The Herbert Collins Estates Residents Association Newsletters

Open Gardens Day will be on Sunday 15th May. This is three weeks earlier than last year when some flowering shrubs should be at their best. Don’t delay in offering to open your garden. Send an email or contact your street rep.

The City Council is undertaking an appraisal of this Conservation Area. It will result in a new document “Character Appraisal and Management Plan” which will replace the present “Design Guidance” and be used when determining planning applications. The Article 4 Direction will be revised. It is hoped that a draft version of the new Article 4 Direction will be available for a public meeting following the Association’s AGM.

At the meeting of the North Southampton Community Forum on 24th February there was a presentation to Dawn Jones who recently retired from the City Council. Dawn was part of the community involvement team. We all held her in great affection and esteem when she was the North Neighbourhood Coordinator.

There is a vacancy in the Herbert Collins Estate Book Club. We meet on the last Thursday of the month at 19.30 (except August and December). No money is involved because we use the Public Library facility of free sets of books. Members of the group choose the books in advance. It is simple and free and often fun (depending on the book!). If you are interested in more details ring Peter Martin 8032 2332.

What has now become a major event in the calendar will be on Saturday 25th June. We would like to hear from anyone prepared to lend us a gas barbecue or offer to cook.
Are you happy with the current format of the party or would you like something different? Tell us your ideas.

Plumber and heating engineer, Matthew Celeghin, phone number 07812382330. He has been in the trade for over 20 years.

A new planning application is expected soon for development of the site which is currently the car park, housing office and youth club at Parkville Road. The proposals were shown in an exhibition at the Jury’s Inn on December 8th. The big change from the plans approved in 2009 is the replacement of the residential units by rooms to accommodate around 350 Southampton University students. For details of the proposals see www.consultation-online.co.uk/CityGateway.

There has been a dramatic reduction in the number of parking spaces, just 25 for staff, patients and shoppers. Students are expected not to have cars!

During 18-19 September and 2-3 October, fourteen homes in Southampton opened to the public to show practical examples of green living. These included everything from organic vegetable gardening, eco-friendly building materials, water saving measures and home insulation to solar panels for electricity and/or water heating. Four of the homes were in the Bassett/Bassett Green area including Summerfield Gardens, and one was a Collins house in Orchards Way, Highfield. In the Highfield property, the owners are working to make their home as “green” and energy-efficient as possible within the constraints of living in a conservation area, including extensive insulation and the installation of solar panels for electricity generation on their (rear-facing) roof.

The sustainable homes open weekends event was organised by Transition Southampton, a local organisation working to demonstrate practical solutions to the problems of climate change and our dependency on fossil fuels (see www.transitionsouthampton.org). It was a great success with some homes receiving 30 visitors in a single afternoon. A repeat is planned for this year and additional homes willing to open are being sought. If anyone in the HCERA area would be interested in discussing opening your home (or part of your home/garden – you don’t have to be totally green!), or would like to receive details of this year’s event when it is organised, please contact Angela Cotton, 8055 6817.

The marriage of Prince William and Kate on Friday 29th April is taking place at 11am. No doubt most people will be glued to there televisions for this event but afterwards should we have some local celebration? Let us have your suggestions, and more importantly say whether you are willing to help.