Chairman’s Report July 2025

Although not as much as in the past, and not as much as we would like, there are some funds available from Boomtown for distribution to charitable causes. An application form can be found on the Parish Council website. Please note that the closing date for applications is September 30^th and the decision on how the funds are distributed will be made at our Full Council Meeting in October.

Following the report in last month’s Valley News that BT had given warning of their intention to remove the Public Telephone boxes from Easton and Couch Green it is pleasing to report that, thanks to the efforts of David Swinstead, both boxes will be retained in full working order. To see that they continue to be retained it is proposed for volunteers to make a small number of calls each year to demonstrate that they are being used. Please volunteer for this small task by letting David Swinstead know via his Councillor email address.

At the June meeting of the Parish Council there was a discussion regarding the use of the Parish Notice Boards which have become cluttered with too many notices. Their two main purposes are, for Parish Council statutory notices and to inform residents of local events that may be of interest. It has therefore been decided that they cannot be used for business advertising and notices of this nature will be removed. There have also been a growing number of posters going up in the bus shelters. Although there may be a need in exceptional circumstances (eg as in Covid) for this to happen, as a normal rule it is to be avoided and unauthorised notices in the bus shelters will be removed.

Remaining on the subject of bus shelters, following the question regarding the shelter opposite the war memorial in last month’s Valley News no onehas requested for it to be kept. It has therefore been decided not to keep it but it is understood that there is a need for a shelter at the bus stop opposite and also possibly one on the south side of Main Road at Chilland. Further investigation is underway.

The walnut tree near the Plough has died. This tree was a replacement for the original tree that blew over in a gale and had been planted to commemorate the Queen’s Silver Jubilee. The aim is to excavate the area properly and replace the soil which was the probable cause of the tree dying. A new tree will then be planted in the autumn.

It is the time of year when there is a lot of growth. Chris Jeffes is to be congratulated and thanked for keeping open over 10 kilometres of footpaths with the ride on brush cutter. Owners of land adjacent to Rights of Way and to highways are reminded that they are responsible for cutting back any growth that causes an obstruction. With the dry spring weather over, the path across the Valley from Chilland Lane to Avington Park Lane (Footpath 48) is again wet and muddy. The Parish Council is trying to address this problem but as there are SSSIs involved it is not a simple task. Please do not put pallets or loose boards on this path as they are potential trip or slipping hazards.

Christopher Langford and your Chairman attended another meeting on Devolution and Local Government Reorganisation. As to what will happen at parish level there is still very little know. There are likely to be four Unitary Authorities on the mainland with The Isle of Wight as a fifth separate authority. Exactly which districts will be in which authority has not yet been decided but in our own case it is fairly clear that we will be in an authority covering most of central rural Hampshire.

David Wolfe, Christopher Langford, Jackie Porter and your Chairman attended a meeting on the M3 Junction 9 Improvement Project with National Highways and their Contractors to make clear our concerns regarding the diversions that are necessarily being put in place. We have asked on the diversion routes south of Easton for; better signage, speed restrictions, a one way system on some of the narrowest roads and a designated cycle path on the B3404. We got a sympathetic hearing and an agreement to have a fortnightly meeting by Teams. Unfortunately the measures requested would need the agreement of Hampshire County Council Highways. Jackie Porter has taken this up on our behalf and further discussions will be needed. By going to the home page on our website, and a short scroll down, the latest news on the  project can be found.

David Wolfe also headed a Teams meeting to see what can be done to improve the 67 Bus service. Other parishes were invited but attendance was disappointing. Since then a number of parishes have expressed an interest in joining with us to further this cause.

It has been said more than once that “Itchen Valley is a very active parish”. From reading all the above I hope you agree.

Patrick Appleby

Chairman