From our files: Empty homes charge...bold McDonald’s...too many, deer fallow
50 YEARS AGO
A 50% RATE is to be levied on empty properties in the New Forest district. But NFDC’s resources committee is to reconsider whether or not it should only apply to empty properties in excess of £100 rateable value.
Councillor ER Dearing pointed out that many houses which had been empty for years would escape the levy if applied only to properties over £100 rateable value.
There were at least five houses in Lyndhurst one of which had been empty for 15 years which would escape the levy and he felt that this was wrong in the present climate of a shortage of housing.
The council plan to operate the scheme from October and properties would become liable after being unoccupied for three months, six months in the case of newly erected properties.
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NEW Forest District Council chairman Councillor R Alderson has refuted criticism that he has been extravagant with ratepayers’ money during the present economic crisis.
In a statement he said that a civic reception for 160 people at the Lyndhurst Park Hotel for civic heads including the Lord Lieut. of Hampshire Lord Malmesbury, councillors and council officers and their wives was a “very modest affair”.
“All we had was a finger buffet and a few glasses of wine, you can’t call that extravagant,” said Councillor Alderson “All I was doing was returning a little bit of hospitality on modest lines.”
25 YEARS AGO
The race was on to win the prestigious ‘Golden Frying Pan’ trophy with chefs from Christchurch’s pubs and hotels, councillors and local business people battling it out to be first past the finishing post with their pancakes.
Crowds cheered the contestants as they ran from the gates of the Priory to the finishing line at Pommery’s Restauant, trying to toss their pancakes at least three times.
James Penn, chef at the Waterford Lodge Hotel, came first in the chefs’ heats, winning the Golden Frying Pan trophy.
PC Brenda Traylen came first for the second year saying her secret was to “toss first and run afterwards.” The Rev Hugh Williams came second. Also taking part were the Mayor Councillor Bob McArthur, Ivo the clown and glamorous postie Debbie.
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DESPITE a warning that New Forest District Council is unlikely to grant permission, the fast food chain McDonald’s have nevertheless pushed forward with their plans to open a branch at Dibden Purlieu.
During a recent meeting, the council’s head of development control Chris Elliott told some 250 local people packed into St Andrew’s church hall, that McDonald’s had contacted them about a restaurant in Beaulieu Road at the Heath Garage site.
He said the company would appeal to the government if the plans were refused. He said the main reasons against a branch was the additional traffic it would cause, and noise and other activity between the hours of 7am and 11pm.
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A REQUEST for an adequate water supply at Sway memorial hall was made on behalf of the village’s football team by the youth coach and senior club member at Sway Parish Council.
Brian Saxon said that the water supply was very poor with barely “enough to fill the toilet bowls and water the hanging baskets”.
He added that visiting football teams had been unable to have showers after the games which is against the regulations of the Football Association.
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A COUPLE of old New Foresters with a lifelong love of its ancient traditions and an interest in its management have expressed concern over what they believe to be the excessive cull of deer.
One said that at New Park only around 30 deer could now be found, where once there were 150.
But Martin Noble of the Forestry Commission said that the culling had been “stepped up” in order to control the “inappropriately excessive number of fallow deer”.
He said: “The population rose to around 3,000, and over the past six years we have been trying to reduce that number. By last year fallow deer had been reduced to 2,000 and our ultimate aim is to get them down to 1,200 by the year 2005.”
Mr Noble said most of the deer culled were elderly. The venison, if good quality, is sold to a Derbyshire game dealer who for several years has tendered the best price for culls in the New Forest and Dorset. Currently he pays £1.50 a kilo carcass weight.
