Hook triumphs for a second year at the Village of the Year Awards
On Thursday 29th September, Hook Parish Council had the pleasure of attending Hampshire Association of Local Councils (HALC) Village of the Year awards, hosted by Bishops Waltham Parish Council, winners of the 2019 award. Having had a 3-year break due to Covid restrictions, it was wonderful to hear the inspiring talks from local groups and other parish and town councils about projects they have undertaken, despite the pandemic. Following on from the 5 awards Hook Parish Council won in 2019, we were delighted to receive 3 this year. These were:
- Best Community Initiative – Winner – Hook In Bloom poppy drapes project
- Inspiring Places – Runner up – Bassetts Mead Country Park
- Inspirational Individual – Runner Up – Dr. Nick Maslin Memories Of Hook in Hampshire – for his outstanding research into the history of Hook and sharing his knowledge throughout the community
Chairman of Hook Parish Council, Cllr Rob Cowell OBE said “We are absolutely delighted to win these awards. Hook has a wealth of dedicated and talented voluntary groups and individuals that contribute to make Hook the great place it is. It is wonderful that the local groups and individuals are recognised for their efforts by winning these awards”.
The poppy drapes will be up from 1st November and the Parish Council will be putting up (with the help of a number of residents) over 400 poppies on lampposts throughout the village from the 24th October. The village comes alive with colour and it really is a beautiful sight.
Dr Nick Maslin has written a number of books detailing the history of Hook that can be purchased from Hartletts Café or from Hook History Society https://www.facebook.com/MemoriesofHookinHampshire/
Fireworks
HSCA (Hook Schools Community Association) are holding their Annual Fireworks Event on Saturday 5th November. This is a large scale event that sold out last year. Due to the anticipated numbers, the entrance points will be via Church View, Mitchells Field and Hartletts Park.
Please be aware that there will be no access to or past the tennis courts, MUGA and the A30 entrance to Hartletts Park from 3pm on Saturday 5th until after the fireworks have concluded. Access to the Hartletts Park entrance will be via Griffin Way South/Ravenscroft. There will be no car parking on site (except for Blue Badge Holders which must be pre-booked).
The Community Centre Car Park will also be closed from 2pm. The closures are all necessary as the area forms part of the fall out zone for the display and safe pedestrian access route.
Roadworks – A30/Griffin Way
Prior to the opening of the new Sainsbury’s next year, some significant changes to the road layout are required. The developer has informed us that they have written to residents and provided us with a copy of that letter. These changes to the roundabout and road layouts are likely to cause significant disruption in Hook and we have raised concerns with the developer, Hart District Council (HDC) and Hampshire Country Council (HCC). However, they have informed us that the works authorised by HDC and HCC must go ahead and the plan is as follows.
At the end of October/beginning of November road closures are expected to be put in place and are anticipated to remain for 6 months.
The road closures are:
B3349 Griffin Way North will be closed from the roundabout to Oak Tree Drive
B3349 Griffin Way South will be closed from the roundabout to Four Acre Coppice
The A30 will remain open but will have traffic light controls either side of the roundabout.
We understand that there will be a need to close the A30 and the B3349 in both directions for a period of 2 weeks for overnight works at the end of March.
More detailed information is available at https://s278.biz/A30-Griffin%20Way%20Hook.html
Geffreys House – Public Consultation
At the time of writing, a public consultation event hosted by the developer Shanly Homes is due to take place on 31st October at Hook Community Centre to present emerging proposals for the development of the Geffreys House site, off London Road, Hook. It is understood that a project website is due to go live on the day of the public exhibition – www.landofflondonroadhook.co.uk – where residents will be able to view the information displayed at the public exhibition and leave feedback. The consultation will close on 14th November.
Skate Park
Our very popular skate park is coming to the end of its life and needs to be replaced. We have employed Canvas (Skate Park specialists) to design and build a new facility. This is aimed at Skate boards, Scooters, and BMX bikes.
At the time of writing we are about to hold a consultation afternoon/evening on Thursday 20th October so residents and users of all ages can view the plans and say what they think of the proposed design.
You can also view the plans online at https://canvasspaces.co.uk/hook-skatepark
New signs
Our Maintenance Team have been busy installing new signs in our Play Areas. They provide information about what age group the area is for, who to contact regarding faults or damage, the What3words address and other rules in relation to that area.