May 2023

Fancy a couple of new marina developments on Hayling anyone? Details of the sites which have been submitted to Havant Borough Council for consideration in the upcoming Local Plan. The usual suspects plus a few new ones.
Langstone millpond. Without urgent action by the local authorities, this much loved stretch of coast path will be gone and the millpond will be abandoned to become a tidal swamp, changing the shoreline forever and destroying this unique environment.
Hampshire County Council is about to embark on the next phase of its local cycling and walking infrastructure projects.
Election 2023 – A shot in the arm for the regeneration of Havant and the voters’ verdict on the lack of transparency and shocking decision-making that put Amazon into the town centre rather than out at Dunsbury Park.
With the Council playing its Regeneration Strategy game with a brand new team of players in 2023, HCS takes a look at the numbers to see just what we’re getting for the money.
St Faith’s residents might find it rather strange that one of the more notable achievements of their incumbent ward Councillor is completely absent from his glossy election leaflet. Could there be any reasons for that?
While our local authorities seem to care little about the amount of traffic that they load the streets of the town with, it’s worth taking a look at the impact of the existing traffic that’s already running on the A3(M) and the A27. There are questions to be asked of those election candidates…
If you thought that PDP Architecture had already squeezed a quart into a pint pot between Streets and the Pallant, take a look at what they’re proposing here in South Street. An interesting development proposal for the town centre.
“Site 72”, Brockhampton West, sold by the Council for employment use to raise funds for the Meridian Centre re-development, now hijacked by Southern Water to build a recycling plant to enable output from Budds Farm to be pumped into the Havant Thicket reservoir.
The Meridian Centre redevelopment has been stopped dead in its tracks now that the second ill-advised bid for Levelling Up funding has failed. Under new leadership, HBC must now invest in a pragmatic and deliverable vision for the town, built on active engagement with residents and businesses. Having wasted £ millions over the past five years, HBC must surely now write off its costly but discredited architectural ‘vision’.
After two long years and two contentious planning applications, Havant Borough Council’s ‘dirty little secret’ is finally out in the open. The new Amazon delivery centre servicing Portsmouth and all point west to Southampton, north to Guildford and east to Bognor really is in New Lane.
Tuesday’s Development Consultation Forum for ‘Land at Palk Road’, Bedhampton, was an informative affair.
Anything connected to Portsmouth Water’s extensive town centre landholdings makes us sit up, even if this was ‘sold off to Bellway Homes and leased back’, which is by no means certain.
We give Havant Borough Council full marks for publishing its response to the Southern Water HWTWRP consultation. Unfortunately, we have to deduct marks for ignoring the significant harbour contamination risk and for handing in its homework the day after the consultation closed.
Traffic problems? Nothing to see here, say HBC and HCC again. Planning is now approved for the new Lidl at Bedhampton.
After surviving several failed, consultant led attempts at ‘Regeneration’, the pandemic lockdowns and a Local Plan rightly rejected by residents and Planning Inspectors alike, perhaps all Havant Town Centre needs is some love.

Havant’s refreshed ‘Regeneration and Economy Strategy’ comes under the gaze of the HBC Overview and Scrutiny Committee. They give it the nod and kick the can on to the Cabinet and the Council. There’s a long road ahead…
Here are another 444 homes, split across three separate planning applications currently in the system.

A blow by blow account of the Planning Committee decision which we believe will come back to bite. Watch the meeting, read the transcript, or just catch up with the summary.
Flooding? “Nah mate, it’ll never happen here, not in 100 years, even with climate change”. So say Portsmouth Water’s consultants.
If you’re one of the 20,000 patients of the Bosmere Medical Centre, this directly affects you, and if you’ve never commented on a planning application before, now’s your opportunity.
This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is pwsite-layer5.png
The lack of visibility of Portsmouth Water’s development masterplan, and HBC’s stubborn refusal to confront them on it, continues to frustrate us
Another battle looming over the relentless concreting over of green spaces. Persimmon Homes make a play for the Southmere Hay meadow.
If you’ve ever wondered why 81% of you trust Havant Borough Council, or why your comments on planning applications never seem to make any difference, then you really ought to read this.
Bedhampton Heritage Alliance and HBC lose the appeal by Bargate Homes over Lower Road housing.
This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is brockhamptonwest-3.png
Brockhampton West – Outline planning application now up for comment
Just how much of the Regeneration team effort does Havant Borough actually get? And where is the masterplan which has existed since 2019?
HBC get tangled up in a mess of their own making with the Southleigh Park development application.
Brockhampton West update. More ‘done deals’ and a disturbing absence of scrutiny. There goes the family silver again?
The Warblington A27 Junction and the Southleigh ‘Spine’ road – unveiled.
HBC’s leadership team forced to hang out their dirty laundry in public. Interesting viewing and perhaps a few lessons we should learn?
Three revised applications for the derelict land between East Street and the Pallant. Lots to read and comment on by Nov 13.
And here comes the fourth! Newly submitted plans for 5-7 East Street could provide the missing piece in a town centre jigsaw puzzle.
Latest plans for the old Southern Electric site at the Petersfield Road / Bartons Road junction
Shoebox Living. As the government finally calls time on ‘shoebox’ development, we assess the size of Havant’s new developments.
Live Traffic and Transport links.
Live access to HBC meetings schedule.

#rethinkhavant

To contact Havant Civic Society, please use the contact form or click this link to email us.  If you’re a social media user, you can also contact us via Facebook and Twitter, see the links in the sidebar on this page.

To join us and add weight to our voice or simply to be added to our mailing list, please visit our Membership Page.

To report issues with this site, or to make suggestions on how it could be improved, email the webmaster by clicking this link: HCS Webmaster