Latest news with #TestValleyBoroughCouncil
Daily Mail
14-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Elderly couple reveal they have been besieged by giant rats for 10 years - while council claims there is 'no evidence of infestation'
An elderly couple have said they have been forced to live with a rat-infested garden for ten years. Valerie Sheppard, 83, and her husband Colin, 90, have spent over a decade trying to fend the rodents off their property. But they have slammed their council over what they say is the local authority's lack of action and claim the issue is making them 'ill'. The couple installed four CCTV cameras, called out more pest control experts than they can remember and sent countless emails to Test Valley Borough Council asking for assistance. They explained that the issues first started in 2014 when rodents began to appear from a broken-down car and garage next to their home. Mrs Sheppard said: 'We first realised there was a problem back in 2014 when we saw a rat sat in the middle of our back garden path - it was there so long I was able to get my camera and take a picture before it ran off. 'Test Valley Brough Council finally came out in 2016, boarded up the garage and told us - the rats are all gone.' In the nine years since, the couple said they been 'pushed from pillar to post' trying to get the Test Valley Borough Council to take some action against the neighbour. They explained the issues first started in 2014 when rodents began to appear from a broken-down car and garage next to their home. Pictured: Rats found in the couple's garden The grandmother of nine continued: 'My husband Colin is 90 and suffers from heart and lung problems - the only pleasure he gets is looking after the garden, but I fear for his health. 'This has all gone on for 11 years now - we can't go on like this. 'We are at our wits' end - the two of us have lived here for 26 years and came here for Colin's health, now I fear the garden will make us ill. 'The council have failed us - at every turn they have attempted to shift blame onto someone else and not deal with the rats.' A council spokesperson said: 'We regret that Ms Sheppard is unhappy with our response. 'We have done all we can to respond to allegations of a rat infestation in this area multiple times since 2016. 'While there has been evidence of some level of rat activity during this time, this is not in itself evidence of an infestation in the immediate area. 'Low levels of rat activity are not unusual in and around towns and villages. 'We will continue to investigate any allegations
The Sun
12-05-2025
- Business
- The Sun
Big retail chain with over 200 stores to shut shop this weekend as it launches closing down sale
A MAJOR high street jeweller is pulling the shutters down on one of its branches within days – and everything must go in a massive closing down sale. Warren James, which has more than 200 stores across the UK, will close its Andover outlet in the Chantry Centre on Saturday, May 17. Signs plastered outside the store confirm a 'closing down sale' is now under way, with the only explanation being that the lease has run out. Despite issues with broken shutters, posters tell shoppers the store is still open – for now – giving bargain hunters one last chance to bag cut-price sparkle. The chain has stayed tight-lipped on the closure according to the Andover Advertiser, but local council bosses say they're already looking to re-let the space. A spokesperson for Test Valley Borough Council, which owns and runs the shopping centre, admitted it was 'a shame' to see Warren James go, but insisted new tenants are always in the pipeline. They added that the centre has remained lively thanks to flexible leases, grants for independents and a mix of tenants keeping vacancy rates below the national average. There's no word yet on whether more closures are coming – but fans of the jewellery giant will want to take advantage while they still can. The news comes as both independent and industry giants have been struggling with rising costs and reduced footfall over the past few years. Dozens of shops are set to close across the country before the end of the month in the latest blow to UK high streets. Just a few months into 2025 and it's already proving to be another tough year for many major brands. Rising living costs - which mean shoppers have less cash to burn - and an increase in online shopping has battered retail in recent years. Why are shops closing stores? In some cases, landlords are either unwilling or unable to invest in keeping shops open, further speeding up the closures. One of these stores included Smiggle, known for its colourful, quirky pens, lunchboxes and school bags, which revealed that it is shutting up shop at the Darwin Centre in Shrewsbury later this month. Whilst, B.D Price, a beloved toy and bike store announced its closure after 160 years in business. The 84-year-old owner revealed that the cost of living crisis has led to a reduction in sales and to the costs of running the business skyrocketing. Why are retailers closing shops? EMPTY shops have become an eyesore on many British high streets and are often symbolic of a town centre's decline. The Sun's business editor Ashley Armstrong explains why so many retailers are shutting their doors. In many cases, retailers are shutting stores because they are no longer the money-makers they once were because of the rise of online shopping. Falling store sales and rising staff costs have made it even more expensive for shops to stay open. The British Retail Consortium has predicted that the Treasury's hike to employer NICs from April 2025, will cost the retail sector £2.3billion. At the same time, the minimum wage will rise to £12.21 an hour from April, and the minimum wage for people aged 18-20 will rise to £10 an hour, an increase of £1.40. In some cases, retailers are shutting a store and reopening a new shop at the other end of a high street to reflect how a town has changed. The problem is that when a big shop closes, footfall falls across the local high street, which puts more shops at risk of closing. Retail parks are increasingly popular with shoppers, who want to be able to get easy, free parking at a time when local councils have hiked parking charges in towns. Many retailers including Next and Marks & Spencer have been shutting stores on the high street and taking bigger stores in better-performing retail parks instead. In some cases, stores have been shut when a retailer goes bust, as in the case of Carpetright, Debenhams, Dorothy Perkins, Paperchase, Ted Baker, The Body Shop, Topshop and Wilko to name a few. What's increasingly common is when a chain goes bust a rival retailer or private equity firm snaps up the intellectual property rights so they can own the brand and sell it online. They may go on to open a handful of stores if there is customer demand, but there are rarely ever as many stores or in the same places. The Centre for Retail Research (CRR) has warned that around 17,350 retail sites are expected to shut down this year. Smiggle isn't the only stationary shop shutting its doors, more WHSmiths stores are set to close this month. Cambridge on April 18. Whilst, Red Menswear in Chatham in Medway, Kent, shut for the final time on Saturday, March 29, after selling men's clothing since 1999. A couple months ago, Essential Vintage told followers on social that it would be closing down after they had been "priced out" because of bigger players in the market such as Vinted. Another Jewellery brand Beaverbrooks also shut three shops in April Whilst, New Look bosses made the decision to axe nearly 100 branches as they battle challenges linked to Autumn Budget tax changes. Approximately a quarter of the retailer's 364 stores are at risk when their leases expire. This equates to about 91 stores, with a significant impact on New Look's 8,000-strong workforce. It's understood the latest drive to accelerate closures is driven by the upcoming increase in National Insurance contributions for employers. The move, announced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves in October, is hitting retailers hard - and the British Retail Consortium has predicted these changes will create a £2.3billion bill for the sector. RETAIL PAIN IN 2025 The British Retail Consortium has predicted that the Treasury's hike to employer NICs will cost the retail sector £2.3billion. Research by the British Chambers of Commerce shows that more than half of companies plan to raise prices by early April. A survey of more than 4,800 firms found that 55% expect prices to increase in the next three months, up from 39% in a similar poll conducted in the latter half of 2024. Three-quarters of companies cited the cost of employing people as their primary financial pressure. The Centre for Retail Research (CRR) has also warned that around 17,350 retail sites are expected to shut down this year. It comes on the back of a tough 2024 when 13,000 shops closed their doors for good, already a 28% increase on the previous year. Professor Joshua Bamfield, director of the CRR said: "The results for 2024 show that although the outcomes for store closures overall were not as poor as in either 2020 or 2022, they are still disconcerting, with worse set to come in 2025." Professor Bamfield has also warned of a bleak outlook for 2025, predicting that as many as 202,000 jobs could be lost in the sector. "By increasing both the costs of running stores and the costs on each consumer's household it is highly likely that we will see retail job losses eclipse the height of the pandemic in 2020."
Daily Mail
04-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
We live in a chocolate box village that dates back to the Saxons... Angela Rayner's house-building blitz will leave us drowning in sewage
Angela Rayner 's house-building blitz will leave them 'drowning in sewage' after a 40-home development was approved. Locals in Goodworth Clatford say their chocolate box village, which dates back to the Saxon times, faces being 'destroyed' by waste 'discharge horror' after developers were given the green light despite warnings it will overwhelm the sewage system. The village in the Hampshire countryside is already plagued with drainage and flooding issues and has had to take steps to prevent locals from having to wade through smelly sewage. But villagers say their problems will be 'exacerbated' now that developers Bargate Homes Ltd have had their plans approved, with fears Southern Water won't be able to add sufficient infrastructure. The developers submitted controversial plans to build 40 homes, some of which will be affordable housing, next to the local park. The application was met with fierce criticism by the village - where house prices average £750,000 - and more than 130 objections were lodged. Many fear their homes at the bottom of the hill in Goodworth Clatford will end up blighted by 'sewage discharge horrors'. Planning chiefs from Conservative-led Test Valley Borough Council approved the proposal at a meeting last week. Residents believe they should have stood up against the Labour government's plan to build 1.5 million new homes over the next five years. Goodworth Clatford, near Andover, dates back to the Saxon times and in 1086 was recorded in the Domesday Book. At the heart of the sought-after area, which has its own vineyard, is a chalk stream which is an offshoot of the River Test, famous across the globe for its salmon fishing. Under Bargate's plans, 40 homes will be built on a seven-acre field that is next to the recreational park. Bargate claims it will have a 'sustainable drainage system'. Due to the landscape, excess groundwater, and poor infrastructure, flooding is an issue in the village and tankers have to make constant trips to pump out water. 'The village has endured tankers at four or five locations, on a 24 hour basis for the last six months', one villager claimed. A wastewater treatment works site neighbours the village, but neighbours say it is not equipped enough to deal with their current issues let alone problems exacerbated by a new development. Cllr Philip Lashbrook, of Test Valley Borough Council, told the planning meeting: 'There is a huge reliance on Southern Water... I don't have confidence that the infrastructure will be improved enough to support 40 new homes.' Villager David Stagg attended the planning meeting with scores of other villagers. Michael Goddard (pictured) said: 'If the proposed development on Barrow Hill goes ahead with their sewage going into the existing sewage network I dread to think what sewage discharge horrors await us folks at the bottom of the hill!' He said the decision is a 'tragedy and a travesty' and there was 'a lot of people leaving in a state of shock'. Mr Stagg, a retired management consultant, said: 'Goodworth Clatford was thrown under a bus by Test Valley planners and a majority of Councillors. 'Fact, common sense, courage, honesty and reason ceased to exist, and... greed, politics and skullduggery allowed outline planning permission for 40 houses to be built in countryside outside the village settlement boundary.' Mr Stagg said at the meeting objections were not acknowledged and planning bosses did not appreciate 'how misguided the scheme would be in real life'. 'A recurring comment from the planners was that as there was no land matching the Government criteria of grey, brown or green belt sites in the area, 'we have to meet our target by building here'. 'Well, has anyone been courageously assertive enough to tell them that such arbitrary targets are meaningless and have far reaching consequences in such cases? He said the drainage issues were 'glossed over', adding: 'Certainly, these issues of detail will not disappear and there are far too many loose ends of game-changing proportions that need clarifying before any rational decisions can be considered. 'Now who will be held accountable for destroying our village?' In his objection letter, Mr Stagg wrote: 'This application ignores the full impact and future implications of the recent serious flooding issues in the village main street. 'Additional water run off from this field's position above the village will only exacerbate the problem and cause serious harm to residents there.' Villager Katie Cairns, who also attended the meeting, said of the decision: 'It's a shame, it's a real shame for the village. 'The sewage is a real worry.' In her objection letter, Ms Cairns said: 'The current provision [for sewage] is already inadequate. 'The existing pumping stations are noisy and smelly. We've also had tankers working in the village day and night for months this year, taking sewage to plants in Southampton and Newbury as the site [by Goodworth Clatford] is operating at full capacity. 'The roads are not set up for vehicles of this size and weight and a lot of damage has been done.' Ms Cairns also believes 'the sheer size and nature of this development is totally out of character with the village'. Villager Michael Goddard outlined in his objection letter some of the sewage issues. He said: 'My property, along with those of my immediate neighbours, suffered badly earlier this year (and previous years) from the discharging of sewage water from drains and manholes in our gardens. 'This was due to high groundwater levels infiltrating an ageing, leaky, sewerage network. 'The nearby sewage pumping station was unable to cope so tankers were deployed almost full time to try and minimise flooding.' Mr Goddard added: 'If the proposed development on Barrow Hill goes ahead with their sewage going into the existing sewage network I dread to think what sewage discharge horrors await us folks at the bottom of the hill!' Lorraine Quaid said in her objection letter: 'Over several months the village has been forced to endure up to four waste tankers at anyone time to relieve the drainage/sewer system 24/7. 'Any addition due to development will be detrimental in the extreme! 'Pollution to our chalk stream river should be avoided at all cost. The risk is already high!' Katie Shorter wrote: 'A number of properties along Village Street have had gardens underwater for months due to excessively high groundwater, made worse by run-off and the sewage systems inability to cope with the infiltration of groundwater from the surrounding area. 'Any additional burden placed on the foul water infrastructure in Goodworth Clatford threatens to completely overwhelm the system and lead to local flooding. 'The village has endured tankers at 4 or 5 locations, on a 24 hour basis for the last 6 months, pumping out water to try and prevent the local sewage works throughout the Village being overwhelmed. 'An additional 40 houses, will compound, and potentially overwhelm the sewerage system of the Village. 'Due to the topography of the site, the only way to get the sewage off site would be to pump it to the mains sewer. 'The proposed pumping station is adjacent to existing residential properties, which is unacceptable given the noise, and maintenance such infrastructure generates. 'Were the pumping station to fail, the flooding risk to properties in the vicinity would also be unacceptable.' Local resident Chris Coates said he is concerned about 'prevailing winds carrying any unpleasant odours right across the centre of the village'. Dr Christopher Parkinson-Brown, a dentist, said the additional sewage will be 'far beyond the capacity of the drains and sewers in the village'. Goodworth Clatford Parish Council also opposes the plans. In its objection letter, the parish council pointed out that Southern Water said in its report there is 'potential for existing villagers to suffer an adverse impact to their health given the potential for foul water flooding'. Test Valley Borough Council said permission was approved with conditions including 'providing an acceptable nitrate mitigation scheme, a Habitat Regulations assessment, and a legal agreement to secure affordable housing provision, open space improvements and health facility and education improvements'. Mark White, managing Director of Bargate Homes, said: 'We are delighted to receive outline planning approval for this site in Goodworth Clatford, a location steeped in character and surrounded by beautiful Hampshire countryside. 'This development will not only help to address the pressing need for affordable housing but also create a sustainable community with access to local amenities, open green spaces, and strong transport links.
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Up to 270 new homes approved after appeal
A plan for up to 270 new homes has been approved on appeal after a council turned them down. Gladman Developments applied to build the homes on land east of Halterworth Lane in Romsey, Hampshire, last year but had its bid rejected by Test Valley Borough Council. The developer appealed to the Planning Inspectorate and its bid was approved on Thursday. Planning inspector Zoe Raygen said although the development will lead to some "adverse impacts", they will "not significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits" of the new housing. She also found it was unable to show that it has a five-year housing land supply, which meant the inspector could use a "tilted balance" in favour of development. Authorities should be able to show they have a deliverable supply of new homes for at least five years under the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). The council's current supply is 2.7 years. The application also includes land for the potential future expansion of Halterworth Primary School, also in Halterworth Lane. You can follow BBC Hampshire & Isle of Wight on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram. Test Valley Borough Council
Yahoo
17-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Residents shocked by 'mindless act' at wildlife reserve: 'What is wrong with people?'
Locals were dismayed by the Test Valley Borough Council's announcement that recently planted trees at Rooksbury Mill Local Nature Reserve in Hampshire, England, had been destroyed by a senseless act of vandalism. Several trees were snapped in half, per reports by the Andover Advertiser. "What is wrong with people or children that they do this I really don't understand," one resident said, per the Andover Advertiser. The trees had been carefully reared for years in a commercial nursery before being taken to the nature reserve. Trees are at their most vulnerable when going from a seedling to a sapling, and reaching full maturity can take about a decade. Some species take even longer to fully grow. This act of vandalism represents lost time and money. "The trees we plant today will grow to become the lungs of our planet tomorrow," the council's announcement explained. Trees are a vital part of an ecosystem, providing oxygen, improving air quality, conserving water, protecting soil, and supporting wildlife. In cities, they can have a cooling effect, reducing temperatures by 2 degrees Celsius to 8 degrees Celsius if planted strategically. Trees can also help combat rising temperatures by offsetting carbon emissions. Awareness of the climate crisis begins with respect for nature. The more we understand about the natural world, the greater our desire to protect it should be. Such a mindless act of destruction showed no respect for the environment. Seeing respect for nature and preserving the planet for future generations as our collective responsibility is a crucial first step. Unfortunately, new trees will not be planted for almost a year. The site for planting may be changed moving forward to prevent more acts of vandalism. Locals continued to discuss the saddening news. Do you think America does a good job of protecting its natural beauty? Definitely Only in some areas No way I'm not sure Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. One person described the incident as a "mindless act," according to the Andover Advertiser. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
