Here we are, the result of the photo shoot

Published today in the Daily Echo: Don't build houses on our park, plead residents at Abbotts Barton, Winchester

Today's news: Cllr Ian Tait is standing down as Portfolio Holder for Housing and New Homes with immediate effect

There was a very surprising press release from Winchester City Council this afternoon, stating that Councillor Ian Tait is standing down! We have to wait for more news to find out what exactly this means to us but a lot if not all of us will be very happy not to have to deal with Mr Tait on this again for the foreseeable future.

Please see for yourself:

WCC press release: Cabinet member stands down
Daily Echo: Head of housing at Winchester City Council stands down

Good day, lots of people!

Thank you to everybody who turned up to our press photo shoot today!

There were many and there would have been more (giving short notice and organising for a Bank Holiday Monday has its drawbacks: quite a number of people said they were going away for the long weekend when we approached them end of last week).

Press photo shoot - we need YOU!

This Monday (27 May 2013) at 3pm there will be a photo shoot with the press: Hampshire Chronicle are coming to take a photo of the community opposing the building on the main park in Abbotts Barton.

If you can make it, please come along, we need as many people as possible! We'd like lots of banners and placards too, so please try and make one (or get your kids to!) and bring it along!

Upcoming Cabinet (Housing Delivery) Committee meeting (22 May)

The next Cabinet (Housing Delivery) Committee meeting will be on Wednesday 22 March at 10am in the Walton Suite, Guildhall, Winchester. Meeting documents have been published yesterday on the Committee's meeting web page.

Amongst other business the appropriation of land in Abbotts Barton is on the agenda. (“Appropriation” is the process by which the Council formally changes the purpose for which a piece of land is held, from one purpose to another.)

Trading the Abbotts Barton parkland against land at the 'Cadet Site' is not trading like for like!

The Winchester City Councillors are proposing to use the 'Cadet Site' area as an area to compensate for the loss of play area in the parks of Abbotts Barton. (Their proposals are available for viewing on the 27 February meeting page.)

However, this trade is not welcomed by parents in Abbotts Barton.

No new insights at the Cabinet (Housing Delivery) Committee meeting

Today we had the Cabinet (Housing Delivery) Committee meeting and Abbotts Barton was talked about for about an hour with two speakers from the general public. Nothing has changed on the proposed housing development plans but the committee will have to explain a bit better why the Cadet Site apparently isn't suitable for building houses and also what exactly they want to do with the garages in Abbotts Barton. The Abbotts Barton Planning Framework was agreed as a guide. More detail about what was said will be in the meeting minutes from the Council when they are added to the meeting page.