Chairman’s Report April 2026

Please note some forth coming important dates and some changes of dates. In chronological order these are:-

The April Full Council meeting has been moved from 2^nd April to 9^th April. This is to avoid a clash with Easter. The venue and start time will still be Easton Village Hall at 7pm.

The Annual Parish Meeting is on 23^rd April in Easton Village Hall, starting at 7pm. It will start with a talk on the M3 Junction 9 Project, followed by the formal meeting. That gives the opportunity to ask questions on the project, on all other aspects of the Parish Council’s work over the past year and what we are planning for the future.

Due to 7^th May being a local government election day the May Full Council meeting and official Annual Meeting of the Council (sometimes incorrectly called the AGM) will take place on 14^th May in Easton Village Hall starting at 7pm.

On Monday 18^th May in Martyr Worthy Village Hall starting at 7pm we will be holding a Crime Prevention meeting. Our Police Community Support Officer will be coming to meet with residents and answer their questions.

The Mens Shed in Alresford have worked at speed and the bus shelter, formally opposite the Martyr Worthy War Memorial, has been taken apart and rebuilt. It is now in sections awaiting completion of the foundation slab. Once that is ready, the sections of the shelter will be brought back and put together on the south side of the B3047, where it is hope to be of greater use to those waiting for a bus than it was in its previous location. Having finished that project they have agreed to renovate the notice board on the wall of the Cricketers in Easton. It has been in a very poor state for far too long. There will therefore be a short length of time when it will be missing. But remember there are four other boards located in the Valley, the main one on which official notices are posted is by the bus shelter opposite the Village Hall in Itchen Abbas. We all have to be grateful and thank the volunteers at the Mens Shed for the help they have given and are giving us.

One other restoration project underway is the finger post near the Village Hall in Itchen Abbas. The former post was destroyed when a motorist drove their car into it. A new replica post is on order and, complete with the restored finial from the old post, will be put back in place at the end of April or the beginning of May.

Traffic problems, mainly but not entirely due to Junction 9 work, continue. The main cause is drivers ignoring the official diversion signs and relying on satnav which takes no account of roads being narrow and unsuitable for heavy two way traffic. We are still pursuing this with Hampshire County Council Highways. A delegation will be going to the next meeting of Hampshire County Council in May. Unfortunately Parish Councillors are not permitted to be part of delegations. However three residents have volunteered, who will be briefed. A maximum of four is allowed so if you wish to join the other three please let Cllr David Wolfe or our Clerk know.

Another issue where we have been pressing for action for a long time is the Avington sewage project. Two spring times have now gone past where we were told it would have been completed but progress has been minimal. A letter has therefore been sent to the Chairman of Southern Water, with copies to our MP and others asking for information and action to complete this long overdue project. Receipt of the letter has been acknowledged but so far nothing else.

Last but not least congratulations to Cllr Chris Jeffes who has received the Mayor of Winchester’s Community Service Award for his work keeping an enormous number of footpaths clear. Last summer he cut over 37 kilometres of path using the ride on brush cutter and that was apart from other work on our Rights of Way with the Ramblers.

Hope to see you all at the Annual Parish Meeting on 23^rd April.

Patrick Appleby (IVPC Chairman)