In Touch

THE EFFECT OF WHITELEY SCHOOL DELAYS Hook-with- Primary -12 St John the Baptist CE Prim’y 47 Infant 4 Primary 11 Sarisbury Infant -3 Whiteley Primary -27 WHITELEY Primary -8 TOTAL 12 The table above shows the situation for the Year R intake in September. For Matters Winter 2007 example, Whiteley Primary is over-subscribed with 117 applications for 90 places. St John the Baptist Primary, however, is under-subscribed by 47 places Whiteley faces education crisis as axes new school site Park Gate Primary Whiteley Primary Sarisbury Infant

Whiteley on-line If you would like to get ed ed ed "on-line" with members rib rib rib sc sc sc of the community in a ub b ub -s -su -s friendly, non-threaten- er er er ing atmosphere to dis- Ov Ov Ov cuss issues about liv- ing in Whiteley, WHITELEY parents were left fuming after County Council Leader Ken Thornber said: “I am or any other Winchester City Council killed off the last chance extremely disappointed. Since no other option, topics of interest then for the desperately needed new primary school including a temporary school on private land is feasi- there is only one place and pitched local education into crisis. ble, I have no alternative but to abandon this project.” to go. Log on to Councillors refused to reconsider their earlier A study had been carried out to try to break the Whiteley Community refusal to give up a small part of City Council-owned deadlock, but found the cost would be prohibitive and Forum at www.white land at Meadowside Recreation Ground. delay the building by two years. leyforum.net The blow followed a year of stalemate in which Councillor Woodward and MP Mark Fareham Borough and Hampshire County Councils Hoban asked the County Council to explore the pos- Safer route pulled out all the stops to try to persuade Winchester sibility of using land offered by Messrs G & J Bunney We reported in the last that the site was vital for the £5.5m school. north of the Whiteley boundary. edition that the County It leaves rapidly expanding Whiteley surrounded by The study put the cost of building on the Bunney Council had agreed to over-subscribed primary schools, with no alternative land at up to £8.2m – 70% more than the normal cost make the journey from sites, a risk of losing money set aside for the school per square metre of building a new primary school – the Solent Hotel round- and parents worried about their children’s education. but it would not happen at least until 2009. about to Whiteley Way Fareham (Sarisbury) County Councillor Seán Councillor Woodward said: “This would be after the on Rookery Avenue Woodward reacted angrily. “If overwhelming people peak intake year for Year R (2007) and three years safer by increasing the power cannot persuade Winchester City Council to too early for the new housing north of Whiteley. width of the Whiteley reconsider the issue, then the priority of securing a “Each year that the school is unavailable will mean Way-bound lane to place for everyone in September is paramount. more children from Whiteley will attend schools south take two lanes of traffic. “The £1.5m already allocated by the education of the M27, with their siblings likely to follow.” Works should start authority to provide those places must not be lost and Had Winchester agreed, he said, the school could during the week com- as Sarisbury Infant and Park Gate Primary Schools have been in temporary buildings on land belonging mencing February 12 are also over-subscribed this year, the money may to USS near the shopping centre last September and and are programmed have to be used to increase Sarisbury Infant and on its permanent site by September 2007. to be completed within Junior Schools to 4 forms of entry to take those who •You can keep up with developments by logging on three weeks. won’t be going to a new school in Whiteley.” to www.whiteleyace.org.uk

Your views needed Ideas how to carve up £575,000 Whiteley cash windfall We report on this page on the money from the COUNCILLORS are trying to dren’s playground and kick-about eral wooden sculp- sale of land from the find the best way to spend a area, possibly at Clydesdale Road tures, which includ- doctors' surgery site cash bonanza of £575,000 and or Sweethills Crescent, but prefer- ed benches and and possible projects some residents have made spe- ably on open space at the new the famous to spend it on. cial requests Dickens Drive development. Whiteley totem We are interested in The money came from sale of Another is to involve children in poles. your views. land for the state-of-the-art designing and creating tree sculp- Sadly, several Would you like to see Whiteley surgery and can only be tures, possibly using dead turkey benches were van- the replacement/refur- spent in Whiteley. oaks, similar to those at dalised and were bishment of the sculp- Several suggestions are being Bursledon’s Tesco store (pictured). removed with the ture benches? How looked at and consultations will A few years ago, Fareham and totem poles after could they could be follow. Winchester Councils commis- one rotted and col- themed? One is for a high quality chil- sioned a sculptor to oversee sev- lapsed. In Touch Just what the doctors ordererd WHITELEY

Matters Winter 2007 Developer’s tactics cause Dickens of a delay over Whiteley bus link route

OPENING of a link road between Yew Tree Drive and the A3051 Botley Road at Whiteley has been delayed after the developer demanded more Out with the old: The Portacabins which served as Whiteley’s surgery. concessions. Persimmon, who are building off Dickens Drive, were supposed to construct a roundabout and rising bollards to allow buses and emergency vehicles access to the link once they had sold the first 50 houses. The condition was about to be breached and Persimmon then upped the stakes by submitting an application to raise the trigger point to 150 houses, which Fareham subsequently reduced to 130. Hampshire County Council as highway authority refused to back Fareham if Persimmon appealed, so the developers got their way. Fareham planners imposed a bonding arrange- ment to ensure completion of the link once started In with the new: Whiteley’s new state-of-the-art surgery and pharmacy. and there will be a legal agreement to start it within a timescale, THIS IS Whiteley’s new surgery Richard and his colleagues have Councillor Seán Woodward said: “Persimmon opened recently along with a new provided and very pleased that claim the link will be functioning during July 2007, pharmacy. Fareham Council was able to pro- although others are not convinced.” Dedicated patient parking for 24 vide the land for the project after all A traffic regulation order will basically restrict cars will shortly be provided in the other avenues were closed to the access to buses, emergency vehicles and cyclists, space occupied by the old practice. although the police will be able to override the order Portacabins. “The building’s accommodation is in such cases as the M27 being blocked at J9. Having toured the new surgery excellent and allows plenty of room It will be the only link between Whiteley and Botley with Dr Richard Roope, Councillor for extra doctors and visiting con- Road until completion of Whiteley Way between the Seán Woodward said: "I am delight- sultants as the population of M27 and the A3051 north of Curbridge. ed with the superb facilities that Whiteley expands.”

risk of a head-on collision is high. “We have asked police to pay par- ticular attention to the area while the Selfish one-way system is re-established. “By Easter, the roads will be resur- faced, build-outs constructed and parking appropriate lining and signs replaced,” said Councillor Seán and near Woodward. Disabled drivers complained about selfish parking in disabled bays out- misses side SPAR. “We are working with Fareham cause Access Group to lobby owners of the shopping parade to provide better Bay watch: Police will keep an eye on abuse of disabled park- signs for disabled bays and to ing spaces like these outside the new Kiddi Caru pre-school. problems enforce them. CARELESS drivers and indiscriminate park- “If this fails, we will try to get consent from at Gull ers are causing headaches in Gull Coppice. landowners to enforce In Touch is published by The one-way system was reinstated after the the bays when Fareham Sarisbury & Park Gate opening of the Kiddi Caru pre-school on January Council adopts decrimi- Conservatives, 8 Persian Coppice 8, but many drivers ignored the signs. nalised parking enforce- Drive, Whiteley PO15 7BJ and printed by Tollwood, The There have been several near misses and the ment later this year.” Depot, Willmott Lane, Gosport PO12 3RY.