Gazette Review of the Year: September to December 2023

The Gazette has covered a variety of news, events and announcements in 2023, and here we look back at the last four months of the year - September to December.

September

September started with back to school, amidst news that Cranbourne School contained reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC).

The material was found in one section of the building; however, the school was able to open as normal at the beginning of the autumn term.

Parents reacted to the news, with one mother saying it was a relief to see her child go back to school but that it was a shock to see the news unfold.

The Westside Community Centre was also found to contain dangerous concrete and was forced to close due to safety concerns.

Communities across Basingstoke rallied together to support the services run by the centre after the closure, which included a food pantry, and support for older people. 

Popular coffee shop Willows, in Church Street, was put up for sale by owner Mary Stevens after three years as she announced her retirement.

Mary opened the cafe on August 8, 2020, during lockdowns due to Covid as she wanted to ‘put something back into Basingstoke’ and provide a community space for residents amid the pandemic.

She said: "I'm so proud of what I and the team have achieved in Basingstoke, and I want that to continue with new owners."

Concerns were raised over the possible sale of three of the borough’s GP surgeries following news that US medical insurance company Centene launched a process to sell its subsidiary company Operose.

Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council leader Paul Harvey and co-leader Gavin James demanded that the Integrated Care Board investigate why Operose were allowed to take on the contracts and buy assets.

Cllr Harvey said: “The surgeries have been operating for some time without named GPs for patients and there are concerns that the sale risks even fewer GPs and a further reduction in service.

“The Integrated Care Board and Operose need to reassure residents that such a serious scandal will not happen.”

October

October began with the announcement that Festival Place, the largest shopping centre in Basingstoke, had been placed in receivership.

Receivership is a court-appointed or bank-appointed process intended to aid creditors in recovering funds from a debtor in default.

Festival Place's management assured visitors, tenants, and staff that it was "business as usual" within the shopping centre.

Residents in Crown Heights were frustrated when work to remove cladding made from flammable material ‘expanded polystyrene’ meant they could lose access to balconies and an outdoor play area for up to 14 months.

The original developer, Barratts, confirmed residents would be able to open their windows up to 10cm during the work.

A spokesperson for Barratt Developments said: “We are sorry for the impact on residents of the building works at Crown Heights, but we are doing all that we can to minimise disruption.”

Basingstoke Town Community Football Club revealed its ambitious plan to build a new football stadium at the Leisure Park in Worting Road.

The proposed stadium would feature a clubhouse, 3D pitches and classrooms for academy players to study in.

Basingstoke chairman Jack Miller said the plan ‘ticks many boxes’ and will help combat a shortage of pitches in the town.

Senior borough councillor Kerry Morrow expressed that the plans would need significant outside investment to become fruitful.

Later in the month, the police and fire service were asked to review their emergency procedures for high-rise buildings after an incident caused severe disruption and left families feeling ‘trapped’ in their homes.

MP Maria Miller called for the review after an incident where emergency services were called to Alencon Link following reports of a man throwing objects from a balcony at Skyline Plaza, on Friday, October 13.

A police spokesperson said: “We don’t underestimate the disruption that can be caused by our response to concerns for welfare incidents, but our priority is the safety of the public,”

November

November saw the community pay tribute to honour the fallen for Remembrance Sunday, with residents, civic leaders, councillors, veterans, and military personnel gathering in the town.

The event began with a parade from Market Place, through the Top of Town to the War Memorial, which was followed by the Last Post and Exhortation, commencing in a two-minute silence.

A resident in Brighton Hill was shocked after he received his daughter’s exam results through the post, a staggering 14 years after they were sent.

Martin Wybrow was amazed when his daughter Rosie’s GCSE and A-Level results, requested from Queen Mary’s College in 2009 for her university application, finally turned up at his home address.

Mr Wybrow decoded the delay by delving into his expertise as a stamp dealer and paired the envelope’s stamp with 2009 in his catalogue.

“It’s taken 14 years to get from QMC in Cliddesden Road to me in Brighton Hill,” he said.

Residents and businesses in Sherfield on Loddon were perplexed when they received notice of the closure of a major through road, less than a week before.

Sherfield Road, from Sherfield on Loddon to Bramley, was closed from Monday, November 20 until January 2024, with a break for the Christmas period.

Concerns were raised that the closure could affect businesses that rely on trade passing from the A33 through to Bramley.

“It’s a major diversion at the absolute worst time of year," said Billie India an employee at The Coffee Shop in Bramley Road, just off the A33.

The month ended with a Basingstoke housing association receiving enforcement notices to up safety measures following an independent report on the Oakridge Road fire, which occurred on May 27.

Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service issued the notices to Vivid Housing Ltd after the report confirmed the fire originated from an external balcony due to electrical faults.

December

Works on Brighton Hill roundabout were completed after almost two years of disruption and a £20m investment scheme.

Hampshire County Council announced works on the roundabout had finished, with the new traffic lights switched on and all road/lane restrictions removed.

Cllr Nick Adams-King, the county council’s cabinet lead for universal services, said: “I am pleased that this major traffic improvement scheme has been completed on schedule, by the end of winter 2023.”

A consultation was launched on proposals for a new hospital serving Basingstoke and North Hampshire residents.

Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust published details on its proposals to invest between £700m and £900m across the county into hospital services on Thursday, November 30.

The consultation, which allows members of the public to have their say on the proposals, will run until March 17, 2024.

The new hospital would be used for specialist emergency care along with obstetrician-led maternity care and include a separate children’s emergency department.

It was announced that residents in Basingstoke and Deane will be able to have their say on the borough council's plan to slow down the number of homes built, if it is decided that a consultation can go ahead. 

At a meeting of Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council’s cabinet on Tuesday, January 9 2024, councillors will decide if the draft local plan update is ready to move to the next stage, onto public consultation and giving residents the chance to have their say on it.

The plan includes a ‘stepped trajectory’ approach, put forward by the new administration, which will see the current government figure of building 850 homes a year, reduced to under 700 a year from 2025 for the first five years of the plan.

Key sites where thousands of homes could be built were also revealed by the authority.