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Special NoticesParish Council NoticesPost Office Closure
Post Office News - April 2008The date draws nearer when the Village Shop shall say goodbye to the ‘old’ Post Office. Very soon the Shop will begin to run the ‘new’ post office counter alongside the retail one. There will be a small ceremony to mark the opening of the new style post office. This will be sometime in April. The changeover will be almost simultaneous, with no disruption to services - postal or retail. Post Office News - May 2008
Those present at the Village Shop AGM on 14 May voted unanimously to support the proposed Outreach partner service and the shop committee will forward this outcome to the Post Office. Local residents are encouraged to write to the Post Office individually in support of the proposed service. A leaflet outlining details is available from the Post Office at the shop. Sewage Issues“Bid to reduce risk of sewer flooding”In response to a 10 year campaign by the Parish Council ”Southern Water has started work to reduce the risk of sewer flooding in St Mary Bourne” reported the Andover Advertiser on 22 February 2008. “The work now under way requires a partial road closure in Gangbridge Lane which will be enforced between 8am and 6pm, with completion before Easter. In St Mary Bourne groundwater rises almost to surface level during extremely wet periods, making its way into the sewers and causing the system to become overloaded. This can lead to flooding in gardens through manholes and may prevent people from being able to flush toilets. Last year, Southern Water carried out CCTV surveys of the five miles of sewers between St Mary Bourne pumping station [by the railway viaduct] and Hurstbourne Tarrant. The survey revealed the need to repair some leaky joints and manholes and found evidence that some private sewers are poorly connected to the public network. Jim Thomas, area waste manager for Southern Water, said: “Poor connections will either be resolved by lining works or digging down and remaking the connection. The sewers will receive a liner, while any leaking manholes will be sealed using a form of resin injected into joints in the brickwork. Some lengths of sewer that have become deformed are to be replaced with stronger pipes.” The work is being carried out by Southern Water contractor 4Delivery, a consortium comprising United Utilities, Costain and MWH, which is delivering £700 million worth of environmental improvements and water quality schemes for Southern Water.” Sir George Young MP ...... , a former resident of St Mary Bourne, has written to the Chairman of Southern Water, asking for the necessary investment to finance a sustainable solution and a repair programme to be implemented forthwith Mr Bob Thian - Chairman, Southern Water -Southern House -Yeoman Road -Worthing -Sussex BN13 3NX -04 May 2007 Sewer in St Mary Bourne I am increasingly concerned by the lack of progress in resolving the problems that confront my constituents in St Mary Bourne, who are not getting from Southern Water the waste water service they are paying for and are entitled to. This relates to a problem that originated when asbestos cement pipes were poorly laid in the early 1960’s. Sewer infiltration began in the mid to late nineties and the situation has deteriorated since then with serious reoccurrences in 2001, 2003 and 2007. The effects upon my constituents are backed-up domestic WC’s, a contaminated river, a polluted river bed and spilled raw sewage in public and private places together with a background of noise and smell. The sewer system through the Bourne Valley is severely infiltrated by the normal rise of groundwater levels during the season of January to June. This depends on rainfall during the autumn months. Having lived in the parish of St Mary Bourne myself it looks to me that the problem of surcharging of the sewer through infiltration happens under perfectly normal conditions and has little to do with the weather and cannot continue to be termed as an emergency. I have been told by the chairman of the Parish Council that at a public meeting on 13 February 2007 your waste water area manager, Mr Jim Thomas, admitted for the first time that the sewer through St Mary Bourne was faulty and that one of a number of possible solutions to rectify this would be the replacement of the pipes. At the same meeting Mr Thomas also announced that Southern Water contractors would be able to produce a design solution within 2 months. At a further public meeting on 28 March 2007, Mr Thomas admitted that the cost of tankering and overpumping of raw sewage into the river had probably cost as much as a main sewer replacement. At the next public meeting on 10 April 2007 a Southern Water representative introduced your contractors ‘4 D’. Neither the Southern Water representative or Mrs Andrea Jowett of ‘4 D’ were able to answer any of the major questions raised by the public. Furthermore, your contractor ‘4 D’ announced that they would need another 6 months to survey the problem before ‘a design solution could be delivered’. ‘4 D’s’ terms of reference were not reassuring as they steered the contractor towards an immediate ‘patching-up’ operation rather than a long-term main sewer replacement. At this point the Parish Council decided to postpone any further public meetings with Southern Water until they had more constructive information to give. Another letter was sent to your waste water area manager expressing the public’s anger, and concluded that only a greater sense of urgency by Southern Water in putting a repair programme in place would avoid a repeat crisis in 2008. Householders are particularly angry over Southern Water’s assurance, in 2003, that to a large extent the private laterals were to blame for the sewage problem. The Borough Council spent £15,000 on a survey and many property owners had to spend thousands of pounds in repairing their laterals in 2003/2004. As we now know, in 2007, these repairs appeared to have had little impact as is demonstrated by the severe infiltration problem experienced again this season. I have been to the pumping site near Gangbridge Lane, and found it difficult to believe this was 21st century England. Over the last ten years the community and Parish Council have vigorously campaigned for the problem to be resolved with little constructive response from Southern Water. All too often they have reverted to using OFWAT or the Environment Agency as a shield. I am more than happy to intervene with OFWAT, if this would unlock a solution. However, I understand that your capital expenditure plan for the period 2005 to 2010 includes funding for the repair of the sewer along the Bourne Valley. I believe this programme should be implemented forthwith. Yours sincerely Parish Council message sent 24 April 2007 challenging the Environment Agency to end the ‘emergency’ allowing Southern Water to pump sewage into the Bourne RivuletWe understand from the Romsey Advertiser last week that residents of King's Somborne have been saved from the possibility of sewage being pumped into the Somborne Stream. Following an application by Southern Water to the Environment Agency for permission to overpump sewage in an emergency bid, the villagers protested and the Environment Agency decided it was not an emergency as the water levels have significantly reduced. The residents in King's Somborne blame faulty pipes for the problems, just as we do in St Mary Bourne. Watertable and river levels have reduced and we have noticed that tankers at the pumping station and by the Village Shop in St Mary Bourne have almost but disappeared. But Southern Water continues to pump sewage into our river in the two locations. This is to formally apply to you to declare the emergency to be over in St Mary Bourne with immediate effect. It is intolerable that Southern Water continues with overpumping, polluting our river, for purely economic reasons. Southern Water was quoted saying: "We are using tankers [in King's Somborne] to remove the excess wastewater and taking it away for treatment. We would like to apologise for the disruptions these tankers cause while this emergency operation is carried out to reduce the risk of flooding." The residents of St Mary Bourne are no longer looking for an apology. If tankers are needed for the remainder of the 'season of infiltration' so be it, but the pumping of raw sewage into the river must stop. What has been decided by the Environment Agency for King's Somborne should apply to St Mary Bourne. We would be grateful if you could pursue this matter on our behalf as a matter of great urgency. Parish Council letter sent 17 April 2007 challenging Southern Water to provide a long-term solution to sewer infiltrationReference St. Mary Bourne Sewage Problems As you know, it was originally agreed to meet again on 8th May 2007. In view of the lack of progress at the 10th April meeting we now feel that you will need more than a month before constructive progress can be reported. For instance your contractors ‘4D’ reckon on 6 months from start to finish for their survey and report, until this is completed further formal meetings will achieve little. Thus we propose to await your notification of when you are able to address the PC in a constructive way. In view of the urgency of the current problems we would like a monthly written update as offered in one of your earlier emails. A number of issues are already outstanding: a) Answers to points in our letter of 23rd March 2007 concerning testing for the ingress of water during high water levels.We would point out that the opportunity to test the pipes under these current conditions will lapse when water levels recede in early June. b) The laboratory results of bacteria levels in the river and the effect on people, cattle and bore holes. c) The cost of the tankerage operation since December 2006. In conclusion pumping of raw effluent into the river continues to cause worry and annoyance. We are anxious that there should not be a repeat in 2008. This can only be achieved by a greater sense of urgency from SW to put a repair programme in place. Yours sincerely Alan Marsden, Chairman, St. Mary Bourne Parish Council Parish Council letter sent 23 March 2007 challenging Southern Water to provide a long-term solution to sewer infiltrationReference St. Mary Bourne Sewage Problems 1. The St. Mary Bourne Parish Council (PC) are disappointed with the Terms of Reference (‘Contract Brief’’) that Southern Water (SW) has provided for the contractors ‘4D’. There seems to be no recognition that there is a severe leakage problem throughout the main sewer along the Bourne Valley. 2. The SW approach is too narrow. The pinpointing of some houses that are affected at the present moment, rather than looking at the whole system, is flawed. In 2003 SW promised that if the main sewer and private laterals were repaired the problem of infiltration into the main sewer would be solved. The infiltration currently taking place disproves this theory. There is a wider problem including greater calls upon the sewer’s capacity, both commercial and domestic, and a failing main sewage pipe. 3. At the public meeting on 13th March 2007 it was clear that the SW approach found no favour. Expensive patching up might give temporary relief in one area but faults would subsequently start elsewhere, hence the 2007 failures despite earlier repairs. SW is aware that the ‘new’ asbestos pipes were poorly laid in 1964 and now, as they reach the end of their effective life, an increasing number of faults are occurring. 4. The informed village view, supported by the PC, was that the infiltration problem was not mainly due to high water levels, but because of a faulty and deteriorating main sewer that needed urgent replacement. 5. We are concerned that little obvious testing seems to be taking place by ‘4D’ (who you said would report within 2 months). It would be useful if they could liaise with the Parish Clerk when they are testing the system. The PC is anxious that several sections of main sewer are sealed off and cleared and is carefully examined to ascertain whether ingress of water occurs under high water table conditions. It is clear that lining the main sewer internally does not keep the water out. 6. We would welcome your section leader to brief us at the PC meeting at 7.30 pm on 10th April. We look forward to learning a date for your proposed solution to the infiltration problem. We would like an answer to the ‘4D’ questions mentioned above, plus a response to our suggested test for ingress of water into the main sewer. 7. In conclusion the PC feels that the ‘Terms of Reference’ are too restricted and will only lead to a temporary solution. A wider view is needed before the final 4D report. Village Fire 29 January 2007Response to the Village Fire The Fire 29 January 2007 - Update March 2008The Owners of Hansdale, The Cottage and Langley would like to appraise everyone of the current situation in relation to the reinstatement of the Cottages, following the Fire in January 2007. The delays to date are as a result of the original Surveyor withdrawing his services early in the project, due to the magnitude of the task. We appreciate everyone’s patience, particularly with the current traffic measures outside the properties. The newly appointed Surveyor, Conservation Officer and English Heritage met mid February to discuss a way forward. Due to the intrinsic Heritage value of the properties, they will remain Grade 2 Listed and as such the renovation work will fall in line with recommendations provided to us by the various Authorities. Documentation for the necessary Listed Building Consent and subsequent Planning Permission are now being prepared. The Authorities, having recognised that there have been numerous delays outside of our or their control, will endeavour to process this documentation as quickly as practicable. Subject to the correct permissions being obtained, the next stage will be the tendering process for the build. As you can appreciate, no timescales are able to be determined, however, the families are looking forward to a joyous party as soon as we move back in! Watch this space! This page was last edited on 19 May 2008 |
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