Chairman’s Report May 2025

Some good news; at long last the Itchen Abbas Notice Board is back up on its post. Repairing it took considerably longer than was first anticipated. Apart from the fact that it had fallen off its post, the top cap and the board at the back were both rotten. Both had to be replaced. The pin board was wet, swollen and warped, so also had to be replaced; this time with cork. In other words nearly a complete rebuild. Please remember this is the official board for Parish Council notices. The left hand side is solely for that purpose; hence it has a combination lock. Please do not try to reach through to put items on that side of the board. They will be removed. The notice board in Church Lane Martyr Worthy has had new hinges fitted as well. Please put only one item on any board and please remove old out of date notices. Please when putting notices on the boards only use drawing pins. Do not use staples or blue tack and finally please make sure that the doors have been closed properly.

Now some less good news; as can be seen major work has started on the M3/A34 Junction9 project. Two Parish Councillors attended the drop in consultation at the Tesco carpark. Although the contractors were friendly and tried to give what information they could it was not encouraging. A major issue for Valley residents is what are the plans for when traffic has to be diverted, how far in advance will we be informed, how clear will the signage be and in the case of emergencies are there contingency plans. The contractors view was that in the event something going wrong it was not under their control and primarily the responsibility of Hampshire County Council; one would hope National Highways would also be having an input. This implies that a reactive approach rather than a proactive one is being taken. From our experience of traffic problems with Boom Town events, it is clear that a proactive approach is necessary, with contingency planning involving all parties including the emergency services. There is already a serious problem for cyclists coming to and from Winchester. The diversion that has been put in place doubles the length of the journey which can now be six miles for some. Although we think of cycling as being a recreational pastime, there are those for whom it is their means of getting to and from work and for them this diversion causes major difficulties. The diverted route is along stretches of lanes too narrow for a car to safely pass a cyclist and a 60mph speed limit. The Parish Council have requested meetings with National Highways and Hampshire Council and have also sent a letter to both on these issues.

There is still a vacancy for someone to join the Parish Council. Ideally to give fair coverage across the Valley it should be someone from Easton but it does not have to be. Any resident who is interested in making a difference to where we live can apply.  For those who may not want to be involved with the formalities of being a Parish Councillor there is an alternative. Join our Environmental working Group. We meet in one of our pubs or in one of our homes, discussions are informal and the work can range from the practical like tree and hedge planting to the managerial, organising events to encourage everyone to take action on climate change. It also gives the opportunity to hear about the wider world with the chance to attend some interesting talks and discussion meetings. With at present only five members we need more to join the group. Although Climate Change is a very serious subject we are a sociable group and the meetings are fun.

This time of year has two important meetings. The first the Annual Parish Meeting at the end of April which is for the public to hear what we have done in the past year and what we plan for the future. The second at the very beginning of May is our official Annual General Meeting when we have to pass various statutory documents and decide what role Parish Councillors will have for the ensuing year. As both are too late for this edition of the Valley News they will be reported in the June edition.

Patrick Appleby,

IVPC  Chairman.