Latest news with #BasingstokeandDeaneBoroughCouncil
Daily Mail
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Countess' chickens behind plan to tear down 100-year-old greenhouses 'overrun with vermin' at stately home dubbed the 'real Downton Abbey'
Three 100-year-old greenhouses at the stately home where Downton Abbey was filmed may be torn down - in order to protect a flock of chickens belonging to a wealthy Countess. The Highclere Estate, a sprawling Hampshire manor owned by Lord and Lady Carnarvon, has applied to demolish three of the buildings within its Capability Brown-designed walled kitchen garden. One of the reasons put forward for their demolition is that they are 'overrun with vermin' which is said to affect Highclere's flock of poultry. Chickens owned by the Countess of Carnarvon, which are named after Jane Austen characters, live behind the greenhouses in a run known as Highclutch Castle. Lady Carnarvon has previously posted on social media about how 'cute' the rare breeds and appeared in a film saying where the flock lives on the estate is 'one of her favourite places'. The plans intend to ensure the 'future useability and longevity' of the estate, the application claims. Every season of the award-winning historical ITV drama Downton Abbey was filmed there. Hugh Bonneville, Maggie Smith and Lily James starred in the show which was watched by more than 400 million people worldwide. The greenhouses, which aren't Grade I listed, are located some distance away from the 17th century Highclere Castle. Lady Carnarvon's chickens live behind the walled gardens, and are named after characters from Pride and Prejudice, Emma, Sense and Sensibility and Persuasion. The flock - including Jane, Lizzie, Kitty, Mary, Lydia and Emma - are all at risk, the planning application says, because of the 'vermin'. A fourth greenhouse is due to be restored to its original historic appearance. The greenhouses were originally built between 1894 and 1909 for agricultural use. The planning application to Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council claims: 'The glasshouses that occupy the site are derelict and have fallen into disuse. 'The glasshouses now pose an active risk to health and safety on site, and have now become overrun with vermin, affecting the surrounding agricultural land and nearby chickens.' The area will be levelled after the removal of three greenhouses, with the fourth to be restored on a like-for-like basis, retaining its original appearance but improving its condition. The application's design statement reads: 'The implications of the proposed alterations to the existing glasshouses from the Walled Kitchen Garden will be minimal, retaining historic fabric where feasible and only removing it where absolutely necessary. 'The outlined proposals recognise the site as an important part of the Highclere Estate's long history; seeking to ensure its future useability and longevity.' Historic England was consulted on the plans, and it had no objection to the application on heritage grounds. Speaking on the 2021 video of the Highclere Estate's farming activities, Lady Carnarvon showed off the chicken flock, which at the time numbered more than 20. 'There's nothing better than a fresh laid egg,' she said, before extolling the virtues of the 'lovely cooing, soothing sound' the birds make when being fed. Lady Carnarvon met her husband, the Earl of Carnarvon, known as Geordie, in 1996, two years after his first marriage broke down. The couple have a 20-year-old son Edward together. The Earl's first marriage was to daughter of racehorse owner Kenneth A. Wilby and Princess Prospero Collona di Stigliano, Jayne M. Wilby, on 16 December 1989, but the couple divorced in 1998. His eldest son Lord Porchester will inherit the Highclere estate after the Earl's death. Lady Carnarvon is a former accountant with Coopers & Lybrand and is the eldest of six sisters. She studied English and German at the University of St Andrews, attended by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, in Scotland. She and Lord Carnarvon, who was Queen Elizabeth II's godson, inherited the estate on the death of his father, the 7th Earl, in 2001. The 7th Earl, Henry Herbert, was the Queen's racing manager and one of her dearest friends whom she affectionately called Porchey. The Carnarvon family has lived at Highclere Castle since 1679.
BBC News
01-04-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Players injured due to limited pitch access says Basingstoke team
A football team says its players are being injured as it is being forced to play on uneven ground in a Cavaliers play a non-contact, five-a-side version of American football, known as flag team says its growth is being impacted by the lack of access an official pitch in the and Deane Borough Council said it has been working with the American flag football club over a number of weeks to try to book facilities. Club founder Andy Oram said they currently play on the War Memorial Park in Basingstoke, but not on an official pitch."It's not maintained, the grass is too long and of course the rabbits, the moles and other animals are digging holes," he Oram added that one of his team members "sprained his ankle" after he accidentally put his foot in a hole in the uneven ground. He admitted the council has offered them the chance to book local pitches, which are predominantly used for football and rugby, but it only offered them specific time slots which Mr Oram said were not suitable for his council also requires teams to book the whole pitch, however Mr Oram said because his team only plays five-a-side they only require half the council said it has also offered the team the chance to book artificial pitches in the area but Mr Oram said the cost of these pitches "is extraordinary" and "way to high for a new club". Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council said: "Our grass pitches can be booked for a range of sports between September and April. The artificial pitches are also available for hire all year round."We have tried to be as flexible as possible, but we can only book a whole pitch and this needs to be in advance. "At weekends there are separate booking times for adult and youth teams to ensure our safeguarding responsibilities are met." You can follow BBC Hampshire & Isle of Wight on Facebook, X, or Instagram.
The Independent
31-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Owners of £17m Jane Austen country house granted permission to demolish it despite objections from residents
A £17m country house beloved by Jane Austen can be bulldozed planning authorities have ruled, despite objections from local residents. The Pride and Prejudice novelist mentioned Ashe Park House, near Basingstoke, Hampshire, in a number of letters to her sister, Cassandra, when she lived in Steventon, the parish to the south of Ashe where her father was the Rector. Austen wrote about attending balls and other social gatherings on the estate, where she made reference to its 'well-proportioned rooms' and individuals associated with the estate. Now, Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council has given Ashe Park House's current owners, Shuk Ting Sharon Leung and Gillian Sin Hang Ho, who reportedly bought the property in 2022 for £17 million, permission to tear down the property and replace it with a 'traditional country house'. Around 20 local residents have objected to the proposal because of the property's historic connections. Neighbour Deborah de Groot described the property as a 'piece of local history' and said: 'I would be extremely sorry to see this house disappear from our local landscape and would feel very let down by our local planners if this was allowed to go ahead.' A Basingstoke and Deane Council spokesperson confirmed the application to demolish and replace the current property had been approved by the authority's development control committee on 12 March. The council spokesperson said: 'The current Ashe Park House is primarily a 20th century building, with some walling fabric dating from the 1860s. In 2024 Historic England confirmed that the complex of Ashe Park House and its outbuildings does not meet the criteria for listing.' The council cited a previous report from Historic England, which did not recommend the estate become listed, in its justification to approve the demolition. Ashe Park House was awarded a Certificate of Immunity last August, expiring in 2029, which says it cannot be listed for a certain period of time. It states the building should not be listed, because while Austen refers to visiting Ashe Park House in her letters, there is 'no evidence that this earlier building is embedded in the current house of 1865' or that it had 'any direct influence on her literary output'. A council spokesperson said: 'Whilst Jane Austen may have visited the main house in the past, it is not likely that [she] ever visited the house that stands today.' The authority spokesperson added that because the dwelling is a private residence, it is unlikely its demolition will adversely impact local tourism. Austen was born in Steventon Rectory, just a mile from the 232 acre estate, in 1775. While the manor has its origins in the 16th century, Historic England say the house in its current state 'fully, or at least predominantly', is a building of the 1860s, with significant remodelling during the 20th and 21st Century.
Yahoo
29-03-2025
- Yahoo
Council wins court ban on illegal encampments
A council has successfully applied for a court order which bans members of Gypsy and traveller communities from camping in part of its area. Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council, in Hampshire, was granted a one-year renewal of a High Court injunction. Previous bans have greatly reduced unlawful encampments in the area, while neighbouring boroughs without injunctions have seen an increase, the court was told. However, Kirsty Brimelow KC, sitting as a deputy judge, said the borough was not meeting the needs of Gypsies and travellers and should reconsider a decision not to provide them with a transit site. In her written judgement, Ms Brimelow said: "A transit site would satisfy anxiety of Gypsies and travellers that they might be moved from whenever they stop in the borough." The injunction, lasting until 3 April 2026, was granted against "persons unknown", who were not represented in court. It covers the town of Basingstoke, as well as rural areas around Bramley, Silchester and Tadley Common. Previous injunctions in Basingstoke and also in Test Valley have deterred encampments and gave police enhanced powers of arrest, the court was told. However, in neighbouring areas without injunctions, the problem had escalated, the judge heard. Reading in Berkshire currently had 59 unauthorised encampments, police told the court. Giving evidence, Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council said it feared the return of previous problems involving untreated human faeces in fields, intimidation of residents, noise and financial harm. It acknowledged that anti-social behaviour was not representative of the Gypsy and traveller community. The authority said it was updating its local plan, calling for new sites. In September 2024, the borough approved a "negotiated stopping policy", tolerating encampments on council-owned land on a case-by-case basis. Ms Brimelow renewed the injunction, covering 10% of the borough where encampments would be "especially harmful". You can follow BBC Hampshire & Isle of Wight on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram. HM Courts and Tribunals Service
