A Special Report? - Trust Annual Report 1984
Ever since the publication of its influential special report on the St. John's Street area, the Trust has considered what other parts of the city would benefit from a similar study. Ideas have come and gone because the criteria for a Trust report are very strict, the work is extremely demanding and we cannot afford to risk spending the time of expert volunteers when it will not be useful. But a real need may now have arisen with the apparent risk to many of Winchester's open spaces. Moreover, there seems little immediate hope of the City Council finding time to look at the subject in depth.
Pointers to this risk include the degradation of Nun's Walk, more recent events along the river, and the steady change in the character of Westhill Cemetery. This is not the place to argue what should or should not be done in such areas; what worries the Trust is that things happen piecemeal, and without expert evaluation of the merits of a place. It is the old problem of the simple and practical needs of the moment taking precedence over recognition of the subtle pattern of elements which make for character and beauty. Someone should think ahead and provide a reference for future decisions.