Jubilee Benches

The pair of wooden Jubilee benches currently installed outside Andover’s Guildhall will shortly be removed for refurbishment following persistent misuse.

Councillor Marion Kerley arranged for the benches to be installed during her year as Mayor of Test Valley in 2000. She says “Sadly the benches are now so badly damaged that they have to be removed. In light of the vandalism over the years and the impending change to the use of the Lower Guildhall, it is now planned to refurbish and relocate them to other parts of the town where they can be fully appreciated and used as they should be.”

Cllr Len Gates has spoken to Mrs Kerley regarding this and expressed local concerns that the seats were to be removed and today emailed the corporate director at Test Valley to re-enforce this point as follows.

“I was disappointed to hear these benches were to be moved from the Guildhall. While I accept they need renovation to take them away permanently from the Guildhall and High Street is to remove a frequently used public facility.

On almost every occasion I’ve been in town I have seen people using them despite the fact they are damaged. Furthermore to remove them prior to giving Prezzo permission to use the Guildhall forecourt implies the decision to allow Prezzo to occupy this area is already made. In fact this point has been made in a letter in today’s Andover Advertiser.

I would prefer to see them remain where they are in front of the Guildhall and facing down the High Street. If they have to be moved can they be relocated either at the sides or further forward of the cobbled area so local residents still have the opportunity to sit there, in the sun, and enjoy the view of the High Street.”

Lillywhite Survey Results

A recent survey of the Lillywhite Crescent area has highlighted residents concerns about traffic, youth nuisance and litter. The survey was carried out by Cllr Len Gates and Alamein Lib Dems in response to calls from a number of residents.

Respondents expressed concerns about speeding along Icknield Way, the use of this road by East Anton contractor traffic and the ineffectiveness of new traffic calming measures installed. The comments have been passed on to the police, Hampshire Highways and the contractors. “Contractor traffic is monitored and action taken against drivers using this route.” Len said. “The current traffic claming measures are the first stage of a program which will eventually see the north of Icknield Way closed to through traffic except buses and emergency vehicles. The completion of the scheme depends on building progress at East Anton.”
Residents are satisfied with measures taken by the police and wardens to control motor bikes and nuisance along Dark Lane although some problems still exist. The police nuisance vehicle campaign will continue throughout the summer and Len is talking to council officers about other measures to make the path safer for walkers and cyclists.
Fly-tipped rubbish and garden waste has been removed from Icknield Way and Dark Lane and the area will be monitored to prevent re-occurrence. Council officers are investigating the possibility of extra dog waste and litter bins here and along the path to Viking Way.
A number of other issues were also raised including damaged signs, improvements to footpaths, 20 mph speed limits and graffiti. All of these have been referred to council officers for further investigation and action.

Bandstand comes down

Andover’s Vigo Road bandstand has now been demolished. At this stage it is appropriate that we look at how this came to pass and what lessons we learn from it.

The bandstand hasn’t been used as a bandstand since the 1960s. Most recently it was used as an aviary and many locals fondly remember the budgies in there. They were re-housed two years ago when changes in animal welfare legislation made it impossible to keep them there any more. Their removal in no way affected the integrity of, or future uses for, the building. Neither does the fact that once someone let a cat into the aviary.

Since then the building has been left empty, boarded up and frequently vandalised. The costs of repairing damage have run into thousands of pounds but at no time has anyone from Test Valley thought what should we do with this important local landmark. In May of this year TVBC Leisure department arranged a survey of the building and found it to be beyond repair. They submitted a recommendation to Cllr Mrs Noakes, cabinet member for Leisure that it be removed. Mrs Noakes, together with Cllr Ian Carr, leader of the Council authorised its immediate demolition. It was not unsafe and was in no danger of falling down. This has since been confirmed by council officers and by the fact that it withstood fairly heavy treatment in its demolition.

The decision was discussed informally by cabinet members, but at no time were other councillors informed or consulted. To date neither Cllrs Noakes nor Carr have felt the need to contact any of the three councillors in whose ward the bandstand stood and discuss the matter. The first they knew of the demolition was when they heard from the local press at least a month after the decision was made.

Since then Cllrs Gates and Bailey have had detailed conversations with council officers about the bandstand. Unfortunately, the bandstand was beyond repair, refurbishment or relocation elsewhere. The only reason for its removal was to get it out of the way in time for the BigFest on August 15th. This is despite the fact that the plans for the BigFest show all activities taking place at the other end of the park. Any attempt to postpone demolition would be referred to the next cabinet meeting in September. In other words it was coming down within the next week whatever local members said or did.

They did manage to agree with officers that we and a representative of the local history society could attend the demolition to ensure as much as possible of the building and its history could be saved. To that end Cllrs Len Gates and Mike McGarry and David Borrett checked the building before work started and monitored the works. As a result the weathervane and an engraved beam (previously unknown to council officers) were saved. Nothing else could be saved, a sad end to a much loved building.

Talking since to residents it is apparent there is a need and demand for a replacement. Andover Lib Dems will be pushing for this as soon as possible. We also need to ask why and how it came to this stage that there was no option but demolition. And we need some explanations and apologies from Cllrs Carr and Noakes who have lost touch with Andover, its people and their views.

Fly Tipping Removed

Prompt action by Alamein Lib Dem councillor Len Gates has lead to fly-tipped rubbish being removed from Genoa Court.

The rubbish was spotted by Len on Monday and cleared the following day when reported to TVBC's environment department. Commenting on fly-tipping Len said "I am always amazed at why people should want to dump rubbish in the street. It lowers the neighbourhood upsets everybody and is completely unnecessary when there are plenty of alternatives."
"Household rubbish can be taken to the recycling centre on Walworth industrial estate. If you can’t take it there Test Valley will collect rubbish for you. Phone 01264 368000 for more details. If you see flytipped rubbish please call the same number and it will be removed. Together we can keep Alamein clean and tidy."

Bandstand Outcry

Andover Liberal Democrat councillors have reacted angrily to council leader Ian Carr’s decision to demolish Vigo Road’s bandstand.

Speaking on Andover Sound Cllr Carr claimed it was within the remit of council officers to demolish the bandstand whenever they wanted. Officers consulted Cllr Carr and other cabinet members but significantly no-one bothered to advise or consult local councillors. When asked whether an Andover town council could have saved the bandstand he retorted the bandstand belongs to Test Valley and so they can do what they like with it.

Discussions have taken place about moving the bandstand and Cllr Carr also admitted he had no resources for a new bandstand and appealed for members of the public to come forward and pay for a replacement. When quizzed on the adverse publicity the decision had received he angrily blamed people for giving false information to the press. He also accused fellow conservative members of forgetting they had been advised of the decision which was made by the council’s cabinet only one of whom is an Andover member. Significantly only Tory councillors were advised of the decision.

St Mary’s councillor Rod Bailey said “The bandstand is an important local landmark and residents are furious that the decision has been made without consultation. The first I knew about it was when the story appeared in the local paper. This is unacceptable.”

Fellow ward councillor Mike McGarry said “I am appalled at the way this whole fiasco has been handled by the Leader and his Cabinet, firstly they make this decision without consulting the local people or the ward councillors, undemocratically giving us no chance to comment, secondly when residents are up in arms they try to rush it through so there is no going back and thirdly Cllr Carr makes promises about a replacement that he knows can’t happen in the current economic climate. How can he justify spending money on knocking it down, let alone building a new one when TVBC are making people redundant? ”.

Lib Dem leader Len Gates commented “Once again Cllr Carr and his colleagues have shown complete disregard for the people of Andover and behaved like feudal landlords in their attitude to the town. As with the Guildhall, the bandstand has been allowed to fall into disrepair and then this disrepair used as an excuse to destroy another part of Andover’s heritage. The latest claim is that the bandstand is so unsafe that it must be demolished immediately. If this is the case, surely it has been unsafe for sometime and has not therefore been maintained properly. Andover residents deserve some straight answers from Cllr Carr.”

Liberal Democrats on Test Valley Borough Council will be seeking a review of the decision making process and assurances that the bandstand will be replaced and preferably restored elsewhere in the park.

Guildhall losses finally admitted

In a written answer to last night’s Andover Councillors Forum it was finally admitted that the council has lost money as a result of leaving the lower Guildhall empty.While full figures have not been given, council officers have confirmed that lettings income for the Upper Guildhall and Rendezvous is £5,500 down on income from the Upper and Lower Guildhalls over the previous year. In addition the council has spent £114,000 on set up costs for the Rendezvous. No figure has been given for the running costs (maintenance and staffing) of the two facilities.This adds up to £119,500 of council taxpayers money spent on closing the lower Guildhall and setting up an alternative facility that no-one wanted and very few people use. Most of the previous users of the lower Guildhall have since found alternatives to the Rendezvous because it is inadequate and in the wrong place. They also dispute council claims that facilities at the Rendezvous are superior to those at the Guildhall.In addition the council has still to see any rental income from Prezzo as no contracts have been signed. The value of this rental is described as confidential commercial information. However it has previously been claimed to be more than enough to cover running costs of both the Guildhall and the Rendezvous.
Cllr Len Gates said "I believe the answers given are totally inadequate. The costs and future of the Rendezvous and Guildhall are due to be reviewed by the council’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee later this year. I will insist on a more detailed response then".

Smannell Road to re-open

Cllr Len Gates is pleased to report that work on the upgrade of Smannell Road is going to schedule and contractors plan to re-open the road on 19 June. The closure has caused great inconvenience to local residents (see previous stories on this website) and he hopes the contractors keep to this time table.

The road has been closed to allow contractors to build roundabouts for the new East Anton development in safety. The diversion via Upper Enham and Little London has delayed and inconvenienced drivers and led to damage on the alternative routes. He will be working with Smannell parish council and the highways department to ensure that these roads are made good.