14/04/2008 by admin.

By trying to save Emsworth from turning into a ‘housing estate’. They are fighting plans to build hundreds of new homes on green spaces in the town. The strength of feeling was demonstrated last week when more than 160 people crammed into a public meeting to oppose the plans – which campaigners say will change the face of Emsworth forever.Havant Borough Council has been told by the government it must build 6,000 new homes over the next 20 years to meet housing demands.

Residents fears hundreds of homes to be built on green spaces in Havant borough could be in Emsworth.

Among the possible sites for development are 280 homes in the Emsworth Gap, 227 homes to the west and east of  Horndean Road

and 123 dwellings earmarked for Horse Field, south of the A259 in Emsworth.Now a protest group, called Emsworth Fights Back, has been  set up.A public consultation on the proposals finishes in less than two weeks – and campaigners are urging residents to write to the council to oppose the plans.

Penny Salter, of  Birch Tree Drive, Emsworth, said: 

 ‘This will destroy Emsworth completely if it goes through.  There is not the infrastructure and the roads won’t be able to cope with it. It will just turn Emsworth into a housing estate.’ The main concern for residents is the Emsworth Gap –17 acres of fields that separate Westbourne and the town – where 250 homes could be built. The green space is home to tawny owls, buzzards, and foxes. Residents say it would mean the death of Westbourne as a village in its own right.Emsworth councillor Brendan Gibb-Gray said: ‘To have the rate of housing building we are talking about, with no guarantees for the majority of those people, is a recipe for disaster.’ 

The News 14 April 2008  

More at: Emsworth Fights Back

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11/04/2008 by admin.

A booze ban aimed at cracking down on drink-fuelled crime has been given the green light.The licensing committee at Havant Borough Council yesterday gave the go-ahead to introduce fixed penalties for people who refuse to hand over alcohol to police if they are drinking in public.  The move comes more than a year after 11 areas were designated booze-free zones, including Havant town centre and the Greywell and Park Parade precincts. There are hopes that the latest idea will dramatically reduce the amount of drink-fuelled crime which puts Havant at the top of the table in the area for this sort of problem. But police have promised they will use the new powers only to stop nuisance behaviour. Inspector Darren Murphy said: ‘If you look at  Havant

06/04/2008 by admin.

The Foreshore at Warblington Road (10.00am)
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02/04/2008 by George.

A shop is leading the way in the drive to consign the plastic bag to history.Shoppers at the Southern Co-op store in Emsworth will no longer be able to pick up a free plastic bag at the checkout to stuff full of shopping. Instead they will have to pay five pence for a corn starch bag, which can afterwards be put in the compost heap to decompose.

Emsworth Business Association launched a bid for the town to go plastic-bag-free last year, and the Co-op has taken up the challenge.Ted Merdler, marketing manager at Southern Co-operatives, said: ‘We are delighted to be able to encourage a reduction in the amount of plastic bags used.’

The Co-op held a competition for youngsters to launch the first day of scrapping its carrier bags yesterday. Local children were asked to create a collage showing how they thought Emsworth would look in the future if people continued to use as many carrier bags as they do at the moment. 

The News 01 April 2008

Posted in News, Emsworth's Environment | Print | No Comments »