Silchester is a village and civil parish about 5 miles (8 km) north of Basingstoke in Hampshire. It is adjacent to the county boundary with Berkshire and about 9 miles (14 km) south-west of Reading.
 
Silchester is most notable for the archaeological site and Roman town of Calleva Atrebatum, which was first occupied by the Romans in about AD 45 and includes what is considered the best-preserved Roman wall in Great Britain.
 

 NEWS

At the Extraordinary General Meeting of Silchester Parish Council held on 21^st August 2017, the Council agreed the content of its objection letter to the recent planning application for the traveller settlement that was established unlawfully on land near Culhams Mill earlier this year.

A copy of the planning application can be found on the planning portal at https://planning.basingstoke.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=summary&keyVal=OLOADACR0AP00

The Council’s objection has now been sent to the planning department at Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council (BDBC) This can be viewed on the planning portal, and can also be read here.

If residents wish to respond to the planning consultation, the strongest method by which they can have their individual say is to write a personalised response to Basingstoke & Deane Borough Council (BDBC). A planning response tool kit is shown here that may help if this is the route you choose. There is also a document here which lists all material planning considerations.

However, the Parish Council recognise that many people would rather have a template letter that they can submit or adapt as they see fit (the planning department have confirmed that they are happy to accept templated letters from residents). Therefore, a template version of the Parish Council’s objection can be found here. Residents can sign and submit or circulate to other individuals who may wish to express their view. Please feel free to distribute it to anyone that you think may have an interest in the issue even if they do not live in the village. Please also note that households are not limited to one objection and each person in the house may submit their own individual response (there is no age limit).

In planning terms the application counts as a “major development” so will inevitably have a significant impact upon the village and the Parish Council urges all residents to express their views whether in favour or against the application.

The template letter is deliberately brief in order to reduce the need for excessive printing but the Calleva Society (Residents Action Group), with the assistance of a professional planning consultant, is compiling a comprehensive dossier of all relevant planning issues complete with supporting data such as maps, satellite imagery and speedwatch data etc. This should be ready very soon and it will be made available to the Parish Council and residents to support and endorse if they so choose.

The statutory deadline for submission of objections is the 6^th of September and we encourage you to submit any responses in advance of this date.

If you wish to respond to the planning application then submissions should be made through the comments section of the planning portal https://planning.basingstoke.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=makeComment&keyVal=OLOADACR0AP00 or sent by email to planning.comments@basingstoke.gov.uk or by post to the BDBC offices at the Civic Offices, London Road, Basingstoke, RG21 4AH.

17/00653/RET - Land Adjacent To And Rear Of Culhams Mill, Little London Road Silchester

 The planning application for the new Travellers site at Culhams Mill has now been completed and is being reviewed by the Basingstoke & Deane Borough Council (BDBC) planning department. The documentation can be reviewed on the BDBC planning portal at

http://pad.basingstoke.gov.uk/DocumentViewer/?DocumentClassCode=DC&Folder1Reference=17/00653/RET

At the Extraordinary General meeting held by the Parish Council on 28^th February 2017 the Council passed the motion that it objected in principle to this development and would support measures to have it removed.

The Parish Council is next meeting at 7.30pm on Monday 21^st August, and will discuss and formalise its letter of objection. The planning consultant who is advising the Calleva Society (residents’ group) will be at the meeting in order to guide the Council, and will also be available to answer any planning questions that residents may have.  The agenda for this meeting may be viewed here.

If you intend to write to the BDBC planning department, either in support of the application or to object to it, then the PC urges you to read the attached list of material planning considerations. The planning department will not consider any representations that fall outside of this guidance.

The Parish Council will publish its final letter of objection and any other guidance documents via Parish Council website after the meeting.

Casual Vacancy - 13th June 2017

 There is a vacancy on Silchester Parish Council due to a Councillor resignation.  The statutory notice can be viewed here.
If you wish to be considered for the vacancy, please contact the Parish Clerk for more information.
Co-option of a new Councillor will be considered at the September meeting.
The closing date for applications is Friday 11th August.

Traveller site update - 5th May 2017

The latest update from enforcement officers at Basingstoke & Deane Borough Council is that regular visits have continued to the site to assess the current situation. This has allowed officers to observe the site and ensure that copies of the injunction remain positioned on the site as required by the High Court. It has also allowed officers to gain greater details about all the residents on site, which has resulted in visits by the Traveller Liaison Officer.

Legal matters are still progressing; the travellers are now seeking to vary the terms of the injunction to allow them residential use. Enforcement officers are working with the Borough Council legal team in relation to this application.

The site will continue to be monitored over the forthcoming months to record whether the injunction is complied with, and if necessary compile evidence for the Courts. Officers will update the Parish Council further in relation to the variation of the injunction and updates about the site at key points.

Update on Development by Silchester Sewage Works - 31st March 2017

The Paris Council hasreceived an update from the Enforcement team at Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council with regards to the unlawful development off Little London Road down by the sewage works. The statement is below:

EC/17/00053/UMCU1: Land At Rampiers

The council attended the High Court in London on Monday 13th and Tuesday 14th March seeking to enforce the provisions of the injunction secured in relation to the development and potential residential occupation of the site. The key element of the case put forward by the council related to the continuation of works in breach of the injunction following its service. The Council Officers used the best possible methods for service of the Injunction on all the relevant parties on at least two separate occasions at the site, however the defendants stated that they were not aware of the terms of the injunction, and the Judge took the view that his preference would be for additional service requirements and therefore did not support the council's case to enforce the provisions of the injunction. The Judge decided that it was not clear beyond reasonable doubt (a criminal standard of proof given that the sentence would be committal to prison) that sufficient service of the injunction had occurred.

The court directed the council to re-serve further copies of the injunction at prominent locations within the site. This was undertaken by council officers on Wednesday 15th March and Tuesday 21st March. It is also clear that the defendants who attended the High Court are now fixed with the knowledge of the terms of the injunction. In the meantime monitoring of the site will continue to ensure that copies of the injunction remain in place and to record any further breaches of the injunction which may be pursued in future.

A letter from the Parish Council has been sent directly to the High Court in relation to the Judge’s recent decision: this can be viewed here.

The minutes from the Extraordinary Meeting of the Parish Council have been sent to the Judge (in draft form only) and can be viewed here.

A residents group has now been formed and they are looking into possible courses of action both with regards to the planning process and other legal routes that may be pursued. I am aware that they are drafting a letter to residents which will go out shortly.

Great Fire of London - Silchester links 

 Cllr Keith Chapman of Hampshire County Council recently attended an afternoon tea hosted by the Lord Mayor London to mark the 350th anniversary of the Great Fire of London.  The event was to also thank the towns and boroughs who had most contributed to the rebuilding of the City after the Fire.  Silchester Parish donated 15 shillings, and this is shown in the records of the time.  Photos of the Silchester records can be seen here.