On 1 April 2011 the South Downs National Park Authority will become the local planning authority for the national park.  Winchester City Council has agreed to carry out Planning Management functions on behalf of the National Park Authority in relation to the 40% of the District which lies inside the park boundary and the 23% of the Councils planning applications generated within this area. However, whilst this is a significant number, all the District’s main settlements lie outside the park and most of the major proposals dealt with by the Council relate to land outside its boundary.
Most planning decisions will still be made by WCC (albeit in consultation with the SDNPA), except for those cases/matters which are deemed to be “significant” in national park terms, such as Larger proposals/major developments (>10 dwellings, >1000m2 of floor space), Proposals requiring an environmental impact assessment and some non-major cases that are considered to be significant (tourism, leisure, and renewable energy schemes/telecommunication proposals with visual impact).

Potentially, any type of application could be classed as being significant and this will have to be determined on a case by case basis. The SDNPA will be able to notify the Council that an application is significant at any point of the process but they will aim to do so as early as possible. In addition, SDNPA has a period of three working days to decide whether the application should be recovered for its own determination, in which case it will be decided by its own planning committee, or whether the Council can proceed with the application in line with its recommendation. It is envisaged that the SDNPA will rarely recover applications considered by committee.

Seminars for Parish Councils will be organised by the SDNPA.

In the meantime if you have any questions please get in touch with Stephanie Turner, Project Manager, by email on sturner@winchester.gov.uk

The Commission for Rural Communities have published a renewable energy guide for rural communities. The guide gives an overview of community-based renewable energy options for groups, local councils and individuals. It provides a starting point and signposts more detailed sources of advice, information and help for rural communities to get generating and take the next step in planning and delivering their own renewable energy developments.

The guide can be downloaded as a PDF from the Commission for Rural Communities website.

Monday 28 March 2011
Winchester Discovery Centre, Jewry St, Winchester SO23 8SB
Refreshments & networking from 6.00pm; event 6.45-8.45pm

This event is for you if you are; active in your local community, church, parish council WI, or other group in Winchester district; involved in allotments, climate change, the community or church hall, cooking, the environment, gardening, history, housing, old people, public transport, reminiscences, wildlife, young people, social justice. A special welcome to groups of three or four from the same village.

Come to this free event and share views about:

• The past: what have we lost? what are we glad to see go?
• The future: what sort of a world are we passing on to our children and grandchildren?
• The present: what can we do to preserve what is good and create prosperity without costing the earth? 

Programme

Table talk is a 15 minute chance for groups of 6 to 8 people to hear what other people have done locally, learn from their mistakes and share ideas for the future: the street that compared their energy bills, the village hall that’s warmer with renewable energy, how neighbours learnt together, how parish councils are taking the lead, and more.

Booking is essential if you would like to attend the event. Simply email events@winacc.org.uk or book by post: Chris Holloway at WinACC, Masters' Lodge, West Downs Campus, University of Winchester, Winchester SO22 4NR. For both methods please state the following; Name(s); Postcode; Email or postal address; Do you need us to organize transport?; and any special needs e.g. diet, mobility, hearing etc?

The Winchester District Over 55’s Forum will be holding several meetings in the coming months and would like to invite anyone who is over 55 and living in the Winchester District to come along!  The meetings will be held on:

Over 55's ForumThursday, 17 March from 2pm at Badger Farm Community Centre - This meeting will include a presentation from the Head of the Older People’s Wellbeing Team at Hampshire County Council who will be presenting on Burning Issues for Older People. This presentation will include the results of a recent survey that has identified the top three issues of importance for older people in the Winchester District. Tea and coffee will be provided. 

Tuesday, 19 April from 9.30am at the Winchester Centre, St. George’s Street, Winchester - This will be a regular business meeting of the Over 55’s Forum. Members of the public are invited to come along and learn more about the Forum, express concern, provide input and meet new people! Tea and coffee will be provided.

Thursday, 26 May from 2pm at the Badger Farm Community Centre - This meeting will include a presentation by a professional from the NHS who will be speaking about the changes to the NHS and how older people might be impacted. This is also a good opportunity for older people to ask questions about issues of health and wellbeing. Tea and coffee will be provided.

If you have any questions about these meetings, or about the Over 55’s Forum in general, please contact SarahKate Abercrombie on sabercrombie@winchester.gov.uk or 01962 848 497

The Youth of Winchester youth council will be holding their second annual Quiz Night on Friday 4 March Youth of Winchester from 7pm at the Winchester Guildhall. All young people living in the Winchester district are invited to attend this FREE event.

Teams of young people will work together with local councillors and council staff to answer questions and win delicious prizes!  There will also be a free buffet of snacks and soft drinks. This is a great opportunity for young people to get to know their local councillors, meet new people and have fun during the school holidays.

If you have any questions about the YOW Quiz Night, please contact Nicola Lawrence, Community Wellbeing Officer at Winchester City Council, on 01962 848 083