IT has been a year packed full of news and a lot has happened across Basingstoke and Deane, the Gazette looks back at some of those iconic moments.
January
After the festivities of Christmas, while many of us were still filled with joy, the former leader of the Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council faced criticism over comments he made during an interview in reference to growing the town.
Cllr Rhatigan urged developers to get in contact to ask about sites or development opportunities and his vision for the town to become the “capital of the south” – something he first said to the Gazette in 2019.
However, his comments were met with criticism by many and it is still a statement that receives remarks of disagreement 12 months on, he later went on to resign as council leader but remains a councillor.
That was not all that shocked the town, news had broken that the Basingstoke Gateway could soon be home to a Lidl warehouse after developer Newlands revealed it would be submitting a plan.
Months of protesting followed with a planning appeal hearing being the final chance to save the countryside land from being built on.
January also saw the news that at least half of dentists in the borough were not accepting new NHS adult patients, a problem which is still being widely reported.
The month ended rather bleakly with the shocking news that police had launched a murder investigation after a man had been murdered in Popley.
Troy Harkness, 22, was found seriously injured in Abbey Road, near the junction with Popley Way, on January 19.
He was taken to Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
February
January went as quickly as it came but residents seemed to face more news of problems in the health system as we turned our calendar to February.
This time it was the turn of Basingstoke's maternity unit which had been told to make improvements after whistleblowers raised fears that midwives were too exhausted to keep patients safe because of low staffing levels. During this time the Gazzete was informed that many residents also struggled to book GP appointments. Another sign of the long-lasting effects of Covid that we still face today.
The biggest news this month came at the expense of football fans and many residents across the borough. The future of Basingstoke’s football stadium, the Camrose, hung in the balance as an appeal date was set to decide whether Rafi Razzak and his company would be given the approval to build on the grounds. In the months to follow protesters did all they could to save the ground.
In February the weather also took a turn for the worse with Storm Dudley ripping its way through the town which saw winds of 121mph batter the country. What followed was a mammoth clean-up operation to remove all the fallen trees and debris that fell victim to the storm.
March
As we went into the third month of the year the Camrose appeal hearing got underway. A planning inspector heard evidence from both sides to decide whether the historic stadium would be saved or whether former owner Mr Razzak would get the go-ahead to build a housing estate and care home.
The world was left in shock at the news of the warzone in Ukraine but one Basingstoke dad surprised us all with his honourable effort to supply aid to those who needed it most. Jez Goodwin worked tirelessly to carry supplies to the Polish border, distributing essential medicines and equipment to those both fleeing and fighting Russian advances.
Meanwhile, businesses and residents around the borough rallied together to do all they could to help fleeing refugees showing that Basingstoke and Deane can unite in times of need. This left us all feeling grateful for what we have and the part of the world we are lucky enough to live in.
The rest of the year was filled with countless stories about the thousands of donations that were made and the hundreds of lorries that were sent out full of items to Ukraine.
April
By this point, it was hard to believe we were already in April with so much already having happened across the borough.
The month started off with justice being served as Stanley Elliott, who ‘savagely’ murdered his friends in their Basingstoke home while their toddler son was asleep in a nearby room, was sentenced to life in prison.
Geoffrey, 61, and Michelle, 29, were discovered at their home in Buckland Avenue. A post-mortem found that the cause of their deaths were multiple stab injuries.
The Gazette also discovered that thousands of people were attending emergency departments (ED) across the county. The trust which runs Basingstoke hospitals, Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, issued an extraordinary plea for families to help them discharge loved ones even if they were Covid positive.
The news of Ukraine still filled the Gazette's website and papers, and residents who were sponsoring Ukrainian refugees complained that the Homes for Ukraine scheme was a “shambles” that left them and the desperate people they were helping in limbo.
This news dominated much of the year as the residents of Basingstoke and Deane continued to help rehome refugees in an honourable bid to do their bit. A part of the year no one will ever forget, a moment in history that will live with us all.
May
As the summer months approached and the warmer weather filled the air a Basingstoke farmer found himself in a spot of bother. James Bromhead was left ‘angry’ after a renewable energy group ‘mistakenly’ sprayed chemicals on his land, killing an area of natural habitat for bees and wildlife.
He wasn't the only one who was dealt with a blow, football fans were left devasted after plans to demolish the Camrose ground were approved but this was not the end for campaigners who said the fight was not yet over.
In other news, the cost-of-living crisis was hitting businesses and residents in Basingstoke hard. The rate of inflation was confirmed at a staggering nine per cent, the highest for 40 years, fuelled by rising energy prices, global supply chain problems and the war in Ukraine.
The news did not get better for Basingstoke when the town was left in shock for a second time. Police launched another murder investigation after a man in his 30s was found with significant injuries in Brighton Hill. He was later pronounced dead.
Police would later go on to charge three men with murder and three women with assisting an offender.
Frantisek Olah, 31, was found with serious injuries at his home in Musgrave Close. A post mortem recorded that he had suffered stab wounds.
June
As June came thousands of residents across Basingstoke and Deane began four days of celebrations to mark the momentous occasion of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
Streets across the borough were adorned with red, white and blue flags ahead of neighbours getting together to celebrate this ‘once in a generation event'. One we know now to be even more memorable with the Queen's passing later in the year. Beacons were also lit in recognition of the Queen’s service.
In the same month thousands of Basingstoke residents, emergency services and businesses were left without internet and phone lines for around a week after Hampshire County Council’s contractors accidentally damaged network cables while undertaking piling works at the Brighton Hill Roundabout, another moment I am sure many of us won't forget anytime soon.
An important reminder was given to women across the borough from a Basingstoke mum who did not have a smear test for six years, her story landed on the last front page of the month. She very bravely joined the call in urging women to stay up-to-date with cervical screening appointments after discovering she had cancer.
Natalie Riley failed to attend cervical screening appointments for six years, saying she never believed she would get cancer.
The mother-of-one from Oakridge found out in December last year that she had pre-cancerous cells in her cervix and the vulva.
She has since needed two operations this year to remove part of her cervix and vulva and is waiting for the results of tests to see if it has spread any further.
The next part of our review of the year - July to December - will be published on Saturday, December 31.
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