not only is funding an issue
right now, but we have also had problems getting a group of marshals for
the event. Look out for it in 2006 - we are keen to bring it back at some
point soon!
Increase in taxi fares
News
item added on 30th July 2005
You have probably already read in the
Gazette that taxi fares throughout the borough will increase in September.
The increases will apply to the borough’s 55 Hackney Carriages. As a rough
guide, you can expect the following increases:
Distance Old fare New fare Increase
1 mile £3.00 -> £3.40 (+13.3%)
2 miles £4.00 -> £4.60 (+15.0%)
3 miles £5.00 -> £5.80 (+16.0%)
4 miles £6.00 -> £7.00 (+16.6%)
5 miles £7.20 -> £8.20 (+13.9%)
10 miles £15.60 -> £16.20 (+3.8%)
15 miles £23.60 -> £24.20 (+2.5%)
20 miles £31.80 -> £32.20 (+1.2%)
Subway murals
News
item added on 30th July 2005
Brookvale Community Association has held
discussions with various companies and local artists about having murals
painted in each of the four Victory Roundabout subways.
We now have some examples back from the
artists, and would really appreciate your comments on the initial sketches.
You can view the work and submit
comments directly through our website on this special page »
Alternatively, the sketches will be
available to view and make comments on at our August 6th 3Cs Coffee
Morning.
Brookvale Community Association's AGM
News
item added on 17th May 2005
Our Annual General Meeting is at 7pm on
Tuesday 24th May at the Village Hall (on Lower Brook Street).
Please support your Community
Association by turning up to the most important event in our diary. A
minimum turnout is required to achieve a quorum.
We are doing everything we can to ensure
this year’s AGM is as brief as possible. We understand that the last thing
you want to do after a long day’s work is to spend hours at yet another
meeting!
After some welcome drinks, we will be
giving a short presentation on our achievements over the last year, before
voting in any new volunteers that may come forward.
We also wish to make a small amendment
to our Constitution. Currently, our Constitution only permits Committee
Members to be voted onto the Management Committee if they reside in
Brookvale. We would like to change that to permit those living in Basingstoke with an interest in Brookvale to be voted
in as Committee Members. This would allow those with rental properties in
Brookvale, those with family ties to the area, those who are looking to
move to the area, existing Committee Members who move out of the ward etc.
to become and/or stay on as Committee Members. Constitution amendments can
only be made at an AGM or EGM, so this is another reason we need you there
- to vote on our proposal!
This year we are fortunate that the
majority of last year’s Committee are happy to stay in their current
positions, providing the Community is happy to re-elect them.
We are however specifically looking for
a new Secretary. In addition, we would welcome any new Committee Members to
join the existing Management Team.
If you have a fantastic idea for a
Brookvale event or social group, or simply want to put your name down as
“willing to help at events if extra hands are needed”, this is the perfect
opportunity to get involved in your community.
WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU ON
TUESDAY!
Secretary
The Secretary is the Executive Officer
of the Association. The Secretary will work closely with the other
Committee Members, especially the Chair and Treasurer.
The Secretary is responsible for calling
Committee meetings and preparing the agenda (with the Chair), circulating
the agenda, minutes from previous meetings and other relevant papers,
ensuring minutes are taken at meetings (whenever the Minutes Secretary is
unavailable), dealing with correspondence the Association receives and
presenting it to the Committee, putting into effect the Committee’s
decisions and keeping files up-to-date.
Committee Members
The BCA’s Constitution requires members
to sit on the Management Committee. Committee Members are expected to take
on a share of the various duties so that no one person is left to deal with
all the Association’s issues and interests.
Committee Members might wish to put
themselves forward for a specific role (eg. Vice Chair, Assistant
Secretary, Events Co-ordinator, be a part of the Hall Management Team etc.)
or choose to help out on a more general basis. Committee Members will be
expected to attend and participate in Committee meetings, which are held on
a monthly basis.
Hall refurbishment completed
News
item added on 17th May 2005
The recent refurbishment works to the
Village Hall have now been completed.
Brookvale Community Association was very
lucky to have been awarded a grant for £8112 by Basingstoke & Deane
Borough Council. A local property developer made the money available “for
the benefit of the community” following completion of a development on
Sarum Hill. BCA also supplemented the grant with some of its own money.
We have been able to enhance the
security and appearance of the Hall by installing roller shutters to all
the south facing windows and the front door.
We have improved the toilet facilities -
new layouts in the gents and ladies mean that you don’t have to be a
contortionist to get in and out of cubicles! Baby changing facilities have
also been added.
And finally, we were able to install new
vinyl flooring throughout the toilets and entrance hall.
We’re very proud of what we’ve managed
to achieve and hope that you can come along to our AGM and see the results
for yourselves.
Victory Roundabout update
News
item added on 17th May 2005
A few months ago, Hampshire County
Council’s contractors started repainting some of Victory Roundabout’s
existing railings on the South West subway entrance only to find that the
lower coats of paint were not stable enough to paint over. In fact, if you
look at these railings now, you will see that the new green paint is
flaking away. Not very impressive for something which was painted only a
few months ago! HCC agree that the paint has not adhered properly and have
decided that the railings need to be completely stripped back before making
another attempt to repaint them. They have determined that removing the
railings to water-/sand-blast them in a factory would be more trouble than
it is worth, so they will do this with the railings in situ, at the same
time as all the other outstanding work.
When that outstanding work will actually
get done is anyone’s guess! We have been promised that it will continue
‘within weeks’ several times.
We have also raised the issues of the
inadequate convex mirrors that were installed (they have been smashed by
vandals already), the gradients of the slopes, non-slip floor coatings and
the need to do more to get cyclists to dismount while using the subways.
Don’t worry, we are still very much on
the case! Hampshire County Council may be dragging their heels, but we will
do everything we can to ensure Brookvale residents get a proper, safe and
reliable pedestrian access route into town.
Thank you, Street Reps!
News
item added on 17th May 2005
Diane Anderson recently retired from
being a Street Representative for Brookvale Community Association. She has
been involved with the Association in one way or another since 2000. We
would like to thank Diane for all she has done for the community over the
years.
That same “thank you” goes out to all of
our other Street Reps. We sincerely appreciate the time you give up for the
benefit of the community - we couldn’t do any of this without you!
Queens Road Post Office closed on
February 1st 2005
Our campaign to save Brookvale's Post
Office was not successful. Read more
about the most important local issue to concern Brookvale residents in
years.
Upcoming AGM
Our Annual General Meeting is coming up
on Tuesday 24th May.
If you have been thinking about how you
might be able to get involved in your community, this is the ideal
opportunity to find out how you can play a part in it. Whether you have
very little time to give, or are lucky enough to have a lot of time on your
hands, whatever you can do to help will be appreciated by your local
community and the current committee.
We will need to appoint replacement
Committee Members for specific roles - more details of exactly what those
roles entail will be published in next month's issue of Blurb. We are also
grateful for any general help you can give at events etc. Or if you have
any ideas for events or social groups, this is the perfect platform to
raise your ideas.
Even if you don’t have any regular time
to give as a volunteer, please show your support for your Community
Association by attending our AGM (a minimum turnout is required to achieve
a quorum) - put Tuesday 24th May into your diary now!
Free eye tests available
A free home-based eye care and testing
service is available to people who qualify. Those who cannot visit an optician
unassisted, regardless of age are entitled to the eye care service. This
includes people who need the assistance of friends or relatives to get out
and about or people who have difficulty using public transport. You are
entitled to a sight test if you have eye problems, are over 70 and have not
had a sight test for two years or have been advised to have more frequent
eye examinations and one is now due.
An optometrist will examine your eyes in
your own home. They are equipped to detect glaucoma, cataracts and other
potential visual problems and can provide advice and assistance in choosing
the best frames and lenses.
For further advice or to book an
appointment, please call 0500 295 245.
New Road proposals
Basingstoke & Deane
Borough Council have developed a Central Area Action Plan which lays out
all the plans to raise the quality, image and vitality of our town centre.
A draft Concept Statement has now been
prepared for the upper section of New
Road (the road behind McDonalds and the main
Post Office at the Top of Town). The ideas include providing new homes and
buildings to create a “more traditional street whilst maintaining New Road’s role
as an important route within the Top of Town”.
The Borough Council has begun a
consultation period which will last until 30th April 2005 and welcomes your
views on the ideas for New
Road. This is your opportunity to have your
say on the regeneration of our town centre.
You can see the Concept Statement,
including walk-through animations, and send in your views from the
Council’s web site here: www.basingstoke.gov.uk
You can also obtain a copy of the
document by calling (01256) 845492 or 845495 or writing to the Head of
Regeneration and Design, Civic Offices, London Road, Basingstoke,
RG21 4AH.
Park renovations
Phase 1 of the renovations to King
George V Playing Fields (on Deep
Lane) have begun. New railings are currently
being installed. Further works are planned to improve the layout,
aesthetics and usability of the park. Works are also planned for Victory Park.
Hall renovations underway
In the December issue of Blurb, we
reported that Brookvale Community Association had been awarded a grant by
Basingstoke & Deane Borough Council to carry out renovations to our
Village Hall.
The works to the Hall were carried out
at the beginning of March. You may
have seen some of the results already; the new shutters have been installed
on the windows and front door. It has completely transformed the outside of
the building! We are very happy with the results and hope that you are too.
The toilets were also refurbished at the
same time to include improved cubicle layouts, baby changing facilities and
new flooring throughout. They will have their public debut at our 2005
Jumble and Car Boot Sale!
Thanks to our regular Hall users for
their flexibility during the works.
Car Break-ins on the rise
You may have recently received a flyer
from Hampshire Constabulary informing residents that car crime is on the
increase in the Brookvale area.
Please take this warning seriously.
We have received a number of calls from
Brookvale residents who have been unfortunate enough to have their cars
broken into and possessions stolen.
You can reduce the likelihood of having
your car broken into by simply removing any objects (especially money and
valuable items) inside the car from view. Covering items with a blanket or
sheet simply isn’t enough - car thieves now take this as a sign that there
is something worth breaking in for.
If your car is broken into, please
contact Hampshire Constabulary immediately on 0845 045 4545 to report the
incident - even if nothing has been stolen or damaged. The more cases that
are reported, the more likely the police are to catch the thieves.
Victory Roundabout works
Renovations have begun on Victory
Roundabout. The works are part of a bigger plan to completely overhaul the
pedestrian and bicycle routes through this roundabout, making them safer for
all. Brookvale Community Association has been involved throughout all
stages of this project.
So far, some re-pointing work has been
carried out and the stairs on the Essex
Road exit have been re-laid. Planned works
include:
the installation of replacement railings
(samples of the new railings were on display at the Village Hall during the
Christmas Party event on 11th December 2004),
works to the actual subways,
landscaping,
a review of the inclines on the various
ramps and general improvements for people with mobility and access issues.
As the gradient of the slope on the
Alençon Link exit is too steep for wheelchair and mobility vehicle users,
Hampshire County Council is now looking at other options for disabled
people, including the possibility of installing a lift exclusively for the
use of RADAR key holders.
Considerate parking
Parking is a problem for us all in
Brookvale. Our streets simply weren’t designed to accommodate parking for
one car per household, let alone two per household, which is more common
these days.
We all hate having to park the car miles
away from our front door, but there is little that can be done about this
problem.
There has been some talk from the
Council about the possibility of installing enforced residents parking on
all of Brookvale’s congested roads. This is a contentious topic that will
need a full consultation with the public. Many residents in East Brookvale have now been living with such a
scheme for a number of years and wish that it had never been installed.
Even if such a
scheme were to be rolled out across the
ward, nobody will ever be guaranteed a parking space.
So, in the meantime, until the Council
have come up with some creative ideas for managing parking better
throughout the area, there are two things that residents could do to be
more considerate to their neighbours when parking their cars.
Firstly, if you are lucky enough to have
off-road parking such as a driveway or garage, make use of it! If you have
a dedicated parking space but don’t own a car, how about asking your
neighbours if they would like to take advantage of it
instead? You could even possibly come to
some form of financial agreement - many people spend a lot of money on
renting garages simply to have off-road
parking. Parking your car off-road means you could be eligible for cheaper
car insurance premiums.
And secondly, being conscious about how
well you are parking your car can help to ease the problem. Leaving that
extra space of three to four feet behind your car in the evening (to make
your morning departure a little easier) is usually unnecessary on today's
power assisted steering vehicles.
If you can think of any creative ways
that the Council could improve the parking situation in Brookvale, we’d love
to hear from you. Please email info@brookvale.org.uk » and we’ll pass your
messages onto our local Councillors.
BCA awarded grant
Brookvale Community Association has been
awarded a grant of £8112 from Basingstoke & Deane Borough Council. The
funds were made available for the benefit of a community group by the
property developer of a housing development on Worting Road/Sarum Hill.
BCA will be spending the money on
installing roller security shutters to our windows and doors - these will
replace the current wooden shutters that have now seen better days.
We will also be carrying out some
improvements to our toilet facilities to bring them in line with the high
standard of decoration throughout the rest of our building.
Victory Hill
Street Rep
We are still looking for a Street Rep at
Victory Hill to volunteer 30 minutes of their time every other month.
If you would like to do something for
your community, please contact Karin Joseph, our Street Rep Co-ordinator for
more information.
Lottery changes
Just to remind you that, as outlined in
October’s issue of Blurb, everything is changing with the Brookvale Lottery
- the prizes, the rules of play, how winners are selected... For more
information, visit our Lottery section »
Wheelie bin problems?
Are the bin men leaving your wheelie
bins strewn across the pavement after collection, making it difficult for
pedestrians to pass? If so, we’d like to hear from you. The more complaints
we receive, the more likelihood we’ll have of getting this problem
resolved. Please contact our Disability & Mobility Coordinator, Chris
Hall.
Chris Hall, Disabilities Co-ordinator
Park renovations
The Council are looking to make a large
number of improvements to Victory
Park (at the end of
Lower Brook Street/Essex
Road) and King George V Playing Field
(on Deep Lane).
If you have any suggestions or comments,
please address them to Simon Brunger, our Communications Officer.
Simon Brunger, BCA Communications
Officer
"The BIG Recycle"
National recycling week (18th -22nd
October) "The BIG Recycle" is being run as part of the national
RecycleNow campaign. The campaign is aimed at increasing public awareness
and participation in the recycling of household waste.
Play your part in ‘the BIG recycle’ and
recycle as much of your household waste as possible. For further
information on the national campaign check out the website
www.recyclenow.org.uk »
In Basingstoke
and Deane we are currently recycling about 16% of household waste collected
throughout the Borough but with the average wheelie bin thought to contain
70% recyclable material there is still a lot more to be done.
There are a variety of recycling
opportunities throughout the Borough. The kerbside recycling scheme allows
mixed paper and card, plastic household bottles and food and drinks cans to
be collected from the kerbside. There are also over 50 recycling sites
taking a combination of materials including glass, textiles, aluminium
foil, paper and card, plastic bottles and food and drinks cans making
recycling easier and more convenient for local residents.
Every day we all produce huge amounts of
waste. It is thought that the average person uses two trees worth of paper
each year, that’s over 125,000 trees worth in Basingstoke
and Deane alone. By recycling all your paper this requirement could be
greatly reduced.
Diverting recyclable materials out of
the waste stream produces a resource from which new products can be made.
Plastic bottles can be recycled into new bottles, garden furniture and
compost bins, even fleece clothing and sleeping bag filling. Cans are
recycled into new packaging and save huge amounts of energy that would
otherwise be required to turn the raw materials into these items and also
helps avoid the need to keep using these precious resources.
The Three R’s
It’s not all about recycling though.
Much of the rubbish we want to dispose of could be avoided by following the
three R’s of waste minimisation: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Say no to carrier
bags that you don’t really need or use reusable ones. Avoid single use
items such as disposable razors, and batteries. Avoid over packaged
products, buying in bulk often represents better value for money and there
is less packaging to throw away afterwards, also choose items that have
easily recyclable packaging. Finally support the market for recycled
products and choose items made from recycled material.
Ask yourself: is once enough?.....RECYCLE
To find your nearest recycling site
please look at the Council's website www.basingstoke.gov.uk
and click on recycling information, alternatively call the Council’s
customer contact centre on 01256 845474.
Basingstoke Gingerbread
The Gingerbread Organisation was set up
in 1970. It is a national organisation supporting lone parent families -
both Mums and Dads. Around 10% of the population are lone parents with
dependent children. Centrally, there is a policy department on issues
affecting lone parents, an advice line and information network, and perhaps
most importantly a network of self help groups.
Basingstoke is a new group,
and our aim is to hold regular meetings for the adults and children to make
new friends, and to have some FUN. Our group consists of both working mums
& dads, as well as parents at home with their children. We are planning
a range of activities including a sports day, picnics, a day at Legoland
and weekends away. The group will allow people in similar situations come
together to share experiences, skills and knowledge. If you are a lone
parent, you are far from being alone.
We meet on alternate Saturdays from
10.30-12.30 at Hill Rise Hall, Gershwin
Road, Brighton Hill. Fees are £2 per family
per meeting and £5 annual membership.
So come along and join our friendly group, you will be made very
welcome. For further information
contact Jane (01256) 475155 or Tracey (01256) 351630 or email basinggingerbread@yahoo.co.uk
Basingstoke Alzheimer's Society
Are you caring for, or know someone who
is confused and forgetful? Have you
heard of the Alzheimer's Society?
Maybe you have, but you don't really know much about us, what we do
or how we can help you.
At your local branch, Diane is the
Branch Support Worker, Maggie the Outreach Worker and Jane the
Administrative Worker.
How your local branch can help:
Information - about all forms of
dementia and memory loss, and the benefits and services that are available.
Support - offering an opportunity to
talk freely and confidentially in our office, on the telephone or at a home
visit, to somebody who understands the problems of dementia.
Social events - support meetings are
held at Basingstoke, Tadley, Hook and Alton
for carers and ex-carers. "Drop
in" lunches at Basingstoke for carers
and those they care for. Organised
events - for example: barge river trip, Wisley Gardens,
Tea Dance, Christmas Party etc.
News - we have a quarterly newsletter
advising of branch activities with current articles of news relating to
dementia.
Thanks to a community funding grant, we
are expanding more into the outreach areas of Basingstoke - that is Alton and its outlying
villages of Borden, Four Marks etc. to Hook with Hartley Witney, Oakley and
Overton, Tadley with Bramley and Sherfield on Loddon.
You can find us at Glebe Hall Office, Church Square, Basingstoke, RG21 7QW. Please contact Diane or Maggie for more
information on (01256) 363393 or email
info@alzheimers-basingstoke.freeserve.co.uk » and our website can be found
at www.alzheimers.org.uk »
Parking Problems at Victory Hill
We have received correspondence from a
concerned Victory Hill resident regarding the current parking situation at
Victory Hill. Over 200 residences
are now occupied at the new development with more to follow over the coming
year. The developers have created 4
visitor parking spaces for the entire development. Visitors can stay for a maximum of only 2
hours during the day the whole week through, and cars that are either
parked for longer than this or are parked in other areas at the development
are now being clamped by the management company, Fairview. Visitors that are unfortunate enough to
be clamped are facing £110 release charges and very long waits to actually
get their cars released.
If you don't live at Victory Hill,
you're probably very unlikely to have any sympathy for Victory Hill
residents and their visitors. It's
true that people should not be able to park their cars wherever they like
(the necessity for emergency vehicle access alone is enough reason). You could even argue that if you
blatantly ignore parking enforcement, you should expect to be clamped. But it is a terrible situation to be
living in. Victory Hill residents
simply can't have friends and family come over to visit them at any time
(even if you do manage to get into one of the four spaces, you can only
stay for 2 hours). And it's all
because Rialto,
the developers of the site, have crammed in as many blocks of flats as
possible with no real consideration for the real life living conditions of
the occupants.
We are asking our councillors to look
into this issue to see if it can be improved in any way. In the meantime, if you live at Victory
Hill, we would like your comments on the parking situation - we will pass
all correspondence received onto the council, so your voice will be
heard. Please email:
info@brookvale.org.uk »
Aerial View Over Brookvale
We have kindly been sent a picture of an
aerial view over Brookvale. It was
taken by Brenda Kent on a recent hot air balloon ride - her son lives in Solbys Road!
Serious Consequences
Around two weeks ago, an incident took
place in Victory
Park in which a
disabled mobility vehicle user's safety was put at risk. The Brookvale
resident was riding through the park at around 9pm when a group of
adolescents approached them and attempted to set fire to the scooter with a
lighter.
We hope this is an isolated incident,
but we wanted to report this directly to Brookvale residents for two
reasons; firstly, to warn other mobility vehicle users that there are kids
out there with the intent to intimidate and potentially injure disabled
people (please take care, especially late at night, with the darker
evenings now upon us), and secondly to request that parents of local
teenagers discuss this incident with their children.
The kids involved most certainly didn't
think about the consequences of their actions and probably thought they
were having a bit of fun, but it's far from a joke. Not only do incidents
like this threaten to take away a person's independence, but mobility
vehicles are also very expensive to replace.
If something similar happens to you,
please contact Hampshire Constabulary on 0845 045 4545 as soon as the
incident takes place.
Street Rep for Victory Hill
We need to find one or two Street Reps
to cover the Victory Hill area. Do you have an hour or so a month free to
do some good for your local area? We need you to deliver Blurb (which isn't
so bad at Victory Hill as all the letter boxes are together in each block)
and also help to promote the Brookvale Lottery which raises money for the
Community Association. Informal Street Rep get-togethers are held every so
often which allow our Reps to get to know each other and discuss local
issues.
If you are interested in becoming a
Street Rep for Victory Hill, please contact:
Karin Joseph, Street Rep Co-ordinator
Baby & Toddler Group
The Brookvale Baby & Toddler Group
is slowly and steadily expanding; it's great to welcome lots of new faces
this term!
A new programme for the Autumn term has
been compiled and each session will now include an art, craft or simple
cooking activity. There are plenty of toys and activities for all babies
and toddlers and each session ends with a song and refreshments (included
in the £1 entrance fee). The group meets every Wednesday (excluding school
holidays) from 1:15pm to 2:45. For more information, please contact Helen
on (01256) 421141. New members are always welcome. If you've not tried the
group before, why not come along to the Christmas Party on the 15th
December?
The Baby & Toddler Group is also
looking to acquire a few additional pieces of equipment and toys. In
particular, they need: children's chairs, a vacuum cleaner, a dustpan and
brush, an iron and ironing board, workbench, dressing-up clothes and
accessories, push or pull-along toys, jigsaws or shape sorter puzzles,
books, an art easel and small musical instruments.
The group relies on donations, so if you
have any second-hand items on the list above that you don't need any more,
please give Helen a call on the number above. Thank you for your help!
Brookvale Lottery Changes
A number of changes are planned for the
Brookvale Lottery from 1st January, to make it more worthwhile to play and
easier to run.
We want to get your feedback on the
changes that will affect you, the players. So, in short:
The playing charge is to increase to
£12.10 per year (equivalent to £1 per month plus a 10p membership fee).
Every month, three subscriber numbers
will be drawn randomly at a 3Cs Coffee Morning or at a Committee Meeting.
The prizes will increase to: £50 for
first prize, £30 for second and £20 for third. The monthly prize fund will
never exceed 50% of the preceding month's lottery income.
Prize winners will be advertised in
Blurb and on the BCA website. If prizes are unclaimed after six months,
they will be returned to the lottery fund.
Any profits or unclaimed prizes after
expenses have been deducted will be spent to further the objectives of the
BCA. Priority of spending lies with the upkeep and development of the
Brookvale Village Hall.
If you would like to make any comments
on the new proposals for the Brookvale Lottery, please address them toPam Mansfield by 1st
November 2004:
Pam Mansfield, Brookvale Lottery Agent
Fireworks
You may have read in the last edition of
Blurb or on our website that we were planning the return of the fantastic
Brookvale fireworks event this year.
Unfortunately, we simply haven't been
able to get the resources together to facilitate the display, so we regret
that 2004 will be another year without this favourite and often asked about
event. However, we now have a full year to plan the 2005 event - so it
really should come back with a BANG!
College Football
We have received reports from users of
our Village Hall that BCOT students are continuing to play football up
against our building. This can be very intimidating for our users, and
unintentional damage could be caused to our community's building.
If you see students engaged in this
activity, please immediately contact Tom Herring at BCOT who has agreed to
do everything he can to get over to the Hall whilst it is taking place and
give the youngsters an ear-bashing! His number is 306265. If there is no
reply, please try Margaret Jenner on 306202.
Evolve at BCOT
BCOT is pleased to announce the opening
of its newly refurbished "Evolve" salons; the perfect place to
relax and be pampered. Clients can choose from a wide range of hair,
massage, holistic and beauty therapy treatments. All the therapies
available are competively priced and there are also a range of treatments
especially designed for men.
The salons are open Monday to Friday
during term time with late evening opening hours from Mondays to Thursdays.
For further details or to make an appointment please contact 01256 306321
(for hair) or 01256 306322 (for beauty).
Bistro Lunch
BCOT’s Robert Newman Restaurant is
pleased to announce a new one-course Bistro Menu for people who would like
to sample the fine dining of the college’s training restaurant but may be
unable to spare the time to enjoy the full three-course lunch that is also
available. Customers can choose from a selection of meat, fish and
vegetarian dishes prepared by hospitality students.
The restaurant is open for lunches
between midday and 2pm Tuesdays to Fridays (last food orders by 1pm) and
for a four-course dinner 6:30 – 9:30pm Tuesdays to Thursdays.
If you would like to book a table for
lunch or dinner please contact the restaurant on (01256) 306306. Early
booking is recommended although walk-ins are welcome, subject to
availability.
Further development on the land West of
Victory Hill
Brookvale Community Association met with
Basingstoke & Deane Borough Council in July to discuss the council's
plans for further development at the land West of Victory Hill / North of
Churchill Way West. Read more »
Furniture up for grabs
A secondhand black bedside locker, in
good condition, is available at no charge.
Call Karin on 356116 or email karin.joseph@brookvale.org.uk
Disability issues
A new Disabilities Co-ordinator has been
appointed for the BCA. Chris Hall has
been a Brookvale resident for many years and has been involved with the BCA
for some time. He is very clued up
on disabilities legislature, through his role at the Shaw Trust in Basingstoke, and is therefore in a good position to
represent disabled Brookvale residents’ views and co-ordinate any specific
disability-related issues raised by residents.
Chris Hall, Disabilities Co-ordinator
Wheelie bins reminder
Following on from our earlier article,
just a reminder to ask that you take your wheelie bins in on the day of
collection. Vandals have used stray empty wheelie bins on previous
occasions to cause significant damage to property and cars.
In addition, please remember that the
pavements are used by people with pushchairs and disabled people who may
find it difficult to manoeuvre their walking aids and vehicles around badly
parked bins.
BCOT Students Playing Football in Hall Grounds
The BCA is concerned that a number of
BCOT students continue to use the Village Hall grounds as a football pitch,
despite being requested to stop on several occasions. The students
typically use the porch area as a goal, even whilst the hall is in use by
external hirers. If this continues, it will surely only be a matter of time
until we have hall bookings cancelled.
We have asked our local councillor, Cllr
Doris Jones, if we can have a “No Ball Games” sign put up in front of the
hall, and she will be feeding the council’s response back to us shortly.
BCOT have kindly offered to do
everything they can to put a stop to these incidences. If you spot anyone
of student age playing football in the Hall grounds, please call Margaret
Jenner (Principal Judith Armstrong’s PA) on 354141.
A senior member of staff will be called
to attend the situation. In addition to this procedure, BCOT will be
raising these issues with students through their tutor periods.
Permit Parking Only?
There has been some talk over recent
months of changing the parking arrangements throughout the entire Brookvale
area to be designated “permit parking only” with each resident being able
to purchase a permit from the council for £22 per year.
Parts of East
Brookvale are already covered by such a scheme. Residents in
these areas have mixed views of the schemes. Whilst it may seem like a
fantastic idea on the surface, many problems arise and residents can find
that parking becomes even more of a problem.
The council is currently reviewing these
schemes. There will be a full consultation with Brookvale residents before
anything is decided upon. Please be assured we will keep you updated with
everything we hear relating to this matter.
Further Development on Victory Hill Site
You may have read in the Observer that
the council intends to develop further on the Victory Hill site. This area
covers the land from the current Victory Hill blocks west up to the water
works.
The article mentioned that the BCA
have/will be consulted with regarding the intended development. Shortly
after this article was published in the Observer, Kestrel FM called us for
comment and response from the community. We advised Kestrel that the
council had not approached Brookvale Community Association for
consultation, and therefore we were unable to consult with our community
and provide any reaction.
Having now spoken to our local
councillors at our last two Committee meetings, we understand that the
initial consultation period is now over! Various concerns were raised by
the BCA, mainly about the allotments and access roads into the proposed
development.
Our councillors will be following this
matter up with the relevant department at the council to discover why we
were not consulted during this initial phase, but we have been assured that
once a developer has come forward with plans, there will be further
consultation at this next stage and the BCA will be fully involved.
Service Road Approved for Development
The demolition of R&R Roofing’s
buildings on the service road behind Queens Road has been approved by the
Council to make way for residential development. Four dwellings have been
approved with one parking space per dwelling. Two of these dwellings will
be three bedroom houses and the other two will be two bedroom houses.
This planning approval has, in effect,
re-graded this road as a residential street. Until now, this road’s only
use has been to provide rear access to Queens Road properties.
The BCA is specifically concerned that
these new properties will (a) compromise privacy to existing residents
living at 56-64 Queens Road
and (b) add further to Brookvale’s parking problems.
BCA sent out flyers to all affected
properties during the consultation period, urging residents to file
objections. On speaking to the Council’s planning department, we have been
advised that four objections were received.
The objections received included
concerns about:
loss of privacy,
increased traffic and inadequate parking
provisions,
disturbance during construction,
damage to existing foundations,
there will only be a gap of just over
10m between properties,
the fact that the proposal neither
preserves nor enhances the Conservation Area,
loss of older buildings in the
Conservation Area,
blocking of access to the service road
which would not only affect Queens Road residents who currently use this
road to access their off-road parking, but also the ability of emergency
services to access the existing and proposed properties.
Complaints were also received that the
planning notices had not been placed in a prominent position.
The Council has made a number of
conditions and stipulations which affect the way the development must be
conducted. To ensure you know what to expect (for example, building work
will only be allowed during the week between certain hours and on Saturday
mornings), we advise that you view the planning application on the
Council’s website.
Go to http://www.basingstoke.gov.uk/planning/applications
then click on “Search for a Specific
Application” and enter planning reference BDB/56547.
You can alternatively call the case
officer, Michael Townsend, on 845468 and request a copy of the report he
filed to the Council with his recommendations.
Clean up our streets
Brookvale, like anywhere else these
days, is sadly often the victim of vandalism. Don’t the graffiti attacks,
car break-ins and other regular examples of mindless vandalism get you
down? And how about the general litter problem? Do you often find yourself
grumbling away to nobody in particular about how grubby the streets are?
No, there’s nothing wrong with you! We
often bring up these issues at committee meetings.
Unfortunately, this is how things are in
today’s world. Many people of all ages don’t seem to see anything wrong in
throwing rubbish all over the place. It isn’t just kids either. How many
times have you seen adults littering the streets without a second thought
about who might see them doing it?
It’s a sad state of affairs, but there’s
no reason why we can’t win this battle.
Although we feel that the council has
become markedly more apathetic about proactive street cleansing, we are
lucky that they are still quite responsive. Whilst the council’s teams don’t
seem to come around the area looking for problems as often as they used to,
they are usually very good at resolving these problems providing they are
reported.
It’s quick and easy to report any
problems you find to the council - call 844844 and ask for Customer
Services.
Back of Safeways
Have you noticed how Safeways seem to
have given up on keeping their grounds tidy, in particular the area by the
rear access stairway and ramp?
We recently reported a number of
problems in this corner of Deep Lane to the council, and they have done
their part - clearing the bushes of litter, cutting back the overgrown
bushes the entire length of Deep Lane, removing a large pile of garden
waste which somebody had fly-tipped in the turning point...
However, Safeways’ own grounds still
remain in a terrible state by this rear access route. The trees are full of
plastic bags, the banks of bushes are strewn with litter... If you haven’t
already noticed yourself, we urge you to have a look when you are next in
this area. Then maybe you’d like to add your voice to ours and write to the
store manager asking why he has given up on keeping his store grounds tidy
and why Safeways don’t provide bins to the public in this part of the car
park?
Please address your comments to Neil
Barber, Store Manager, Safeways Basingstoke, Thornycroft Industrial Estate,
Worting Road, Basingstoke, RG21 8BJ.
Adult Education
The Adult and Community course listing,
published by BCOT in conjunction with Queen Mary’s College is now available
for courses starting from Easter onwards.
To obtain your free copy call 306347 or
306355 or get one from Libraries, the Information Centre in the town centre
and many other outlets.
Walking for Health
Improve your fitness and walk and talk
by joining the “Walking for Health” scheme in Basingstoke.
Led by volunteers, the walks are
suitable for all abilities. The back marcher always walks at the pace of
the slowest walker, the walks are non-competitive and everybody is welcome.
Walks start from the Boathouse in Eastrop Park
on Mondays at 11am and at the Walled
Garden car park at
Down Grange on Pack Lane
in Kempshott on Thursdays, also at 11am.
For more information, call 845574 and
leave your name and address.
Victory Hill
We have learned from our local
councillors that the new Victory Hill development (north of Churchill Way)
now officially comes under Brookvale ward, and that the first residents
have moved in. We will be adding
this entire area to our distribution area for Blurb and look forward to
meeting our new neighbours!
If you live in Victory Hill and would
like to become involved in your community or have a couple of free hours a
month to deliver Blurb to your neighbours as a Street Rep, please contact
our Webmaster (link below).
Wheelie bins
Please could you ensure that you take
your grey and green wheelie bins in ON THE ACTUAL COLLECTION DAY after
refuse has been collected. Abandoned
bins not only cause obstructions to pedestrians and wheelchairs, but have
also been responsible for a recent incident in which three empty bins were
used by vandals to damage a parked car in George Street.
Recycling
How is the fortnightly recycling scheme
working for you? One of the main objections from most residents is that
glass and other materials are not permitted in the green bins. Basingstoke
& Deane Borough Council would like to hear your views about the current
scheme.
Cllr John Shaw reported at our January
committee meeting that glass recycling is already being run as a pilot
scheme in the Hart district. Would you like a similar scheme to be rolled
out throughout Basingstoke? Please address
your comments to our local councillors (details on our Local Information
page »).
If you are finding your recycling bin is
getting too full too quickly, why not request a larger green bin? There are a number of ways to do
this. Either call the Council's Customer
Service Centre on (01256) 845474, email them with your enquiry on
info@basingstoke.gov.uk » or fill in the web form here » specifying your
requirements for a larger recycling bin in the first field.
Unsecured outbuildings
There have recently been three separate
incidents where vandals have discovered paint in sheds and other
outbuildings in the service road between Lower Brook Street and George Street,
and then used it to decorate the streets and pavements. PLEASE ensure that
any paint left outside is kept in a secure, locked place. Thank you to the
considerate George Street
residents, who have kindly cleaned up the affected areas with their own
pressure washers on these occasions.
Victory Roundabout
Hampshire County Council and Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council are now in
agreement that traffic lights will not go ahead on Victory Roundabout. A
decision has yet to be reached on how the money will be spent.
King George
V play area
The works on the construction of the new
play area and installation of a goal post at King George V Playing Field
have been completed, although concerns have been raised over the placing of
the goal post as it would mean people using it would be firing balls at the
play area.
Fletcher Close play area
Basingstoke and Deane
Borough Council are currently looking into an improvement to the play area
at Fletcher Close and are asking for people's views. Please address your
views to our local councillors (contact details on our Local Information
page).
Kingfisher homes
Kingfisher Housing Association have
contacted Cllr Doris Jones asking her for information regarding problems or
concerns the public may have with Kingfisher properties. Please address any
concerns to Cllr Jones who will pass them onto Kingfisher (contact details
on our Local Information page).
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