News
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Boldre Parish Council have been successful in being awarded trees from the Hampshire Forest Partnership. In total 15 fruit trees and 3 large disease resistant Elms have been provided and planting has begun.
The fruit trees have been planted along the fence line to the play area. The Elm’s are going to be planted to the side of the pavilion close to the Jubilee Oak tree.
Further 18 Elm trees will be delivered in January for planting on the recreation ground.
Each tree needs watering for three years, and some trees may take up to 20 litres of water per week!
If you are able to help the council with planting, or be a watering volunteer please let the Clerk know.
Victoria Thomas
Parish Clerk
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Bridge Report December 2024
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Boldre Parish Council take this opportunity to wish you a very Happy New year and wishes for a prosperous 2025.
Our first meeting of the year will be on Monday 13th January at 18.30. We welcome public attendance to our meetings.
2024 – That’s a wrap
BPC concluded 2024 with an open evening which allowed our amenities team to share a presentation on the proposed new play area. The evening was well attended and refreshments were served.
On the 9th December BPC welcomed representatives from Action Hampshire and NFDC housing department to talk about Rural Affordable Housing schemes and how this might look for the parish. Further work will be undertaken in 2025 on this scheme.
Parish Highways
Reporting Highways Issues –
Please continue to report highways issues – potholes, flooding, damaged signs, hedge encroachment to Hampshire County Council
HCC have a Mobile App that may be useful – OurHants App is available for Android and Iphone
The season for pothole growth is well under-way. Highways Group have been reporting examples across the area. It is disappointing that some of the longstanding ones have not been addressed – a fix becomes more difficult in wet conditions.
Drainage - issues on Warborne Lane and Pilley Hill have been reported to Highways. HCC Officers have agreed to monitor the situation on Pilley Hill (They made a site visit in November after some very dry weather!) Further evidence has been forwarded to HCC.
Heavy Goods Vehicles – continue to be a problem in Portmore (Hundred and School Lanes), resulting in further damage to trees. The ‘Unsuitable for HGVs’ signage on Hundred Lane remains incomplete.
William Gilpin Traffic Management Proposals – The Highways Group have been trying to provide some advice to the group looking to organise the project with an application for CIL money, from NFDC. Unfortunately the ‘full cost recovery model’ that HCC introduced in January 2024 for community traffic schemes is rather unwieldy.
Bridlepath B6 – The Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust have become the proud owners of the B6 Bridleway! (This public right of way runs alongside the Lymington River between the Shallows and Undershore Road and has often been impassable.) We will be meeting with them shortly to explore ways of addressing the issue.
Recreation Ground
The council would like to remind that both the recreation ground and the play areas are dog free zones. This is to protect our children’s and users of the sports ground health’s.
The council has been working closely with Hampshire Forest Partnership and during the months of December and January will be in receipt of a number of new trees, both fruit and elm trees. We look forward to watching them grow, providing wildlife habitat and shade in the summer months.
Is there anything you would like to see at the recreation ground? Do you have any further fundraising ideas? Please get in touch.
Youth Service Provision
Boldre Parish Council have been approached by another local parish council to register interest in forming a youth service in the Parish. We are excited about the prospect of a youth service as it has been a number of years since a provision was available. The council will be working closely alongside an external body to make this project come to life. If you would be interested in helping grow this project, please do get in touch.
Pavilion and Football pitches
Do you have a group that could use the pavilion for an outside exercise class or use it as a base for some outdoor training? Contact the Clerk with your proposals.
The Pavilion is a great location for an event or a class. There are toilets, showers and a basic kitchen area. Do you have an idea for its use? Are you part of a regular group that could do with an occasional or regular venue?
As the future of football is still uncertain on the recreation ground, thoughts are being given to how the recreation ground as a whole could have alternative recreation uses.
Parish Councillor Vacancy
Boldre Parish Council has a vacancy for a Parish Councillor. It is a really exciting time at the council, there are some interesting projects for 2025. Please do get in touch if you are interested, or if you would like to be a parish council volunteer and help out informally.
Speedwatch
The Speedwatch team are looking for new volunteers. Do you have any time to give to this worthy cause? Please get in touch.
Helping hands
As we go into the Winter season where the days are shorter, the weather is less fortunate and the likelihood of increased illness, we think of vulnerable residents in the Parish.
Do you know of a service that might help with transportation for medical appointments, to local community groups or a service to check in on your neighbour? Can you offer some time to help local vulnerable residents. Please get in touch.
Boldre Parish Clerk – Victoria Thomas
The next full meeting will be Monday 13th January at 18.30
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Rural Affordable Housing
Boldre Parish Council
Monday 9th December
18.00 – 18.30
Boldre War Memorial Hall
Action Hampshire join the council for a presentation on Rural Affordable Housing.
Action Hampshire will give an introduction to Rural Affordable Housing and local connections criteria and there will be an opportunity to ask our experts any questions you may have about the process of delivering affordable housing.
What do we mean by Rural Affordable Housing?
Rural affordable housing is provided in rural parishes for local people, who would otherwise be unable to find an affordable place to live locally, through the general housing market.
Find out more about Rural Affordable Housing via this link.
What does Housing Enabling involve?
- Supporting and advising communities from initial interest in providing affordable housing, through scheme inception and pre-development phases to completion
- Helping communities to identify local housing need in their area
- Supporting rural communities to choose a delivery option that best suits their capacity
- Assisting communities to identify a deliverable site for development of affordable housing
- Acting as an honest broker between the different parties, providing informed and impartial advice
- Creating a supportive policy and political environment for rural affordable housing by providing training and advice to key stakeholders
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Come along and see us on the 2nd December at 18.30
Join us for refreshments and a chat about what you would like to see in the parish.
We will have on show the plans for the upgraded play area and our plans for 2025.
We look forward to seeing you there.
Monday 2nd December 18.30 - Boldre War Memorial Hall
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Meeting Report November 2024
Christmas Open Evening
Boldre Parish Council will be holding an open evening with refreshments on Monday 2nd December at 18.30. Come along and here first hand about our plans and projects for 2025.
Recreation Ground
A preferred supplier has been selected to install new pieces of play and sports equipment in the older children’s play area. The plan will be communicated out shortly and we envision that the equipment will be installed before spring.
The council would like to remind that both the recreation ground and the play areas are dog free zones. This is to protect our children’s and users of the sports ground health’s.
Is there anything you would like to see at the recreation ground? Do you have any further fundraising ideas? Please get in touch.
Pavilion and Football pitches
Do you have a group that could use the pavilion for an outside exercise class or use it as a base for some outdoor training? Contact the Clerk with your proposals.
The Pavilion is a great location for an event or a class. There are toilets, showers and a basic kitchen area. Do you have an idea for its use? Are you part of a regular group that could do with an occasional or regular venue?
As the future of football is still uncertain on the recreation ground, thoughts are being given to how the recreation ground as a whole could have alternative recreation uses.
Parish Highways
Highways Group Report – November 2024
Hedge Encroachment is a particular problem at this time of year. Please report any instance where hedge growth is interfering with the passage of pedestrians, riders or vehicles to Hampshire County Council, the Highways Authority, on HCC’s website or App. If you wish BPC to be involved, please let a member of the Highways Group know the location and landowner responsible. BPC will seek to visit the landowner, and / or issue a standard letter to them setting out the landowner’s responsibility to remedy the problem.
Potholes are re-emerging as a problem. Please report any potholes to Hampshire County Council as soon as possible. Please refer any local residents raising issues about potholes to the HCC Report a Pothole page on the HCC website. (The exact location of the pothole is required and photos are helpful).
William Gilpin School – Three Governors from the School met with the Highways Group and the Parish Clerk about improving road safety in the immediate vicinity of the school. The school has been advised to seek financial support for changes from the NFDC. BPC advised they apply for improvement monies from the Community Infrastructure Levy. The Governors agreed to identify what measures they are seeking to implement, and to obtain cost estimates. HCC, the Highway Authority, will have to agree the measures. The Highways Group expressed support, in principle, for safety measures. The Governors recognised that BPC has supported outline proposals from the school, on a couple of occasions in recent years.
Road Drainage - Portmore Drainage - 5 residents met on 04/11/2024 with the action taken to remind HCC of an outstanding matter from several years ago in which they agreed to replace a pipe on Main Road, Portmore, B3054 with a larger circumference. The letter has been sent and receipt acknowledged by HCC Highways. Their full response is awaited. The Highways group has also sought to engage with HCC over another drainage issue on Pilley Hill – again response is awaited.
Footpath 502 - it is not clear whether the section, through Pylwell Park, of the Solent Way in South Baddesley is closed. Closure signs are displayed, but no barriers on the broken footbridge are in place. Clarification has been sought from Countryside Services.
Please continue to report Road issues to the Highways Authority – Hampshire County Council – search:
Hampshire County Council Report a Problem and select Road Problem
Hampshire also have an App for ‘Phones – OurHants
Affordable Rural Housing
Two representatives from Action Hampshire and NFDC will be attending the next BPC meeting at 18.00 to talk about rural affordable housing and exploring the opportunities to start a project in the parish.
Speedwatch
The Speedwatch team are looking for new volunteers. Do you have any time to give to this worthy cause? Please get in touch.
Helping hands
As we begin to go into the Autumn/Winter season where the days are shorter, the weather is less fortunate and the likelihood of increased illness, we think of vulnerable residents in the Parish.
Do you know of a service that might help with transportation for medical appointments, to local community groups or a service to check in on your neighbour? Can you offer some time to help local vulnerable residents. Please get in touch.
Boldre Parish Clerk – Victoria Thomas
The next full meeting will be Monday 9th December at 18.30 with a talk on rural affordable housing starting at 18.00.
