Chairman's Message - TrustNews Summer 2000
The Hon. John Gummer MP
The Trust was privileged to be addressed by Mr. Gummer on the evening of 6 April. The subject of his address was titled 'A Look At Old Truths About Towns'.
The main thrust of his address was that Winchester was unique and to keep it that way it needed and deserved the best treatment available. This was particularly relevant in the context of the possible redevelopment of a major part of the Broadway and Friarsgate area of the City.
To achieve the right treatment for this central and important site, architects and consultants should be employed who have a proven record of design achievement in an historic city. He suggested that a competition should be conducted amongst a small number of the front runners for the work. Once a scheme had been selected only the highest standards of materials should be specified. Quality in all aspects was essential. It was not possible to legislate for taste so it was high quality that mattered.
Corner of Upper Brook Street and St Georges Street
- early 1950's
He described Winchester as one of the great cities of Europe. He suggested that this development should be so good that people came to Winchester, not only to see the great cathedral, but to see the wonderful city centre development that was carried out in the first decade of the new millennium.
This would involve great courage and an expert brief commissioned by the Planning Department. He warned that they would have to run the gauntlet of criticism. Here he reminded his audience that there were riots when some of the now most popular London buildings were built - St.Paul's, Tower Bridge and the House of Commons. It was now difficult to imagine London without them.
He concluded by saying that we are so frightened of doing anything unusual that we can only agree on something if it is so mediocre that it offends no one, and that is what we usually got by with - just the average. Winchester would not be thought of at all if we had built a cathedral that 'was not too bad'. He wanted Winchester to be courageous in its approach as here was a remarkable opportunity and he hoped we would take full advantage of it.
Corner of Upper Brook Street and St Georges Street
in 1986 as The Echo Office
City Centre Brief
The Trust continues to press the need for a brief to be produced. If left to the developers it will be something that they think they can get away with, and will in all probability be a scheme that fails to realise the full potential of this vital central site. The City Council must take the lead in this and ensure that the citizens get someŽthing they can be proud of, not a run of the mill city centre development.
Park & Ride
The Judicial Review of the plans for the Bar End Extension starts on 19 June. How long it will take before a judgement is handed down is impossible to say, but the sooner the better. The County can then get on with the planning of another orbital site in the areas of Bushfield. Winnall or Three Maids Roundabout. The precise location of the new park is not yet known, but it will have to be sited with great care to minimise the impact on the setting of Winchester.
Andrew Rutter's Conservation Area Study
This is now typed up in draft manuscript form. The Trust is encouraging the City to proceed with the measures that need to be taken prior to publication. We have found a professional editor and it is hoped that work will start in the near future. But there is still a long way to go. It makes fascinating reading and Andrew is to be congratulated for his dedication to his subject and for the care he has taken with its preparation.
Winchester Conservation Area Project
This project is being designed to take an innovative and holistic look at the Conservation Area and a consultant will be engaged by the City to produce three documents, namely;
- A Character Appraisal of Winchester City Conservation Area.
- A Review of Winchester Conservation Area issues.
- A Conservation Strategy and Plan for the Management of the Winchester Conservation Area.
All these documents will be subject to public consultation.
When finalised an edited version of the study will be made available on the Internet. It is also hoped that the study can be promoted 'as best practice' for large conservation areas elsewhere.
The Trust's Title, Memorandum and Articles of Association
The Title
The Council believe that in these present days the name "Winchester Preservation Trust Limited" gives the impression of an old fashioned and dusty organisation, nor does it reflect the Trust's role in "preserving the character of Winchester". The present title can infer that we oppose all change which is emphatically not the case. The Trust's policies are based on the principle that any re developŽment must be an improvement on that which they replace, and that new developments must take notice of their settings in terms of the character of the City and its peerless surroundŽings.
The Council's preferred option for a new title was "The Winchester Trust Limited". Sadly this title was already in use so they resolved to propose that the new title should be "The City of Winchester Trust Limited".
Memorandum and Articles of Association
In case this dull title confuses, it is simply the name given to the specific rules which govern the way in which the Trust is run, from the conduct of meetings to how the accounts must be handled. These rules have to be approved by a majority of members.
The present Memorandum and Articles were approved in 1957. Since then successive governments have changed the rules at national level, introducing several Acts which specifically control the conduct of Charities and Companies. The Trust is both a Charity and a Company.
The first reason for amending the Memorandum and Articles of Association is therefore to reflect the changes in the law.
The second reason is that these rules no longer have to be written in lawyers English and can now be drawn up in plain English, which is a merciful relief for those who have to interpret them and base their actions upon them.
The Charity Commission have produced a guidance document for the compilation of a Memorandum and Articles of Association. This was taken by Alan Langley, who then undertook the massive task of comparing it with the current document, and then checking that these reflected decisions of Council over the years. The new document is now being checked by the Charity Commission and the Trust's lawyers before being sent to each and every member. We are very grateful to Alan for undertaking this large task.
It is planned to hold the Annual General Meeting of the Trust on the evening of Monday 6 November 2000. An Extraordinary General Meeting will be held on the same evening to vote on Resolutions to adopt these changes and the new name of the Trust to the "City of Winchester Trust' and to adopt the new Memorandum and Articles of Association. Proxy votes will be arranged for those unable to attend the meeting in person.