Havant Civic Society believes Placemaking to have an important role in developing Havant Town Centre into a thriving destination to visit, work and to which residents can have pride in their town. Placemaking can be viewed and defined as a collaborative, multi-stakeholder process that goes beyond urban design and planning, to foster local identity, community, and economic vitality. Effective … Continue reading Havant Town Centre – A renewed focus on Placemaking
The Gazebo Garden – Closed by the Council until further notice
Regular visitors who cherish the peace and tranquillity of this lovely space will already have noticed the barriers around the Gazebo Garden in the Pallant car park, so we would like to give a brief explanation for the temporary closure. According to a letter issued on Havant Borough Council’s headed paper, the Principal Building Inspector … Continue reading The Gazebo Garden – Closed by the Council until further notice
Local Government Reorganisation Update
On 25 March, the Government announced its decision on the arrangements for Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. Havant Borough Council (HBC) has updated its LGR web page (Devolution and Local Government Reorganisation (LGR)) in a cursory and rather unhelpful way, so this article draws on the more informative Hampshire … Continue reading Local Government Reorganisation Update
New Town Centre Business Group Established
A recent meeting held at St Faith's Church with town centre businesses, agreed to Havant Civic Society establishing the group within its Placemaking and Public Realm role. The Civic Society has an effective working relationship with Havant Borough Council and the general public, as well as other organisations, and has a credible reputation to co-ordinate … Continue reading New Town Centre Business Group Established
Havant Banking Hub Announcement
Following the recent closure of the Lloyds and Halifax branches in Havant precinct, a Banking Hub has recently been announced (HBC website 19 February ). I am surprised and delighted about this as I had been told by two Lloyds Bank employees (from very different parts of the company) that there will not be a … Continue reading Havant Banking Hub Announcement
HBC’s ‘Strategic Commissioning Programme’ comes under scrutiny
Why does this post matter? It matters because Havant Borough’s planning record has been compromised. The HBC Strategic Commissioning Programme appeared to have left the Borough's planning archive so damaged at the point of the cutover in September 2025 that officers were forced into a series of reactive database 'fixes', almost certainly without a coherent … Continue reading HBC’s ‘Strategic Commissioning Programme’ comes under scrutiny
HCS report of the Southleigh Development Consultation Forum, 27 Jan 2026
Press to send DCF feedback to Bloor Homes IntroductionSummary report of the meetingOverviewPurpose and Format Bloor Homes Presentation Community Group Contributions (5 minutes each)Councillor Questions Bloor responsesKey ObservationsFull record of the meeting - Video and text transcriptHCS Editorial comment Introduction This post contains a summary report of the Bloor Homes Southleigh Development Consultation Forum held … Continue reading HCS report of the Southleigh Development Consultation Forum, 27 Jan 2026
A new nail bar is coming to West Street
In this week's planning list, the former charity shop on the western side of the former NatWest bank in West Street brings further competition to the local nail bar market market. Surely a good thing? Want to look inside, here's the floor plan. Click to zoom If you want to raise a comment on this … Continue reading A new nail bar is coming to West Street
Southleigh Development Consultation Forum – 27 January – Tickets now closed
Please noteThe venue for this meeting has now been changed to the Civic Plaza and all tickets for the event have now been fully allocated. Havant Borough Council has decided to hold a Development Consultation Forum (DCF) to consider the following Bloor Homes development proposals for Southleigh: Southleigh Strategic SiteUp to 1,800 new homes, a … Continue reading Southleigh Development Consultation Forum – 27 January – Tickets now closed
Havant MP weighs in on the Bloor Homes Southleigh development proposal
HCS has been made aware of the following letter from Alan Mak MP which signals a welcome and timely intervention in local planning matters: Southleigh Development - Use of residential roads for construction accessDear ResidentI am writing to you in my capacity as your local Member of Parliament about the proposed housing development at Southleigh, … Continue reading Havant MP weighs in on the Bloor Homes Southleigh development proposal
Havant Civic Society 