Letter from the Chairman - TrustNews Feb 2002
Few of you will know who I am, because until my retirement from the Bar in 2001 I was unable to find the time to do very much for the Trust. I read the annual Report, the newsletters and the Hampshire Chronicle and heard from my wife, who did work in the city, what was going on in Winchester. As a family we moved to Winchester in 1970 just as the great controversy over the route of the M3 was stirring. The Trust was actively involved in all of that and was able to call upon a very wide range of talents from among the membership. The Trust is still thriving and able to call upon a similar wide range of talents from among the membership.
I have been Chairman since November 5th 2001 and in that time I have come to realise the important and valuable work that the Trust carries out on behalf of its members and the wider constituency of the City itself. While I did one or two planning enquiries at the Bar I was not a planning specialist. It is a very narrow speciality and I found myself doing a very wide range of legal work as a junior barrister on the Western Circuit. At least I got to know the towns and major cities of the West. I have appeared in Court from Penzance to Aldershot. I became a Q.C. in 1984 and moved to London criminal chambers in 1987.
What I learned principally at the Bar was the infinite variety of the human dilemma. Are we chaotic warring animals or are we profoundly civilised? There are no quick answers to this just as there are no quick answers to planning dilemmas because it is impossible to satisfy everybody. What I have discovered in just over two months as Chairman is that the Trust is an active organisation. There are many people who give a lot of time to it and who bring a lot of experience from many fields. I had never been fully aware of what the Trust did on a day to day basis. It is substantial. I have already attended two full planning meetings, been on a site visit to Salters Lane and Dean Lane, met the leader of the County Council and the leader of the District Council and attended a long session of a working party of the main planning committee in the council offices. I have also seen what is done by those who scrutinise the planning applications made within the City area and the reports which are made to the Planning Committee.
A Bit of History
It is 44 years since the Trust was founded and in that time it has had successes and failures in what it has sought to achieve. However, as I find my feet in this role I have been looking and learning about what the Trust has done in that time. There is an old plan for the centre of Winchester from the 50's which shows what would have occurred had the developers of that day been successful in demolishing most of what is now the shopping area and the streets between St George's Street and North Walls. It would have devastated the city centre as we know it. Happily, the Trust was founded to preserve as much as possible of the existing structures. It was successful and the logo which we bear shows an outline of the Chesil Theatre, formerly St. Peter's Church. It was saved for posterity as were many other buildings including the Heritage Centre itself.
In 2000 we altered our name so that it would reflect what the Trust was seeking to achieve. The word preservation had lost some of its magic and gives too much a sense of living in the past. The Trust will keep on doing what it has always tried to do, namely seeking to maintain the special character of Winchester but to place it in a society where change is necessary and unavoidable.
AGM and Workshop
The first act of my chairmanship was to attend a Workshop which had been arranged by members of our committee to follow up a talk by David MacKay on "The Good City" delivered by him at our annual general meeting. He is a distinguished architect practising in Barcelona after training here in England. He gave a most stimulating address and gave us ideas which we would like to see put into practice in Winchester. The Workshop was very popular and showed what we are trying to do to encourage participation by our membership in the future development of Winchester. I would like to thank the members of the Policy Group who contributed so much to making the Workshop such a success.
My Aims
As the new boy on the block I want to ensure that the Trust continues to thrive. There are a great many challenges to face as a result of central government wishing to see greater density of housing in city centres. Developers see this as an opportunity to maximise everything and the Trust can play a part in trying to ensure that good quality design is the order of the day and that the City remains a 'good city' in which to live. There are plans for the development of Friarsgate which includes the bus station opposite the Guildhall. It is an area where the mistakes of the Brooks Centre must be avoided. Potential development at Barton Farm must be resisted as we believe that other sites in the county are more suitable. Park and Ride remains something to cause excitement. There are many other issues which will continue to concern people living in Winchester. We intend to continue our monitoring and would like to take a more pro-active role in ensuring that development, especially at Friarsgate, contributes to making Winchester the great place it is in which to live.
Increasing the Membership
While I am learning what is involved in helping to run the Trust I want to try to double the membership and to try to involve more people. I have already a number of ideas about increasing the corporate membership of the Trust. This is the first TrustNews. It will keep members in touch with what we are doing. We want to hear from you with your views and ideas as to what you would like us to be doing on your behalf. I realise that many of you are happy to continue to support us with your annual membership payment but not to take part. (I confess that was my attitude until retirement). However there must be some of you who want to express a view and we intend to start a letter section in TrustNews. Please write to us. All views are welcome and if you know of any newcomer to Winchester please try to get them to join.
Robin Merton
Finally, I would like to record my appreciation, and yours, of all the work Robin Merton put into the chairmanship of the Trust from 1997-2001. His ceaseless hard work, thoughtfulness and care in dealing with issues and people, and his good humour set an example which will not be easy to follow.
Roger Backhouse Q.C.