Trust's activities and the importance of its members - TrustNews July 17
The area of the Trust's activities has expanded considerably since 1957, when it was mainly concerned about major developments that were felt would change the character of Winchester – hence its original name, the Winchester Preservation Trust (WPT). This then expanded into a variety of activities, such as arranging talks and exhibitions, as well as local walks and trips to local places of interest.
Its activities increased in the 1970s, as a result of changes caused by the changing functions of local authorities, when Winchester lost local council representation. The WPT stepped in to fill this role for planning matters, which led to the formation of the Development Control Committee; this looked at all the applications put forward in Winchester where there was no parish council, although at this stageit was again only the more important proposals that were commented on.
The relationship between the Trust's activities and its members is very interesting. There have been many different committees, covering a wide variety of subjects. Some have been, and are, the result of local planning events, such as the route of the M3, the residential development of Peninsula Barracks, traffic in the City, and currently the Station Approach development and the continuing saga of the development of the central area, previously known as Silver Hill. Others are due to the interests of individuals, who are not necessarily Trust council members, but have a personal interest in a particular subject. Examples of this are the Chippindale Venture to promote an interest in the built environment in local schools (named after an early Trust councillor whose interest it was), Neighbourhood Studies booklets, looking after and indexing historic records and photographs at the Heritage Centre, arranging walks and lectures, the sale of Christmas cards etc - the list goes on. There was also a Landscape Committee, sadly now virtually defunct, and very much missed. Is there a member anywhere who would like to resuscitate it? - or feels there's something that the Trust is overlooking relating to the welfare of Winchester? If so, don’t hesitate to come forward and take part in our activities.
A few years after the name was changed to the City of Winchester Trust (CWT) in 2001, it was decided that the name of the committee looking at planning applications was misleading, and it became the more appropriately named Planning Appraisal Group (PAG). This committee is probably the longest running one in the Trust, and has existed in its present form since the end of the 1980s. It now has four weekly panels, each consisting of three Trust members and a retired architect member to advise them; they meet in a room reserved for them at the Planning Office, where they look at all the planning applications for the Winchester parishes with no parish council - all of them, please note, which means they check everything, from High Street shop signs, so-called ‘dormers’ able to accommodate a whole room, through house extensions and residential schemes to full-blown major developments. These last are usually also considered by the Planning Policy Group, which consists primarily of Trust Council members, together with other members with skills relevant to the group's requirements.
The Trust also works with WinACC (Winchester Action on Climate Change), especially in regard to the traffic implications of major developments proposed within the City, as well as the environmental effect any scheme could have on the local environment. It also has good relations with the Hampshire Gardens Trust (HGT), as well as the City’s Planning Department, who seem to value the Trust's opinions - especially when it agrees with theirs! They often suggest that developers or applicants with controversial proposals should ask the Trust for a pre-application presentation, when the scheme will be shown to Trust Council and PAG members, and the ensuing discussion and comments made more formally to the applicant after the presentation may often result in a more satisfactory scheme being presented to the planners. If an applicant goes to appeal after a scheme is refused by the Planning Department and the Trust agrees with the reasons for the refusal, a supportive letter will be written to the Planning Inspectorate; no letter is sent when the reasons for refusal have no relevance to the Trust’s remit, and the Trust has even been known to write in support of the appellant when it disagrees with the reasons for refusal, but this only happens on very rare occasions.
It is clear that the Trust’s sphere of interest has widened considerably since its inception in 1957. This has largely been brought about by the increasing pressure for a vibrant commercial centre and the need to accommodate more residents in and around the City, as well as coping with the increased traffic these require. But it has also been the result of recognising the incremental damage that small changes can make to the character of Winchester as a whole, and how essential it is to take these into account.
It is apparent that members are essential to the success of the Trust’s future, for several reasons. Without their financial support the Trust would be unable to continue its efforts to retain the character of Winchester, and the size of our membership is also of considerable importance in our dealings with the Local Authorities and Planning Appeal Inspectors, who respect the Trust’s views because of its wide support base.
Last, but not least, it must be stressed that although it is not a campaigning protest group, the Trust does require the support and views of members who are concerned about the future of Winchester as a whole, and can also draw our attention to problems in their neighbourhood, as well as letting us know where it is felt the Trust should expand its activities. Sustaining our current activities can only survive with the aid of members willing to give up some of their spare time to help us, however unrelated they may think their abilities are. For example, apart from the architect advisors, PAG panel members have no special qualifications apart from observation and a concern about the future of Winchester, although they do of course acquire a lot of experience during their years on panel duties. It’s noteworthy that once anyone becomes a regular panel member, rather than just being a reserve, they tend to stay on panel duty for many years because they become so involved in local events. There are also many other activities where help would be welcomed, such as publicity, IT and matters where qualifications and practical experience would be of great value.
So please remember that, as well as paying your membership fees, your active participation would also be greatly appreciated by the Trust, for whatever role that interests you and how much time you are able to spare.