Author Archives: Donald Mackenzie

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Donald Mackenzie, Chair -The Lymington Society

Lymington Society Announces Social Programme for Autumn 2025 – Summer 2026

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Dear LymSoc Member,

Welcome to our “Save the Dates” notice for our full schedule of exciting and varied social events for our Social Programme for the year from Autumn 2025 – Summer 2026. 

As has become traditional, our first event of the season will be a “Private View” at St Barbe Museum of the Autumn Exhibition that is always the highlight of the year’s exhibition programme at St Barbe.

This year’s blockbuster exhibition is called the “Life of the Fields”, which starts on the 10th of September.  Please join us for an exclusive “Private View” of this amazing Exhibition on Wednesday the 8th of October 2025 Details below. Tickets Here

Following this we have a full programme of talks and parties, including the usual Christmas Drinks Party and the Summer Garden Party. We very much hope that you will find time to come to some or all of these meetings and events.

Due to alterations at the Lymington Centre, for some time we will only have the smaller McLellan Hall for most of our meetings so there may be some restrictions on numbers. Do please help by booking early to help us arrange the seating.

If you see any mistakes in the dates or times of these events or clashes with other events, please do let me know.
 
Kind regards
Don

Don Mackenzie
Chair – The Lymington Society
donald@donald-mackenzie.co.uk
07860 106120
Wednesday 8th of October – 2025
6.30 pm for 7.00 pm 
Private View – “Life of the Fields”
St Barbe Museum and Art Gallery 
Refreshments served from 6.30 pm
Tickets – £6.00 (£7.00 for Guests) to include refreshments.
  on the door on TicketTailor
Click Here for Tickets
Nick Schlee – Streatley Farm with a Swirl of Stubble © Nick Schlee
The Life of the Fields – St Barbe Museum
 
St Barbe Museum is holding an amazing Exhibition this Autumn which starts on the 10th of September and which is called The Life of the Fields.

The Life of the Fields is a unique exhibition examining artists’ representations of farming and farmed landscapes from 1900 to the present. It features important works on loan from Tate, the Royal Academy, Towner, Royal West of England Academy, Government Art Collection, Museum of English Rural Life and private collections.

Farming accounts for around 70% of land use in England, so to portray the countryside was to portray aspects of agriculture. Some artists were primarily interested in these apparently timeless vistas, while others were conscious that the horse-powered, rotational farming methods that maintained such landscapes were disappearing as a new world was ushered in.

Depictions of farmland were also bound up with ideas that the traditional patchwork of fields and woodland, scattered farmsteads and villages were quintessentially English, despite an increasingly urbanised population.

Whether they intended it or not, artists capturing rural life during this period chronicled massive change in farming techniques and the appearance of the countryside.
Friday 14th of November – 2025 6:30 PM for 7:00 PM
Illustrated Talk – James Taylor
Grace Darling and the Fine Art of Saving Lives at Sea
The McLellan Hall – The Lymington Centre
Refreshments served from 6.30 pm
Cost £6.00 (£7.00 Guests) to include refreshments.
Tickets on the door or on TicketTailor.
Click Here for Tickets
Thomas Brooks Grace Darling – RNLI Grace Darling Museum
Grace Darling and the Fine Art of Saving Lives at Sea
 
Grace Darling (1815–1842) was a British national heroine and lighthouse keeper’s daughter, who became famous for rowing with her father, William, through a severe storm in 1838 to rescue nine survivors from the shipwrecked steamship Forfarshire. 

Her courageous act earned her national fame, numerous honours, and inspired many works of art. She became the ‘poster girl’ of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution,  and was the first woman to be awarded their medal for gallantry. After her death from tuberculosis at age 26, a monument was erected in her honor in her hometown of Bamburgh, Northumberland.

Discover more about her bravery and her short life on the Brownsman and Longstone Lighthouses, alongside the artistic contribution that helped to keep her in the public eye.

Dr James Taylor MA (Hons) FRSA studied at the Universities of St. Andrews, Manchester and Sussex. He is a former specialist in Victorian paintings at Phillips Fine Art Auctioneers; a curator of paintings, drawings and prints and contributor to various exhibitions and galleries at the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich; and from 1999 an independent author, award-winning lecturer and exhibition organiser.
He guest curated Dazzle – Disguise & Disruption in War & Art at the St Barbe Museum and Art Gallery in Lymington in 2018.
Thursday 18th of December – 2025 
Lymington Society Christmas Drinks Party
6.00 PM – St Thomas Church Hall
Tickets £10.00 (Guests £11.00) online only at TicketTailor
Click Here for Christmas Party Tickets
Lymington Society Christmas Drinks Party

After last year’s very successful party, this year we are going again to the Church Hall of St Thomas Church for our annual Christmas Drinks Party.

Please come along and kick off your Christmas in great style at the Lymington Society Christmas Party, viewed by many as the most exciting Christmas Party in Lymington. Always a popular event, the Christmas Party is your chance to meet other members and to chat to LymSoc Committee members and local Councillors about the ongoing local matters of concern.

As usual the catering will be provided by outstanding local caterer Di Morley who produces the most delicious canapes. Make a date to join us for this popular event in the LymSoc calendar.
Friday 6th February 2025. 
Illustrated Talk – 6.30 pm for 7.00 pm
Phillip St Lawrence – “‘Affairs that Rocked a Nation”
The McLellan Hall – The Lymington Centre
Refreshments served from 6.30 pm – 
Cost £6.00 to include refreshments. (£7.00 for Guests)
Tickets on the door or on TicketTailor
Click Here for Tickets
Lady Emma Hamilton and Christine Keeler
England’s Infamous Lovers

Both Nelson and Profumo had their lovers. The exploits of Christine Keeler & Emma Hamilton rocked the nation. A story of sex, spies & salacious intrigue

Christmas Keeler
Christine Keeler left her home in Wraysbury, Berkshire for London aged sixteen and in 1960 was employed at Murray’s cabaret club in Soho. Here she met Stephen Ward and soon after went to live with him. He introduced Keeler to the Conservative Minister of War, John Profumo, and Yevgeny Ivanov, the Soviet naval attaché, at Cliveden. Affairs with both provoked a major political scandal in 1963 and helped to pave the way for Labour’s success at the following election.

Emma, Lady Hamilton
Born Amy Lyon, Emma Hamilton rose from humble beginnings to become a prominent figure in European society. She was known for her captivating “attitudes,” a series of dramatic poses and performances that became celebrated across Europe through drawings and prints. 
She became the mistress of Admiral Lord Nelson, a passionate affair that caused a scandal in high society.  
After Nelson’s death and the loss of her fortune, she fell into debt, was imprisoned, and fled to Calais, France, where she died in 1815. 

But what were these women really like? What is their true story and how should we fairly judge them? Celebrated and engaging speaker Philip St Lawrence will reveal the women behind the headlines and will help us understand more about their fascinating stories.
Friday the 13th of March – 2026 
7.00 pm for 7.30 pm
Lymington Society Annual General Meeting.
The McLellan Hall – The Lymington Centre.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Followed by an Illustrated Talk by Dr Charles Rees
” Richard the 3rd and his Mother”
Lymington Society Annual General Meeting

Members are invited to attend the AGM of the Society where the Chair will present a Report on the activities of the last year since the previous AGM.

Following this, members will be invited to vote on the appointment of the officers of the society and to vote for the members of the Executive Committee.  

There will then be the usual chance for members to ask questions and have their input into the future priorities for the next year’s activities.

Please do come along to show your support and find our what your Society is doing, both for its members and the town of Lymington and Pennington

 Following the AGM – An Illustrated Talk by Dr Charles Rees 
“Richard the III and his Mother”

Richard the 3rd’s Mother Cecily Neville and her two Sisters 

Richard III has been in the news since his body was recovered from the Leicester Social Services car park in 2012.  His real story is totally different from the Shakespeare calumny. However, most people are not necessarily interested in hearing the real story of his life, so Charles has expanded it to include the story of his mother and her children.

Richard III’s mother was Cecily Neville, the powerful Duchess of York and matriarch of the House of York. She was the wife of Richard, 3rd Duke of York, and mother to two kings: Edward IV and Richard III. As the wife of Richard, Duke of York, and mother to kings Edward IV and Richard III, she was a central figure in the House of York. 

She was a powerful and influential women during  the Wars of the Roses, a tumultuous period of English history, navigating the conflicts between the Yorkist and Lancastrian families. She gave birth to at least 12 christened children, of which 7 survived. 3 were duchesses, 2 were kings, one son killed another and 2 died in battle.

In her later life, Cecily lived to see her son Richard III become king and, sadly, witnessed his defeat at the Battle of Bosworth. When Richard died at Bosworth she had only 2 daughters left and was 70. When she died at the age of 80 She had nearly 100 estates.

Charles will tell us about the life and times of both Richard and Cecily, his powerful and influential mother. 
Friday 24th April 2026 – 6.30 pm for 7.00 pm
Illustrated Talk by Peter Bell
“The Camino del Norte Pilgrimage” 
Refreshments served from 6.30 pm – Cost £6.00 to include refreshments. (£7.00 for Guests).
Tickets on the door or on TicketTailor
Click here for tickets 
Peter and Barnaby Bell on the Camino del Norte Pilgrimage
Starting in April 2024, Lymington resident and accomplished sailor Peter Bell and his son Barnaby undertook the arduous 5-week pilgrimage known as the Camino del Norte, or “Northern Way”, in northern Spain.

This is a coastal pilgrimage route running from Irun in Northern Spain to Santiago de Compostela, known for its dramatic scenery, challenging hilly terrain, and vibrant Basque and Cantabrian culture, offering pilgrims a mix of beaches, cliffs, and mountains. At approximately 825 kilometres (508 miles) long, it is one of the many historical routes of the Camino de Santiago, (the Way of St James), historically used when other route were dangerous due to Muslim occupation.

Created and established in the beginning of the 9th century, following the discovery of the relics of “Saint James the Great”, the Way of St. James became a major pilgrimage route of medieval Christianity from the 10th century onwards. 

Walking on average 25 Km or more a day, the pilgrimage was both a physical and mental challenge, as well as a chance for father and son bonding.

Peter will tell us something of the history of this famous pilgrimage route, as well as tell us about the challenges of walking over 500 miles in 5 weeks and the experiences they had along the way 
Thursday the 28th May 2026 6.00 – 8.00 PM.
The Lymington Society Summer Garden Party.
6, Fairfield Close, Lymington. 
Tickets are £10.00 for Members and £11.00 for Guests
Tickets will only available on Ticket Tailor 
Click here for Tickets 
Garden of Orchard House, 6, Fairfield Close, Lymington.
By kind permission of LymSoc member Lucy Elliott and her partner Stephen Rodwell, the Summer Garden Party will be held in the simply stunning gardens of 6, Fairfield Close, Lymington. SO41 3NP. 

The 1/2 acre garden (just behind the M&S car park) stands on the original orchard of ‘Fairfield House’ and is partly surrounded nine, 500 year old yew trees and three oak trees.  It was professionally landscaped in the 1950s and includes many specimen shrubs such as acers, rhododendron, hydrangeas, azaleas and camellias. The garden is both formal (rose/iris/peony beds) and informal, with a small light-filled woodland area left to naturalise.

Please join us for a delightful summer’s garden party with Pimms, Prosecco and fantastic canapes in this beautiful garden, just a short walk from the High Street.

Lymington Society Spring/Summer Update 9th July 2025

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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
Top Stories This Edition

Message from Don Mackenzie Chair of Lymington Society
Better News on Redrow Lymington Shores Development
LymSoc Response to NFDC Consultation on Neighbourhood Plan
LymSoc Urges Greater Role for TC in Government
Social Programme for 2024 – 2025 a Great Success
NFDC Refuses Controversial SS6 Housing Site at Hospice
Less Impact on High Street from Wheelie Bins Than Feared.
LymSoc Takes Initiative to Try and Save the Literary Institute.
LymSoc Surveys Members to Help with Local Plan Review.
Planning Application Finally made to save Listed Salt Barns.

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

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.

Lymington Society Announces Social Programme for Autumn 2024 – Summer 2025

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LymSoc Social Programme for
Autumn 2024 – Summer 2025

Welcome to our “Save the Dates Notice” for our full programme of exciting and varied social events for our Social Programme for the year from Autumn 2024 – Summer 2025.
Following last years’ very successful programme of events, which were so well supported by the members, we will be continuing to hold our talks in the Gates Hall, which offers so much more space than the smaller halls, so please do make a note of these dates in your diary and please support these events, as so many of you did last year.

Following this we have the usual interesting mix of events from a Private View of the blockbuster Lymington Afloat exhibition, which opened at St Barbe Museum earlier this month.  Join us for an Exclusive Private View of this amazing Exhibition on Friday the 18th of October. Details below. Tickets Here

Following this we have a programme of talks and parties, including the usual Christmas Drinks Party and the Summer Garden Party.  We very much hope that you will find time to come to some or all of these meetings and events.

Kind regards
 
Don
 
Don Mackenzie
Chair – The Lymington Society
donald@donald-mackenzie.co.uk
07860 106120
Friday 18th of October – 2024
6.30 pm for 7.00 pm 
Private View – “Lymington Afloat”
St Barbe Museum and Art Gallery 
Refreshments served from 6.30 pm – £6.00 to include refreshments.
 (£7.00 for Guests) on the door on TicketTailor
Click Here for Tickets
St Barbe Museum is holding an amazing Festival and Exhibition this Autumn called Lymington Afloat, celebrating the maritime history of Lymington with a dynamic exhibition and festival, showcasing the river’s vital local role. From cutting-edge marine design and a thriving boat building industry to the histories of trade and salt production, this exhibition will change perceptions about the river.
 
The exhibition will highlight the importance of the river to Lymington life and tell tales of people and marine related businesses who have spread its remarkable reputation over the centuries. Focusing on geology, archaeology, natural history, local and social history, boat design and building, marine innovation and sustainability, the exhibition will show objects on loan from the National Maritime Museum, displayed alongside beautiful local artworks and objects from the Museum’s own social history collection.
Friday 22nd of November – 2024 – Illustrated Talk –
6.30 pm for 7.00 pm. 
Alan Matlock – “Building Spitfires without a Factory”
The Gates Hall – The Lymington Centre
Refreshments served from 6.30 pm – Cost £6.00 (£7.00 Guests) to include refreshments.
Tickets on the door or on TicketTailor.
Click Here for Tickets

Alan Matlock’s talk will tell the story of the Supermarine Aviation Co. based in Woolston, Southampton, where the Mk1 Spitfires were produced, and how the vast majority of Spitfires that fought in the Battle of Britain were made there.
This stirring story of the inspirational, iconic Spitfire: its creation, development and defiant on-going production – even when the Supermarine factories were destroyed by bombing in September 1940 – tells how ‘winning the war’ needed everyone, not just ‘The Few’, to be ‘doing their bit’, as manufacturing was moved to dozens of small workshops, sheds, and garages across Southampton and beyond – even in Lymington – and how the IOW was involved too.
Thursday 19th December – 2024 
Lymington Society Christmas Drinks Party
6.00 PM – St Thomas Church Hall
Tickets £10.00 (Guests £11.00) online only at TicketTailor
Click Here for Christmas Party Tickets
After last year’s very successful party, this year we are going again to the Church Hall of St Thomas Church for our annual Christmas Drinks Party.
Please come along and kick off your Christmas in great style at the Lymington Society Christmas Party, viewed by many as the most exciting Christmas Party in Lymington. Always a popular event, the Christmas Party is your chance to meet other members and to chat to LymSoc Committee members and local Councillors about the ongoing local matters of concern.
As usual the catering will be provided by outstanding local caterer Di Morley who produces the most delicious canapes. Make a date to join us for this popular event in the LymSoc calendar.
Friday 7th February 2025. Illustrated Talk – 6.30 pm for 7.00 pm
Nick Saunders – “A Major Armed Confrontation with Smugglers at Naish.”The Gates Hall – The Lymington Centre
Refreshments served from 6.30 pm – Cost £6.00 to include refreshments. (£7.00 for Guests)
Tickets on the door or on TicketTailor
Click Here for Tickets 
Respected local historian Nick Saunders will be telling us all about a major armed clash involving smugglers, that took place at Naish in 1825 and the resulting ramifications for those involved that resulted. In the 1800s, smuggling was rife along the coastline and the uninhabited coasts of Dorset of Hampshire, often encouraged by the local gentry.
On the 3rd of July 1825, a detachment of Royal Navy personnel based at Hurst Castle confronted an armed gang of 60 smugglers. Nick will describe the background to this major incident, how he came to discover detail of the clash and the results of the major legal trials of those who took part.
New Forest Smugglers 
Friday the 14th of March – 2025 –
6.30 pm for 7.00 pm
Lymington Society Annual General Meeting.
The Gates Hall – The Lymington Centre. Followed by an Illustrated Talk by Professor Tony King
“Iron Age and Roman Times in Lymington and the New Forest”
Members are invited to attend the AGM of the Society where the Chair will present a Report on the activities of the last year since the previous AGM. Following this, members will be invited to vote on the appointment of the officers of the society and to vote for the members of the Executive Committee.  
There will then be the usual chance for members to ask questions and have their input into the future priorities for the next year’s activities.
 
Following the AGM – An Illustrated Talk by Professor Tony King
“Iron Age and Roman Times in Lymington and the New Forest”
Professor Tony King is a distinguished lecturer in archaeology at the University of Winchester and a specialist in Roman archaeology. He has excavated widely in Britain and abroad, at sites that include Hayling Island, Meonstoke Roman Villa, Pompeii, Leptis Magna, and at Volubilis.
His talk will highlight new discoveries in the southern New Forest of Iron Age and Roman sites and remains. The New Forest History and Archaeology Group has been active in recent years on sites such as the Roman settlement and possible villa at Brockenhurst, and in surveying and recording hillforts such as Ampress, Buckland Rings and Exbury.
Professor King will put his discoveries into their historical context and illustrate his talk with photos of sites and artefacts.
Wednesday 23rd of  April 2025 – 6.30 pm for 7.00 pm
Illustrated Talk by Alan Brooke
The Story of Gill Electronic Research
The Amazing Story Of A Major, Cutting-Edge, High Technology Company, based here In Lymington.
Refreshments served from 6.30 pm – Cost £6.00 to include refreshments. (£7.00 for Guests).
Tickets on the door or on TicketTailor
Click here for tickets 

Gill Electronic Research and Development  was formed by Michael and Lesley Gill in 1985 originally in a converted stable block at their home in Milford-on-Sea, later moving to Solent House, in Cannon Street, 
Prior to launching Gill Electronic Research, Mike Gill was Technical Director at Brooks and Gatehouse, a Lymington company which had been responsible for many developments in leisure marine navigation equipment, where Mike lead redevelopment of the aged product range. Design award winning additional products included “Sonic Speed” which measured boat speed with no moving parts.
Gill Instruments Ltd. was founded in 1988 with the launch of an ultrasonic anemometer, an innovative and ground-breaking wind-speed measuring device with no moving parts but using ultrasound to calculate wind speed and direction. This novel technology has revolutionised wind measurement. From this early beginning, Gill Instruments has developed to become the premier weather measurement company globally, with products setting the gold standard worldwide.
A string of other innovative products has followed including an award-winning gas meter using no moving parts which was developed for a competition run by British Gas in 1987 leading to manufacture of a million units in the mid 1990’s.
The Gill group now consist of 4 companies employing over 150 people and at the cutting edge of technology in weather measurement, Formula One, military applications, sensors, engine management systems and more.
Group CEO Alan Brookes will give a fascinating insight of how this company based in Lymington has grown to be such a force in many major areas of high technology.
Gill Group Offices – Ampress Park Industrial Estate
Friday the 23rd May 2025 6.00 – 8.00 PM.
The Lymington Society Summer Garden Party.
High Trees, Fairfield Close, Lymington. 
Tickets are £10.00 for Members and £11.00 for Guests
Tickets will only available on Ticket Tailor 
Click here for Tickets 
Garden of High Trees, Fairfield Close, Lymington.
By kind permission of LymSoc member Jonathan Hutchinson, the Summer Garden Party will be held in the wonderful gardens of High Trees, Fairfield Close, Lymington. SO41 3NP.
Please join us for a delightful summer’s garden party with Pimms, Prosecco and fantastic canapes in this beautiful garden, just a short walk from the High Street.

Lymington Society Announces Public Meeting

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Lymington Society Calls Public Meetings Over Neighbourhood Plan Consultation

7.00 PM – Monday the 23rd of September – The Baptist Church – New Street – Lymington.

The Lymington Society has announced that they are holding a Public Meeting to allow their 350 members and the wider community, to comment on the Lymington and Pennington Town Council Draft Neighbourhood Plan, which is now out for consultation for eight weeks, ending on the 9th of October.

The Draft Neighbourhood Plan can be seen here

We are very grateful to Town Mayor Jack Davies who will be attending the meeting and who will be making a presentation on the Draft Neighbourhood Plan.

The Lymington Society has been urging the Town Council to prepare a Neighbourhood Plan since the introduction of the Localism Act in 2011, gave communities the opportunity to become more involved in the planning process and to bring forward recommendations on the types of development that they wish to see in their community, and where they were prepared to accept more homes being built.

In exchange for agreeing to a Neighbourhood Plan, communities benefit from receiving a larger share of the Community Structure Levy, (CIL) paid by developers when they bring forward developments. Communities such as Lymington and Pennington currently receive only 15% of the CIL funds for developments in their area but will receive 25% of such funds once a Neighbourhood Plan has been agreed through a referendum.

The Neighbourhood Plan process is the first time that smaller communities, such as Lymington and Pennington have been able to make their views known and to directly influence the planning process in their community, and this represents a big opportunity for the town to make a real difference in planning and for other improvements that the town wishes to implement for the future.

Speaking about the announcement of a Public Meeting, Don Mackenzie – Chair of the Lymington Society said:

“The Society strongly supports the Town Council in their wish to see the Lymington and Pennington Neighbourhood Plan accepted at a referendum and for the Council to able to receive an enhanced proportion of the Community Infrastructure Levy which can then be spent on local projects to improve the town.

However, we do wish to ensure that Society Members and the wider community should have the opportunity to make their views know and have therefore organised a Public Meeting to enable people to express their views on what the council is proposing in the Draft Neighbourhood Plan.

Following the Public Meeting, the Society will be better informed as to the views of local people and better able to make representation to the Council as to changes that need to be incorporated into the Draft Plan.

The Public Meeting will be held on the 23rd of September at 7.00 PM at the Baptist Church in New Street, and anyone interested in the future of the town is invited to attend. There is no charge for attending this meeting. Please do come along and hear what is proposed for the future of your town and help to make sure that your views are properly represented.

Lymington Society Spring Update May 2024

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The Spring Update Email 2024 was sent to all members on the 14th of May 2024 and the full email update can be seen here. Click here to see Spring Update Email

The Top Stories in this Update were:

Top Stories This Edition

Message from the LymSoc Chair Don Mackenzie

Dear Lymington Society Member,

Welcome to the Spring 2024 Update Email
Welcome to our usual “Spring Email Update” for members, which follows the recent AGM Notice sent out in March. Thank you very much to all the members who came to the very successful AGM held in the Gates Hall, at the Lymington Centre on the 15th of March. See later in the Update for more details of the AGM

Quieter time for the Society on planning issues.
Following the final decision on the redevelopment of the former police station site, which was finally approved last year, the last few months have been less busy for the Society in terms of major planning initiatives or applications.

Major “SS5” Site off Milford Road Given Permission.
The major development of the housing site to the east of the road to the Efford Amenity Tip, part of the so called SS5 site, has now been decided. The main area of concern over this development was not the site itself, but the potential danger of the entrance from the very busy Milford Rd, very near to the road to the HCC Amenity Tip, and a new future access road to the other part of the SS5 site to the north of Milford Road nearby.

Lymsoc Reservations about Access to SS5 site
The Society and the Lymington and Pennington Town Council, both objected to the road layout at the stage of the outline planning application nearly two years ago. Once this outline permission was given, the application for the actual development itself, which thankfully includes 50% affordable homes, was relatively uncontroversial, and was approved earlier this year. This is described in more detail later in the newsletter.
 
SS6 Strategic Site near the Hospice.
The only other major developments still undecided is the very controversial development proposed between Lower Pennington Lane and Ridgeway Lane adjacent to the hospital. This site, designated SS6 in the Local Plan has attracted objections from both the Society and PALLS (The Pennington and Lymington Lanes Association), and the Town Council. Despite the applicant submitting revised plans recently, the Society remains opposed to this application on many grounds and again more details on SS6 can be found later in this newsletter.

Hugely Successful Social programme
A notable success for the Society over the last year has been the amazing support for the events of the social programme which has seen record attendances for most events. Some of the concerns we expressed last year about the financial viability of holding events have not been borne out, and the Society is really grateful for the fantastic support that members have given to the social programme.

Society continue to attract new members.
The last year has continued to see new members joining the Society which is very gratifying, and we hope that we are meeting expectations for both new members and existing members.
 
Keep in touch.
Don’t forget we are always open to suggestions for improvements to the social programme, any important issues that we should consider, or the way that Society is run, so don’t hesitate to contact me at any time.

Kind regards
Don Mackenzie
Chair of the Lymington Society.
donald@donald-mackenzie.co.uk
07860 106120

Lymington Society Autumn Update 28th September 2023

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The Lymington Society Autum 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.

Contents in this update included the following stories:

Top Stories This Month:
Message from Don Mackenzie Chair of Lymington Society
Full Social Programme Announced for 2023 2024 Season
Society Disappointed by NFDC Approval for Police Station Flats
Society Appeals to Redrow CEOs to Complete the Lymington Shores Site as Planned
Lymington Society to Try and Help Resolve the Future of  the Literary Institute
Town Council Announces “Informal Consultations” over Neighbourhood Plan.
Society Requests Meeting with NFDC Planners to Discuss Local Plan Review.
Society Announces Results of LymSoc Community Engagement Survey.
Report on Lymington Society AGM March 2023. 

Message from Don Mackenzie, Society Chair.

Dear Members,

Welcome
Welcome to our Autumn Email Update to Members
Social Programme Sent Out.
I do hope you’ve already received your detailed Social Programme for the Autumn 2023 to Summer 2024 events. We’re particularly proud of this programme which has a wide range of events which we hope will be of interest to members.
Private View.
We start off with the Private View of the current St. Barbe Museum And Art Gallery Autumn exhibition, which I have to say is amazing and very much deserving of a visit. I do hope that you will consider coming along to this wonderful exhibition and support both the Society and St Barbe Museum.
Police Station Battle Lost.
I’m sure you will share with me, the disappointment over the police station site finally getting approval for 32 more unwanted retirement flats. It really is a scandal that we have such a poor Local Plan that the Council are unable to stop these applications going to appeal and finally getting permission from the Planning Inspectors. Please read our detailed reports on this later in the e-mail.
Successful Social Programme 22- 23
Last year we had a very successful social programme despite some unfortunate rearrangements due to speakers not being available. However, we had over 70 people attend the excellent joint presentation with the Friends Of Sir Harry, on the Battle of Copenhagen, one of Nelson’s famous victories. The Summer Garden Party courtesy of Mark And Lesley Ann Pidsley was another highlight with over 70 people attending in their gorgeous garden off Captains Row in bright sunshine.
LymSoc Thoughts on Major Housings Schemes
Later in this e-mail you will see our thoughts on the two major developments proposed for the outskirts of Lymington, the so-called SS6 site off Lower Pennington Lane and the SS5 site on the land South of Milford Rd. Whilst the Society is generally in favour of the proposals for the site off Milford Rd subject to minor queries, we are very much opposed to the development near the Hospice off  Lower Pennington Lane, which is very much larger than it should be, and which threatens the rural character of that area of Lymington.
Chair Grateful to Committee for Support
I’m grateful of course to my supportive committee for their diligence in attending our monthly meetings and helping with a myriad of other tasks behind the scenes.
New Committee Members Welcome.
We always welcome new committee members with an interest in preserving the character of the town and especially those who may be able to bring skills in planning, architecture or IT. Please do contact me if you would like to inquire about joining the committee or supporting us behind the scenes. 07860 106120
Don Mackenzie
Chairman

Lymington Society Social Programme for Autumn 2023 – Summer 2024 Season Announced

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The Social Committee of the Lymington Society is pleased to announce a varied and hopefully interesting Social Programme of events for the Autumn 2023 – Summer 2024 season of social events.

Please make a note of the dates of the programme in your diaries and please do support these events to ensure that we can continue to provide this lively programme of events and so that members can continue to get together and renew old friendships as well as hopefully make new ones.

Due to increasing costs of venue hire etc. as well as the refreshments, there will be a small increase in costs for the events which I hope your will understand. We have moved our online ticketing system to TicketTailor, which has far lower transaction costs. All tickets sold will only be subject to a £1.00 flat rate booking charge, which will cover all our processing charges.

Don Mackenzie Chair.

Thursday 5th of October – 6.30 pm for 7.00 pm 
Private View – Parallel Lives: Eight Women Artists 
St Barbe Museum and Art Gallery 
Refreshments served from 6.30 pm – Cost £6.00 to include refreshments. (£7.00 for Guests) Tickets on the door or on TicketTailor 
Click Here for Tickets

 
We are pleased to return again to St Barbe Museum and Art Gallery, where curator Steve Marshall will guide us round this year’s major exhibition curated by St Barbe Museum entitled Parallel Lives: Eight Women Artists. 

Parallel Lives looks at the careers and experiences of eight women artists, all born within twenty years of each other and whose lives spanned the 20th century. It follows their successes and the challenges they faced, noting moments when their lives and experiences overlapped.
They shared an independent outlook and a willingness to pursue a singular artistic vision, sometimes against the tide of contemporary fashions and influences. The exhibition reflects the range of media in which these artists worked: sculpture, painting, printmaking, textile design and book illustration. It also showcases a range of styles as they selectively drew on contemporary art movements including neo-romanticism, realism, surrealism, popular art and abstraction. Each artist was an original and innovative creative force, who built a career on their own terms and developed a significant and enduring body of work
 

Friday 3rd of November – Illustrated Talk – 6.30 pm for 7.00 pm. 
Jonathan Gerelli Head Agister of the New Forest Verderers
The work of the Agisters in the New Forest
The McLellan Hall – The Lymington Centre
Refreshments served from 6.30 pm – Cost £6.00 (£7.00 Guests) to include refreshments.
Tickets on the door or on TicketTailor.
Click Here for Tickets
 

 
The New Forest Agisters 
The Agisters are employees of the Verderers. Their work is to assist in the management of Commoners’ stock in the Forest. Specifically, they:
Watch over the Forest to ensure that the owners of depastured stock, and others, meet the requirements of the Verderers in respect of stock welfare, payment of marking fees, etc.;
Inform the Verderers of any possible breaches of the Verderers’ byelaws;
Attend road accidents and other incidents involving commoners’ animals; deal with injured animals at the scene and humanely destroying animals if necessary;
Organise the construction and ongoing maintenance of stock pounds within their area;
Arrange and manage the rounding up of ponies and cattle in the Autumn and at other times as required;
by regular inspection on foot, vehicle and horseback, an Agister will acquire, and maintain, a thorough and up to date knowledge of depastured stock and of ground conditions.
There are five Agisters, including a Head Agister, each covering a particular area within the Forest.
Jonathan will be giving a fascinating insight into the history and the work of the Agisters helping to look after the animals in the New Forest.

 
Friday 15th December – 6.00 PM
Lymington Society Christmas Drinks Party
St Thomas Church Hall
Tickets £10.00 (Guests £11.00) online only at TicketTailor
Click Here for Christmas Party Tickets
 

 
This year we are moving to the Church Hall of St Thomas Church for our annual Christmas Drinks Party. Following a major upgrade over the last year or two, this pleasantly decorated hall will make an attractive venue for our annual Christmas get together.
Please come along and kick off your Christmas in great style at the Lymington Society Christmas Party, viewed by many as the most exciting Christmas Party in Lymington. Always a popular event, the Christmas Party is your chance to meet other members and to chat to LymSoc Committee members and local Councillors about the ongoing local matters of concern.
As usual the catering will be provided by outstanding local caterer Di Morley who produces the most delicious canapes. Make a date to join us for this popular event in the LymSoc calendar.
 

Friday 2nd February 2024. Illustrated Talk – 6.30 pm  for 7.00 pm
The Hurst Spit to Lymington  Flood Management Strategy. 
Rhian Edwards -Strategy Lead from the Environment Agency.
The McLellan Hall – The Lymington Centre
Refreshments served from 6.30 pm – Cost £6.00 to include refreshments. (£7.00 for Guests)
Tickets on the door or on TicketTailor
Click Here for Tickets 

The Environment Agency, in partnership with New Forest District Council, Hampshire County Council, Natural England and JBA Consulting is exploring a sustainable future for the coastal frontage between Hurst Spit and the town of Lymington in relation to all sources of flooding, and coastal erosion risk management. This will focus on the next 100 years to 2124. The Hurst Spit to Lymington Strategy will assess the pressures facing this coastline now and in the future, and consider how best to respond to these challenges. The aim is to have a completed Strategy by the end of 2024.

Rhian Edwards – Strategy Lead for the Hurst Spit to Lymington Strategy will present an overview of the project that the Environment Agency are developing to combat sea level rise and ensure that the sea defences from Hurst Spit to  Lymington are able to keep the area safe form rising sea levels and increasing frequency of storms.

Friday the 15th of March 2024 – 7.00 pm for 7.30 pm
Lymington Society Annual General Meeting.
The Gates Hall – The Lymington Centre.
Followed by an Illustrated Talk – The History of the Lymington Lymington to Yarmouth Ferry. No Charge.



Members are invited to attend the AGM of the Society where the Chair will present a Report on the activities of the last year since the previous AGM. Following this, members will be invited to vote on the appointment of the officers of the society and to vote for the members of the Executive Committee.  There will then be the usual chance for members to ask questions and have their input into the future priorities for the next year’s activities.
 
Following the AGM –  The History of the Lymington to Yarmouth Ferry. Illustrated Talk by Alan Doe.


 
Dr Alan Doe will introduce a talk entitled “The Lymington-Yarmouth Passage”
Alan will talk about the Lymington -Yarmouth Ferry from the first steam paddle boat introduced in 1830 up until the introduction of the new ferries in 2009 but with a very personal twist as every generation of his family, including Alan himself, have worked on the ferries.
Meet Captain Henry Doe who worked on the ferries all his life and who allegedly drank a bottle of whisky a day to overcome his gout. Pictures and stories from the family treasure trove.


Friday 26th April 2024 – 6.30 pm for 7.00 pm
Illustrated Talk by Fiona Rogers.  
Jeremy Rogers and the History of the Contessa Yachts.
Refreshments served from 6.30 pm – Cost £6.00 to include refreshments. (£7.00 for Guests).Tickets on the door or on TicketTailor
Click here for tickets 



The sailing and boat building exploits of Lymington based sailor and boatbuilder extraordinaire, Jeremy Rogers are know worldwide. 
From the first Folkboat built in the garage of Lillington House in New Street, to the mass production of Contessa Yachts in a purpose-built factory off Bridge Road, using injection moulding techniques invented by Lotus Cars, Jeremy and Contessa Yachts took the world of sailing by storm.
Yachtsman of the Year in 1974 and builder and prize winning sailor of the most advanced racing yachts, as well as famous production boats like the Contessa 32, Jeremy and Contessa Yachts were in a class apart. Jeremy’s wife Fiona will tell the story of this incredible man and his incredible boats.
 


Friday the 7th of June 2024 6.00 – 8.00 PM.
The Lymington Society Summer Garden Party.
Mariners, Waterford Lane, Lymington. 
Tickets are £10.00 for Members and £11.00 for Guests
Tickets will only available on Ticket Tailor 
Click here for Tickets 

 
Garden of Mariners, Waterford Lane, Lymington.
 
By kind permission of LymSoc members David Rule and Sandra Leary, the Summer Garden Party will again be held in the wonderful gardens of Mariners, Waterford Lane, Lymington. SO41 3PT  – Please join us for a delightful summer’s garden party with Pimms, Prosecco and fantastic canapes in this truly beautiful garden, just a short walk from the High Street.

Join the Friends of Sir Harry Members for a fascinating Walking Tour of the famous shipbuilding yard at Buckler’s Hard plus a Private Visit to the Maritime Museum

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A Friends of Sir Harry Presentation

A Walking Tour of Buckler’s Hard shipbuilding yard at Buckler’s Hard and visit the Maritime Museum with Mary Montagu-Scott.

Venue – Buckler’s Hard Shipyard. Date – Thursday The 29th of June at 5.00 PM

Tickets to include refreshments: Members of the Friends £7.00 * Guest Ticket £8.00 *

Part of the ticket price will be donated to the research project to survey the wreck of Nelson’s favourite ship HMS Agamemnon built at Bucklers Hard which was discovered off the coast of Uruguay in 1993.

* Due to the additional fee charged by the EventBrite website the fee charged will be £8.30 for the Members Ticket and £9.38 for the Guest Ticket.

To buy a ticket, please click on this link.

The Friends of Sir Harry, dedicated to the life and times of Sir Harry (Burrard) Neale and the Burrard family of Walhampton, is pleased to announce a walking tour conducted by Mary Montagu-Scott who will describe the history of shipbuilding at Buckler’s Hard on the Beaulieu River”.

This tour will help illuminate the history of the famous Buckler’s Hard shipbuilding yard in the historic village of Buckler’s Hard where so many of the famous ships of the early British Navy were built over a 200 year period.

Mary, who is the Director of the Maritime Museum at Bucklers Hard, will take us around the shipyard and describe how and why the Beaulieu River yard came to be the largest private shipyard building ships for the Royal Navy in the Solent area as well as merchant ships and yachts. Over 50 large ships were built there from 1698 – 1815 including many famous ones such as Agamemnon, Nelson’s favourite ship, Euryalus and Swiftsure.

Please support the Friends and the Lymington Society by attending this event which promises to be a fascinating glimpse into this unique place which has played such an important part in the history of Britain, and which is just on our doorsteps.

New Date for the Summer Garden Party. Now Friday the 26th of May

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As members will be aware following our recent Spring Email Update, the date of the Annual Summer Garden Party has been moved to Friday the 26th of May, starting at 6.00 pm

This has been done to avoid a clash with the very popular Solent Music Festival which this year has been moved to early June instead of September.

The party will still be taking place courtesy of Lesley-Ann and Mark Pidsley in the beautiful garden of Bays in Captains Row at the bottom of the High Street. Full signage will be provided on the day.

The allocation of 60 tickets was available on EventBrite and has now been sold out.

Bays, Captains Row, Lymington SO41 9RR

Lymington Society launches new Neighbourhood Plan Information Pages

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The Lymington Society also announces a major Community Engagement Survey initiative to assist the Society in coming Neighbourhood Plan consultations.

See the Lymington Society “Neighbourhood Plan” website pages here

As Lymington Society members and the wider community, will have seen in the press, the Lymington and Pennington Town Council are finally, after a long delay, now working to produce a Draft Neighbourhood Plan. See the Council Site here.

This process started in 2016 and the Society was involved in one of the original Working Parties on Heritage and Design which last met in 2017, following which the Neighbourhood Plan process has been largely stalled until more recently.

In order to assist the Lymington Society in responding to the forthcoming Neighbourhood Plan consultations that the Council will be undertaking, the Society has decided to launch a new Neighbourhood Plan information section on its website to help its members and the wider community, fully understand what a Neighbourhood Plan is, and how it will benefit the town.

As part of this new Neighbourhood Plan information initiative, the Society is also launching a new Community Engagement Survey using an online service and this can be accessed below. The main reason for launching this Community Engagement Initiative is to try and assist the Society in understanding the views and priorities of its members and to ensure that as the acknowledged local Amenity Society in the town, we also understand the priorities of the wider community.

Click here to take survey – Lymington Society Community Engagement Survey

If you would prefer then a simple responce form can be accessed at Have your Say on the Society’s Neighbourhood Plan website pages. Click here for that form

Starting page of the Lymington Society Community Engagement Survey

The Neighbourhood Plan process is an important one for the Town, which could bring major benefits in both planning terms and financially for the town.

The Society urges its members and members of the community to take part in this survey to help the Society play its part in making this process a success.