On 10th November, there is a chance to meet neighbours, chat with a knowledgeable Collins house resident about ways to make your house warmer and/or save energy by insulation and draught-proofing, take home some free draught-busting materials (courtesy of Southampton Environment Centre), and share tea and cakes/biscuits.
All HCERA residents welcome. I’m hosting it at 8 Summerfield Gardens from 1-5pm. Feel free to just drop in, or let me know in advance that you’re coming by phoning 80556817 or emailing be(at)transitionsouthampton(dot)org.

Please note that the registered office of Woodhill Properties Ltd. has changed to

Units 3 and 4,
Shelley Farm,
Ower,
ROMSEY,
Hants SO51 6AS

Tel : 023 8081 7250

This new address was put on our website in December 2011, but some people are still using the old one.

The dates for the next 3 working parties are as follows:

Upper Team 17th November 2012
Middle Team 16th February 2013
Lower Team 11th May 2013

If would like to help out on the working parties, please contact John Dixon at No 34, Tel: 8055 0064.

Make your way to the M27 underpass in Stoneham Lane. Instead of walking all the way along Stoneham Lane, this may be reached by walking in the field on the west side of the lane or via the footpath that goes around St George’s School. Take the road to your left immediately after the underpass that goes to the Trojans Sports Ground. When you reach the ground, cross to the trees on the opposite side. On entering these trees, you will see Park Pond. A path runs around the pond; take this in a westerly direction. Continue until near the end of the pond where you will encounter a gate with a notice “Private Fishing, Access for Members Only”. Leave the path, make a right-angle turn and go up the slope through the woods. You will emerge near Hole 2 of the Stoneham Golf Course. Walk round behind the green of Hole 2. Ahead, you will see a mown area and beyond that, a new stone wall. The edge of the mown area is marked by a row of small white posts. Walk beside these posts. Continuing on, you will come to a path. Follow this to the left behind a huge oak tree; ahead you can see the roof of the club house in the distance. Continue along this track which runs beside the hedge and driveway of Stoneham Park House. Further on, you will see the new iron gates of the entrance to the house. Shortly after this, you can leave the track and go right on to a footpath which leads to the clubhouse. Exit across the car park and take the road which goes over the M27 and then out into Bassett Green Road.

The AGM has been postponed from the provisional date given in the Summer Newsletter. This is because our speaker, Harry Willis Fleming could not come on that date. We hope to arrange a new date with this speaker. Notice of the meeting will be delivered at least two weeks in advance.

The Book Reading Group hosted by Peter Martin ceased to operate last Summer after nearly five years.

We wonder whether there are other interest groups, a sewing circle perhaps, that would benefit from advertising themselves in this newsletter.

If you would like some daffodil or crocus bulbs to plant in the public areas of the estate, please contact your street rep or send an email.

There was a public meeting of the Southampton Federation of Residents’ Associations on 10th October. The topic of the evening was the licensing of houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) and the speaker was Councillor Warwick Payne, Cabinet Member for Housing and Leisure.
Fortunately, HMOs are not something we suffer from in this Conservation Area. We have not seen houses bought up by landlords who may own dozens of houses, and who fill these houses with students who have late night parties and turn their front gardens into rubbish tips. HMOs may become the majority in the street and the owner occupier families find themselves surrounded.

Councillor Payne said that although the universities were providing more accommodation for students, (I notice that building work has started on the City Gateway Building, Parkville Road) the number of HMOs would still increase because government benefit changes meant that more people would only be able to afford a room in a house of multiple occupation.

As explained in last winter’s newsletter, an Article 4 Direction supported by a Supplementary Planning Document requires planning permission to turn a house into an HMO. But this is not retrospective and provides no control once a house has become an HMO. Currently an HMO with five or more unrelated people and at least 3 storeys requires a licence from the City Council. The Council proposes to extend licencing to all HMOs. They plan to employ a specialist team of 15 officers. The licencing would be self-financing as the proposed licence fee would be £500 for a five year period.

Currently, the proposal to licence all HMOs is out for consultation until 26th November. Further details and a consultation questionnaire can be found at www.southampton.gov.uk/hmo.

There is a planning application for an illuminated advertising sign in a new bus shelter in Bassett Green Road near Leaside Way (the shelter itself does not require planning permission). A resident living nearby mounted a campaign of opposition. Although the application was made last June, it is still pending consideration, which suggests the objections must have had some effect. To follow this online, see Application 12/01077/ADV.

Go to :-

http://planningpublicaccess.southampton.gov.uk/online-applications/ There is now a much improved Public Access service for Planning.