The Herbert Collins Estates Residents Association Newsletters

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This year’s Open Gardens Day on 6th June was a great success and certainly gave the lie to any suggestion that Ethelburt Avenue residents were not interested in participating. A majority of the open gardens were at the top end of Ethelburt Avenue. What gems are hidden there! A cheque for £40 has been sent to Tools for Self Reliance.

The Ethelburt Avenue street nameplates have recently sprouted longer legs. Readers of this newsletter may recall that in October last year, Council workmen cut through the posts with the intention of replacing our nameplates with their own. After several rounds of correspondence to get the nameplates reinstated on posts of the original length, we feared this was a lost cause. But our persistence has finally been successful.

Do you love to read and often wish you could share your enjoyment? Are you free on the last Thursday of the month? If so, you might like to join the small group who make their way to the home of Dr. Peter Martin at 7.30 pm for a chat, drink and discussion. We take turns to choose books, most of them supplied by Portswood Library. We break for the summer in August but return on September 30th. Contact telephone number 8032 2332.

Today I had a meeting in Southampton and also some business in Ethelburt Avenue, so drove around the Estate. I wanted to compliment the Residents Association on its appearance - I know many people work to maintain the road and verges and I was impressed by the absence of potholes, the grass verge growing up and the new planting of trees. The gardens also gave a real feeling that the Estate was cared for! Perhaps the value of the houses will go rocketing up with such well kept surroundings.
Please thank everyone.

The annual general meeting of the Association will be held on Tuesday 21st September in St. George’s School at 7.30pm. We hope to have a speaker from Planning Aid to talk about engaging communities in planning.

About a hundred people attended our party on 26th June. Sue and Mark Mellett skilfully organised all the favourite children’s races including three-legged, egg-and-spoon and sack race. Everyone joined in the tug-of-war battle of the sexes. Clearly husbands are not eating enough spinach. Ken Hickling, Ian Jarvis and Michelle Kerley worked tirelessly to keep us supplied with burgers and sausages. Izzie Hammett’s face painting produced an assortment of mice, kittens and clowns. Our thanks go to all the committee members who did the chores to make the party a great success.

Recently a planning application for a carport was refused because “The proposed carport, due to the design and materials used, would be an incongruous feature which would be detrimental to the character and appearance of the Ethelburt Avenue Conservation Area”. When walking along the road, we see not only the front of the properties but also the sides. Do we want this view spoilt by the addition of a car-port or, as Prince Charles would say, a car-buncle on the side elevation? A carport is a skeletal structure which only presents the edge of the roof and its supporting posts to the passerby. Whether such an addition could be acceptable will depend on its design and the style of the house. Herbert Collins designed his houses not separately but as one of a group and when making alterations it is essential to consider how this will fit in with the neighbouring houses.

A related problem is the disappearance of front gardens. However beautiful your back garden may be, it is the front garden that should be a delight to the community. This problem has been recognised in the Design Guidance for the Conservation Area: “In recent years, demand for off-street parking has increased pressures for additional garages, hardstandings and driveways. Care should be taken to ensure that provision for parking does not erode the semi-rural appearance of the Estate as a result of the introduction of additional hard surfaces and associated loss of planting.” Don’t turn your front garden into a petrol-station forecourt. A mix of gravelled areas, paving, lawn and plants can provide increased parking space without making the hard surface overly dominant. Perhaps a good way to get ideas is to look at some garden design books, such as “Designing your Ideal Garden” by David Stevens.

Note that an impervious hard surface may require planning permission.

Swaythling Lawn Tennis Club is a small and friendly LTA-affiliated club tucked away behind the houses in Ethelburt Avenue. We welcome players of all different abilities and ages, from beginners to the more experienced. The club is always looking for new members wanting to experience playing tennis on our well-kept grass courts and who are willing to be actively involved in maintaining this rather unique amenity right on the doorstop. The new season starts at the beginning of May and this year we are offering an attractive introductory offer for entirely new members. Details of this can be found on our website www.swaythlingtennis.org.uk. Alternatively, please ring the Membership Secretary on 80671016.

Plant, Cake and Book Sale/Annual Tennis Club Open Day
SLTC will be holding a sale of plants, homemade cakes and books on Saturday 8 May at the Club, starting at 1.30 p.m. This will also be the Club’s Open Day (starting at 2.30 p.m.) giving non-members the opportunity to come along and have a game for free. All are welcome.