Agenda and draft minutes

The meeting was held virtually, and the Chairperson welcomed all representatives in attendance to the meeting.

Apologies for absence were received as set out above.

            RESOLVED:

                        That, Councillor Harrison be appointed Vice Chairperson of the        Forum for the 2025/26 municipal year.

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To receive any disclosure of interests from Councillors or Officers in matters to be discussed.

Note: Councillors are reminded of their obligations to declare disclosable pecuniary interests (DPIs), other registerable interests (ORIs) and non-registerable interests (NRIs) in accordance with the Council’s Code of Conduct.

There were no declarations made at this meeting.

Future virtual meeting date of the Forum are scheduled to be held on:

·         24 November 2025

·         3 March 2026

            RESOLVED:

                        That the future meeting dates of the Forum for 2025/26, be    noted as set out on the agenda.

(i)            A3 highway adoption update

            It was noted that this remained an adopted highway and Hampshire            County Council had given use of the road through the town centre, and          therefore it did not need to be adopted. In respect of the ongoing           maintenance of the road, it was assumed that if control had been       handed over, maintenance would have also been transferred but     clarification of this would be obtained.

(ii)          D1/D2 bus service

            The Chairperson agreed to ensure that previous questions on bus   services were answered before the next meeting.

            RESOLVED:

                        That the minutes of the previous meeting, held on 4 March    2025, be approved and adopted.

To receive and note questions asked and statements made from members of the public on general matters of interest and/or matters relating to the work of the Forum. This period is for a maximum of 10 minutes.

NB members of the public are required to register with Democratic Services three clear working days before the meeting (see below for further details).

No members of the public were present to make representations.

The Forum referred to the update report that was circulated with the agenda pack for information and comment. Chris Williams and David McCarthy (Grainger) addressed the forum, providing recent updates regarding infrastructure, community development, land sale and planning and the local centre since the report had been generated, as summarised below and answered members’ questions thereon.

Infrastructure

(i)            Phase 5 infrastructure - It was noted that the road connecting the two elements of Newlands Avenue had been finalised and was blocked off to prevent vehicular access, as set out in the Section 106 agreement. Phase 4 infrastructure and the southern access junction were identified as precursors to Phase 5 infrastructure being fully opened.

(ii)          Phase 4 infrastructure was expected to commence on site later in the year and would be implemented as a whole road to allow the construction of the southern access junction.

The southern access junction was expected to begin on site in the   early part of the next year. Upon completion, the focus would be on   finishing Phase 4 infrastructure to the correct standard.

(iii)         The safe routes to school scheme, part of Grainger's Section 106 obligations, was being installed and expected to be completed by the end of August.

(iv)         Works were also being carried out on the Western Link Road, finishing off the element outside of the new school.

(v)          Finishing works for New Gardens and Oak Vale roads were commencing to bring them up to an adoptable standard. Agreements with Hampshire County Council and utility providers were being sought for their adoption during the latter part of next year.

(vi)         General adoptions for legal agreements were proceeding at pace, with a standardised agreement now in place for most schemes. Progress was stalled by a third party with complications which had prevented progression into the wider development from the north. The issue had caused approximately six months of delays, but negotiations were hoped to be resolved soon. The southern half of the development was proceeding concurrently where possible.

Community Development and Engagement

(i)            There had been a significant amount of community engagement. However, a slowdown in participation and uptake in areas outside the community was observed. Methodologies were being developed to address this, aiming to deliver a comprehensive scheme of social value elements to the wider area.

(ii)          A social value wish list had been compiled, encouraging future developers and contractors to support the local community with requested social value elements. Some requests were too expensive, but others were easily resolved.

Land Sale and Planning Elements

(i)            Northern allotments were currently under construction on site and southern allotments, which included a car parking facility and a play area, were also under construction on site.

(ii)          Town Park Phase B was in planning, and comments from the local authority and highways were being addressed.

(iii)         The Community Nature Reserve was undergoing internal review for contractor tender packs, with works likely to commence later in the year.

(iv)         The cricket pavilion would require minor tweaks to the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

The Chairperson welcomed Emalene Hickman (Winchester City Council) to the meeting who gave a presentation which provided an update on the arts programme, noting the following key points as summarised below:

(i)            The arts programme was named "Plot Lines", playing on the idea of plots of land and plots in stories, with the aim of collecting stories.  A visual identity was being recognised.

(ii)          A full team of artists, designers, writers, managers, and evaluators had been established.

(iii)         The programme was launched with a workshop in April, engaging people in conversations about what reminded them of home, which was helpful in building a sense of community.

(iv)         In May, events included participation in the VE Day Fete, where magnetic words were used for poetry and drawing boards were provided for younger children. In addition, a workshop on memories was held at a care home, focusing on residents' memories, including rationing. This was turned into a poem, which Southern Music Project then worked with a group of young people to turn into a song. The song was performed back to the residents. This event was oversubscribed, demonstrating the demand for engagement with young people.

Furthermore, the team also attended the Careers Pathway event organised by Grainger, engaging with young people.

(v)          New writing was regularly being posted on Instagram, based on interactions and observations of the estate.  Writing workshops with residents were taking place, with a publication planned soon.

(vi)         Opportunities to join in online were available via the programme's website, where people could answer questions about home and belonging by drawing, writing, or uploading images.

(vii)        A community call-out for new panels (one for adults, one for young people aged 14 and over) was live, aiming to help imagine and shape future creative projects. Sessions were expected to start in July, mixing in-person and online formats, teaching people about public art to inform their decisions for future art in the area.  Information and postcards were included in the Berewood newsletter for June, in partnership with Grainger.

(viii)       A recent event, "Plot Lines in the Landscape," was held on 15^th June in partnership with Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust and Dragonfly Arts, involving a walk of the nature reserve, pond dipping, map making and creative writing.

(ix)         Future plans and events included:

·         The first sessions for the community map panel were scheduled for July.

·         A season of workshops with older residents was also planned for July and August, in partnership with Wellington Vale care home and dates were currently being finalised.

·         An artist talk during heritage open days in September, linking a poetry event to the Winchester Poetry Festival in October, and offering online sessions over the winter months.

·         Regular meetings were being held with Havant’s Regeneration Team to explore crossovers with the town centre art project.

At the conclusion of the presentation, the Forum raised a number of matters which were responded to by the relevant officer’s present on the following points:

(a)        The attendance of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

Councillor Crichton provided an update to the report submitted by Newlands Parish Council and reference was made to the following specific points that remained outstanding:

(a)        Land Transfers and Open Space:

            It was noted that the Section 104 agreement, which was approximately      ten years old, was still ongoing, delaying the finishing and adoption of      roads and the transfer of areas bordering the highway to Hampshire        Highways.

            Councillor Crichton expressed concern about a large area of open   space that had not yet been transferred to Winchester City Council.     This was due to Taylor Wimpey having planted trees over sewage   easements, and replanting had not yet occurred. It was noted           that the parish clerk had contacted Taylor Wimpey without response.             Councillor Crichton suggested that Winchester City Council follow up    the matter, as the land needed to be transferred to Winchester before it            could go to the parish council.

            A specific maintenance issue was raised concerning the bed of the old       park farm stream, which was overgrown and in serious need of                 restoration. It was highlighted that the area was still officially                              designated as a ‘major flood area’.

            The adoption of parts of open space within the Havant area of                      Wellington Park had still not taken place, despite an agreement seven years prior that Havant was obliged to take it on under the                         Section 106 agreement.

            In response to the points raised, the Service Lead: Sustainability and          Natural Environment at Winchester City Council and relevant             officers provided an update as summarised below:

            Officers also expressed frustration regarding Taylor Wimpey's delay in        transferring areas directly to Newlands Parish Council, questioning the    reasoning for holding onto these areas as Winchester had not             been provided with an answer on this matter.

            It was noted that an offer had been made by Winchester to the parish         council to consider taking on the open space prior to the Section 104    agreement, and the parish council had agreed, subject to conditions to    absolve them from any problems arising from the finalisation of the                  Section 104 agreement and to ensure several things were tidied                   up. The parish was ready to proceed with the land transfer available to          date.

            Uncertainty was expressed about a legal process that would allow               Taylor Wimpey to directly transfer land to the parish, as the parish                        was not a party to the Section 106 agreement and Taylor Wimpey had         not agreed to a deed of variation. Therefore, land had to be                                transferred to Winchester first, then to the parish, which was regarded        as a third party. The need to simplify and expedite this process was         emphasised so that the parish could gain ownership for planned             projects.

            It was stated that the Winchester City Council's legal officer was       awaiting clarification from the parish council regarding the exact     conditions they required for taking on the land.

            In respect of open spaces in the Havant area of Wellington Park,                 Councillor Harrison advised that open spaces were now in her portfolio and that she would work to overcome outstanding  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10.

(a)        Future of the forum

            Following discussions regarding proposals to change the format of the        forum going forward, the Chairperson agreed to follow this up given           that the Strategic Director for Winchester City Council who had taken part in discussions had since left the authority.

            Following discussion regarding Local Government Reorganisation               (LGR), it was noted that Winchester's constitution required a six-month       notice to abandon the forum. The Chairperson stated that the forum's         future form might depend on the status of LGR. It was suggested that          discussions should take place once a response from the government          had been received regarding the LGR status following the submissions in late September 2025.

            The importance of the forum acting as a sounding board was                        reiterated. Two key areas that needed resolution before LGR were                  identified: the open space in Wellington Park and the village centre,    which needed to be fit for purpose

                        RESOLVED:

                                    That the update be received and noted.