The Lymington Society Spring/Summer 2025 Update for members has been sent by email to all members and the contents of the update can be viewed by clicking here. View this email in your browser.
Message from Don Mackenzie, Society Chair.
| Dear Member of the Lymington Society, Welcome to our Late Spring – Early Summer newsletter from the Lymington Society telling you all about the initiatives that we have taken over the last six months since our last newsletter. Apologies that this newsletter is a bit later than planned. Neighbourhood Plan Our main preoccupation in the last year has been the developing Neighbourhood Plan being prepared by the Lymington and Pennington Town Council, which has now been sent to the District Council for evaluation, and which eventually will hopefully be put to a referendum of local people. More details of this later in the newsletter. Local Plan Review We have also been responding to the developing local plan review which the District Council has been undertaking, and we have sent detailed submissions to the District Council on the issues that we would like to see addressed, including trying to control yet more unwanted and expensive retirement flats. Again, there are more details of this later in the e-mail. Wheelie Bin Waste Strategy not the problem we feared. Despite promises to consult with the Society on the implementation of the new wheelie-bin waste collection strategy, the NFDC has gone ahead with its implementation. At this early stage it would appear that we are not being besieged with wheelie bins in the High Street as we feared, although some areas, such as the listed terrace buildings on Southampton Rd. do now have large numbers of wheelie bins in their tiny front gardens. Why the NFDC was so reluctant to discuss their plans and reassure us that the character of High Street would not be impacted is anybody’s guess, but thankfully so far so good. Literary Institute Society Initiative. Members will be aware that we have been concerned for some time about the state of the Literary Institute in New Street and we have now written to the few remaining members of the Institute seeking a meeting on behalf of a coalition of local community organisations. More details of this are set out in the newsletter. Successful Social Programme Our social programme has been a tremendous success this year and we report later in the newsletter on the events that we have successfully staged, including a glorious summer garden party in the centre of Lymington attended by over 80 people. Society continues to Grow. Thanks for your support. It is very gratifying that so many members support our events and that our membership continues to grow and is now approaching 400 members. Do remember that you can always contact me and other committee members if you wish to discuss any issues of importance in the town. Kind regards Don Don Mackenzie Chair of the Lymington Society. donald@donald-mackenzie.co.uk 07860 106120 |
Better News on Redrow Lymington Shores Development
| Better News on Possible Resolution of the Lymington Shores Site. The Society is pleased to be able to bring slightly more positive news on the future of the Lymington Shores development than has been the case in the past.Positive Dialogue with new Barratt Redrow management The Society has recently been able to engage in a positive dialogue with Matt Paine, the Managing Director of the division of Barrett-Redrow responsible for completing the development of the site, and we have his written assurance that the company is committed to going ahead to try and overcome the difficulties that have stood in the way of the completion of the pedestrian bridge and some of the other facilities on the site. This is in marked contrast to the attitude of the company previously, which spent many years using every legal device to try and get out of their legal obligation to complete the site as per the original planning permission. Freedom of Information dossier shows lack of action and delay from local councils The Society has also had sight of a huge dossier of information from a Freedom of Information request, which makes it clear that the local authorities, namely the NFDC and the Hampshire County Council have to a large extent, been complicit in the delays that have taken place, through a failure to respond appropriately and in a timely fashion to requests for information and clarification from the company. HCC demanded hugely increased charge to adopt new bridge In particular an attempt recently by Hampshire County Council to demand a huge increase in the price for adopting the bridge following its completion, from 20% of the build cost to 100% of the build cost of the bridge, has now been dropped following threatened legal action. Network rail will now not oppose the pedestrian bridge Another major development recently is the agreement by Network Rail that they will not oppose the building of the pedestrian bridge over the railway line, which previously had been unclear. Hurdles remain but Society now more positive There remain many hurdles for the company to overcome and of course the company may change its mind again on whether it wishes to build the bridge and complete the site.However, Mr Paine has assured us that he wishes to retain responsibility for this project going forward and that he is committed to completing the bridge. Let’s hope that now the path is clear to a resolution of this site, even though it may take some years yet. |
LymSoc Responds to The NFDC Consultation on the Lymington & Pennington
TC Neighbourhood Plan
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| Progress of the Lymington and Pennington Neighbourhood Plan As members of the Society will be aware, the Lymington and Pennington Town Council has been building up to the completion and submission of a Neighbourhood Plan for many years. After several sessions of informal consultation between the Society and the Town Council last year, the Council eventually put the plan out for formal consultation in October 2024. The Society submitted a detailed response to this consultation.Neighbourhood Plan finally submitted to the NFDC and then put out for further Consultation. Following further modifications, the Neighbourhood Plan was submitted to the New Forest District Council earlier this year, and in a complicated process, the District Council again put this plan out to further consultation which closed on the 30th of May. Planning Consultant engaged to help us respond to the NFDC Consultation To help us to properly represent the views of the Society and our members, we engaged Steve Lees, a well-known planning consultant, who helped us to prepare a detailed submission on the Neighbourhood Plan which was submitted before the deadline of the 30th of May. Plan to be scrutinised by an Independent Examiner The next stage is for the District Council to appoint an Independent Examiner who will examine the details of the Neighbourhood Plan and will make recommendations as to any changes he feels are required before the plan is eventually put out to a referendum of local people in the town. Society supports the adoption of the Neighbourhood Plan once approved by the NFDC. The Society is of the view, that despite some concerns about the inadequacy of the initial consultations on which the Neighbourhood Plan was developed, the level of increased funding that the council should receive from the Community Infrastructure Levy, should allow important initiatives to go ahead in the town and we are therefore supporting the principle of the Neighbourhood Plan whilst of course pointing out some improvements that we’d like to see made. Plan to be put to Referendum and if agreed Town Council will receive greater share of CIL. If the referendum is successful and the Neighbourhood Plan is adopted, then the Town Council will in future receive 25% of the Community Infrastructure Levy paid by developers who build in the town, instead of the current level of 15%. This should enable the Town Council to take forward more ambitious projects in the town. Next Steps. Hopefully, we will soon have the report from the Independent Examiner and will have an idea of whether he or she accepts the main aims and principle of the Neighbourhood Plan, without hopefully making too many changes. We will report on this again in due course. ————————————————————————————————————-Summary: Lymington Society Comments on Neighbourhood Plan This section contains a summary of the Lymington Society’s formal response to the NFDC Regulation 16 Submission on the Lymington and Pennington Neighbourhood Plan Consultation. The Society, representing nearly four hundred members, has provided detailed feedback on various aspects of the plan to the NFDC. Key Concerns and Recommendations. Planning Process Issues: The Society criticizes the inadequate consultation process, citing lack of proper initial surveys, unpublished working group minutes, and questionable validity of previous consultation responses. Expresses disappointment that the plan will likely need early review due to emerging local plan changes. Conservation Areas: The Society strongly advocates for creating a new Conservation Area covering the Victorian and Edwardian houses bounded by Western Road, Eastern Road, Middle Road, and Southern Road, where residents have previously lobbied for such protection. Town Centre Development: Cultural Quarter: Supports creating a cultural quarter including the Community Centre, St Barbe Museum, and crucially the currently disused Literary Institute, which they urge be brought back into community use. Town Quay: Calls for more ambitious plans to reduce car parking and create better public realm space. Transport Hub: Recommends creating a proper transport hub at the railway station with integrated bus, taxi, and pedestrian facilities. Housing Policy: The Society’s strongest concerns centre on housing balance: Opposes the town’s “disproportionate contribution” to elderly accommodation. Argues that retirement developments outbid other housing types, creating a self-sustaining cycle. Advocates for more affordable homes for younger people and families. Proposes specific policy changes including stricter viability rules and community-led housing initiatives. Development Sites: Supports the identified regeneration sites but recommends: Supplementary Planning Documents for major sites like the Town Hall. Reusing existing buildings rather than demolition to reduce carbon footprint. Adding additional sites including the Waterford Lane boat building factory and former Edgards Dairy yard; Town Maintenance: Highlights significant deterioration in town maintenance, particularly criticizing the “No-Mow-May” initiative as it applies in the town centre and suggests that the Town Council take on more maintenance responsibilities, potentially funded through increased precepts. The document concludes with specific suggestions for using the Buckland Farm Fund for physical improvements including pavement repairs and Town Quay cleaning Overall, the Society supports the plan’s general vision while pushing for more ambitious community-focused development and better maintenance standards. |
Lymington Society Lobbies for Greater Powers and Funding for the Town Council as part of Local Government Reorganisation
| Government embarks on radical reform of local government structures. As part of its aim of streamlining the planning process, the new Labour government has embarked on one of the most radical reforms of local government structures for many years.District Councils to be swept away and replaced by 3 or 4 unitary authorities. In Hampshire this means that the current two-tier system with responsibilities split between the County Council and 11 district councils, will be swept away with the creation of 3 or 4 unitary authorities overseen by a New Hampshire and Solent Strategic Authority run by a new Mayor. NFDC favours Mid-Hampshire Rural Unitary Council As members may have read in the local press, the District Council is strongly in favour of a new Mid-Hampshire unitary council comprising mainly rural areas together with Winchester, rather than the New Forest being split up and joining with major conurbations such as Southampton..  Administration of Lymington split between too many councils. The Society has for many years felt that the current situation where Lymington and Pennington are effectively administered by four different councils, has led to a lack of proper maintenance of the town, with responsibility for maintenance split between four separate councils.Society lobbies NFDC for greater power for town councils in future reorganisation. We are therefore written to the leader of the NFDC urging that Lymington and Pennington and other town councils, are given much wider powers as part of the local government reorganisation so that decisions on maintenance and the strategic management of the town can be taken locally, by an enhanced town council, rather than by new councils even more remote from our local concerns. Leader of HCC to address residents at Meeting on the 15th of July. As we notified members in a recent e-mail, the leader of Hampshire County Council nick Adams king will be addressing residents in a meeting at the town hall at 7:00 PM on the 15th of July and members are urged to go along and hear what is being proposed. Let us know your thoughts. We would welcome your thoughts on which of the various options being discussed would best suit Lymington and the New Forest. |
| Social Programme for Autumn 2024 – Summer 2025 – A Great Success – A Review  Gorgeous Evening for our Summer Garden Party.On a glorious late Spring, early summer evening, on the 23rd of May, the Society was pleased to be able to hold its Summer Garden Party, which is so much appreciated by its members and our guests. With almost eighty-five people attending the event, including Town Mayor Colin McCarthy, local councillors, and guests from the Lymington Community Centre and from St Barbe Museum, this was one of our best supported events for some time. Beautiful Garden of LymSoc Member Jonathan Hutchinson Sandwiched between rainy days on the day before and the day after, we were extremely lucky to have a glorious evening of sunshine in the beautiful garden of High Trees, home of Lymington Society member Jonathan Hutchinson. Situated in Fairfield Close in the grounds of what was once one of Lymington’s finest homes called Fairfield House, High Trees has the advantage of being accessible from St Thomas Street car park, allowing easy access for Society members to the garden party. We are very grateful to Jonathan for working so hard on his garden to make it look so attractive for the party. Usual Selection of Drinks Plus Canapés by Di Morley. As usual we supplied the range of drinks with prosecco proving more popular this year than Pimm’s and white wine being much more popular than red. The delicious canapes provided by renowned caterer Di Morley, were much appreciated by everyone present. Very Successful Season of Social Events The Summer Garden Party caps a very successful season of social events starting with the Private View at St Barbe Museum in the autumn last year, extremely well attended talks such as the fascinating talk about the continued production of Spitfire fighters during the second world war, despite the bombing of the factories in Southampton, the description of Iron Age and Roman remains still visible locally if you know where to look from Professor Tony King and of course our very popular Christmas Drinks Party held again this year in the Church Hall of St Thomas Church.Suggestions Please for Next Years’ Programme We look forward to being able to arrange a similarly attractive season of talks next year and we are pleased to report that we already have a garden lined up for next summer. However, we very much welcome suggestions from anyone about interesting speakers that we could ask to talk to us as part of our next programme of events. Please contact Don Mackenzie on 07860106120 or on donald@donald-mackenzie, if you have any suggestions. |
| NFDC Planning Committee Turns Down Controversial SS6 Development Site Near The Hospice Controversial Site Between Ridgeway Lane And Lower Pennington Lane for 82 Houses Surprisingly and Comprehensively Rejected By New Forest District Council Planning Committee  Town Council had previously objected Despite the objection of the Town Council to this controversial development on the edge of the National Park and adjacent to the Oakhaven Hospice between Lower Pennington Lane and Ridgeway Lane, there was open astonishment at the NFDC Planning Committee Meeting on the 15th of April, when by majority of seven to one the Councillors overwhelmingly rejected this controversial application for 82 houses. Society allowed PALLS to have all the time at the Planning Committee meeting. Having already objected to the application in detail in writing, the Society made the decision to allow the Pennington and Lymington Lanes Association, better known as PALLS, to have the miserly three minutes that the District Council allows for objectors at Planning Committee meetings. In the end the planning consultant employed by PALLS shared his allocation with a representative from the Oakhaven Hospice, who were also objecting to this application. Several town councillors also spoke against this application. Immediately Clear in Debate That Councillors Were Opposed to the Application. From the moment the Councillors were given the chance to debate the application in open session, it was clear that they were very unhappy about the scale of this development in this sensitive area. |
Cicero Plans for SS6 Site near the Oakhaven Hospice
Density of Social Homes particular concern for Councillors.
In particular the dense nature of the area of social homes, which contrasted greatly with the level of density of existing houses nearby, was mentioned by several Councillors who considered this to be contrary to policies set down by the NFDC Local Plan.Councillors who spoke were almost uniformly opposed to the development in one aspect to another, and by the time it came to the vote, it seemed likely that they would vote against the proposal which they did.
General surprise at the eventual refusal.
Despite this, here was general surprise that despite the site being allocated in the Local Plan and had been recommended for approval by the Officers after nearly 2 1/2 years of detailed discussions with the developers, the Councillors were not convinced by the case being made and refused the application.Councillors had listened to the arguments of objectors..
It was clear from the arguments advanced by the Councillors in the debate, that they had taken on board many of the arguments made by objectors about this controversial site, which the Society believes should never have been allocated in the Local Plan in the first place.
Officers Helped Frame Valid Reasons for Refusal.
As is usual when Councillors are minded to vote against an application, they received guidance from the Officers to ensure that the reasons given for refusal were more likely to stand up at appeal, and in the end the application was refused on 10 separate grounds. In reality only two of these are substantial which could be substantiated at an appeal more difficult for the developers if they decide to go ahead.
No Appeal So Far by Site Promoters
As of today, the developers have not made any further applications or asked for the case to go to appeal, which it seems likely they most likely will. Applicants have six months from the rejection in which to make an appeal and the consensus of opinion is that they may well choose to go to appeal rather than walk away after so much work and cost expended on the application to date. We shall await their decision with interest.Society.
Will Continue to Oppose This Unsuitable Site.
The Society will continue to make the case that this is a totally unsuitable site for this scale of development, and we will continue to keep our members updated as to developments on this site.
Less of an Impact from Wheelie Bins on Lymington High Street than Feared  Impact of Wheelie Bins on The Georgian High Street Less Than Feared The Society is pleased to report that despite our concerns about potential wheelie-bin blight on the Georgian High Street, the implementation of the new waste collection scheme has not resulted so far in large numbers of wheelie bins being left out on the pavement, damaging the character of the High Street. Obvious Solution Was to Continue Using Bags. The Society always felt that with so little room for storing wheelie bins for use by residential properties on the High Street, the obvious solution was to retain the use of plastic bags which could be put out on the appropriate days as before. Most Properties on The High Street assessed as suitable only for bags This would now appear to be what is happening, and on checking on the NFDC website for the High Street area, it does show that most of the properties are being allowed to retain collection with bags as was the case previously, rather than being forced to use and find somewhere to store the large wheelie bins that the Council are now using around the rest of the town. Council refusal to discuss options for heritage areas baffling. Why the council was so determined not to discuss this with the Society or local councillors or to try and reassure us that this was not going to be a problem, is somewhat of a mystery. In fact, Officers had assured us that no allowance would be made for historic or heritage areas, which now appears not to be the case. Sense has prevailed. Thankfully, sense has prevailed, and they have not forced wheelie-bins on to residents in the High Street area and have continued with collection using bags for the time being. Let us hope that this remains the situation and that wheelie bins are not quietly introduced in the future. |
Lymington Society Takes Initiative to Retain the Literary Institute for Community Use. Society Takes Initiative To Try And Save The Literary Institute For Future Community Use Society has been concerned for some years about the state of the Literary Institute As Members will have read in previous newsletters, the Society has been taking an interest in the future of the Lymington Literary Institute in New Street, which has been unused and in a deteriorating state for many years. Building used to be an important part of the cultural life of the town. Members may remember that the town band used to practise in the building on the first floor in the large performance space, and Institute Members provided dance classes over many years.Society has tried to support institute members to fund maintenance of the building. Since the building has been unused, we have made various attempts to offer help to the remaining few Members who used to run the Literary Institute, when it was in operation, but have not been able to take this further forward. Society has formed a group of local organisations willing to support a refurbishment of the building. In order to assess the appetite amongst local organisations for attempting to bring the building back into community use, the Society has held discussions with several Cultural organisations in the town who have expressed their support and have set out in writing their interest in joining together to examine how the building could be restored and brought back into use. Society has invited the Trustees and Members of the Institute to a meeting. Following this the Society wrote on behalf of these other organisations, asking for a meeting with the Members of the Institute to examine whether together we could formulate a plan to investigate the options for the future of the building.Initial public response was positive, but no meeting yet arranged. The Society publicised this initiative in the local press and although the initial response from one of the Trustees was positive, we have not yet had a formal reply back from the Institute Members as to whether they wish to meet with representatives from these other organisations to discuss the options for the building. Society will continue to make the case for a community solution to retain this valuable cultural asset. We will continue to seek a dialogue with the Members of the Institute to see whether this important cultural space could be brought back into use and provide much needed space for the lively cultural life of the town. |
Society Helped by Members’ Survey to Respond to NFDC Local Plan Consultation  NFDC OFFICES AT APPLETREE COURT LYNDHURST.Lymington Society actively involved in Local Plan Review consultation. Every Local Authority with powers over planning has to have in place a Local Plan which sets out all the policies that the council has to consider when deciding on planning applications. The Local Plan sets out how much housing is needed in certain areas, as well as which areas should be used for industrial estates etc. Current Local Plan not fit for purpose. The Society has been complaining for several years that the Local Plan we are currently operating under, is simply not fit for purpose, as it has allowed multiple unwanted development of expensive retirement flats in the town which do nothing for the local population, but pull yet more old people into the area – further unbalancing the population. Local Plan review now underway with consultation on “Issues and Scope” The Society has been urging the District Council for many years to undertake a review of the Local Plan and finally this is now taking place. The first stage of this process was the consultation on the “Scope and Issues” that the Local Plan review should address, and the Society has been taking an active part in this process. Survey designed with the help of local planning consultant With the help of planning consultant Steve Lees, the Society devised a survey which was sent out to members using the MailChimp email platform, and we are very grateful to the nearly 30 members who took the time to respond to this survey, setting out what they would like to see examined in the Local Plan review. AI programme used to analyse responses In order to analyse the results produced by members’ responses. the Society for the first time used an artificial intelligence (AI) programme to correlate and pick out the main concerns of our members in relation to future developments. Revised Submission sent to the NFDC From these results the Society was able, with the help from the planning consultant, to submit a detailed submission to the NFDC consultation which ended on the 30th of May. The key points raised through the survey and included in the LymSoc Submission were: A call for more genuinely affordable housing to meet local need. Concerns over the volume of retirement developments, and the effect this is having on housing mix and community diversity. Support for using brownfield sites and town centre regeneration, rather than expanding into green spaces.The importance of ensuring that infrastructure—such as schools, GPs, and public transport—keeps pace with new development. Greater protection for the town’s green spaces and heritage, including recognition of non-listed Response of NFDC awaited A press release was drafted setting out the main concerns of the Society which we would like to see examined in the “Issues and Scope” consultation. We await the results of this consultation exercise, and we are hopeful that due to the expertise of the planning consultant and the survey of members’ opinions. our views will be taken into account in the next stage of the Local Plan review. |
Application Received for Conversion of List Salt Barns to Residential Units.  One of the Listed Salt Barns near Creek Cottage Planning Application Finally Submitted For Renovation Of Listed Salt Barns At Creek Cottage Concern over neglect of listed salt barns at Creek Cottage. As members will have read previously, we have been concerned for some years about the perilous state of deterioration of the very important listed old salt barns at Creek Cottage, which are the only remnants left of the once extensive salt trade of Lymington. Society pressure on National Park Authority to get action on state of the barns. We have been in communication over the years with the owner and with the Conservation Officer at the New Forest National Park authority, urging them to intervene to prevent the barns from further deterioration.Finally, an application has been made to restore the barns. A detailed planning application has now come forward to convert the barns into two separate residential units, which will most likely be used for holiday lets which we very much welcome as a major step forward.Society supported Application for two separate dwellings The Environment Agency had resisted the conversion of these barns into two residential units, due to the fact that they were in a flood area and they had originally suggested that one unit should be made by joining both barns together, maybe bey using something like a glass connector.The Society feels that keeping the barns as separate units is a better solution and we are very pleased that this application has now come forward and holds out the hope that these buildings will now be restored. The Society shares Conservation Officer’s concern over number of new openings in listed barns. However, as the Conservation Officer of The National Park Authority has pointed out, these plans do involve a considerable number of new openings in the structure of the listed buildings, which could undermine the integrity of the original structure, and which needs to be reconsidered. In addition, the Officer feels that more full height open space, exposing the roof structure, would allow the original industrial character of the building to be visible. Society has supported Conservation Officer’s comments but has urged momentum is maintained to avoid further deterioration. The Society has written endorsing the concerns of the Conservation Officer but expressing general support for the principle that these buildings should be restored as soon as possible, before further deterioration takes place. |
The Lymington Society 