From Our Files: Empty homes rant...dump dig denial...seen and herd
50 YEARS AGO
“IT seems absolutely criminal in this day and age for houses to be left unoccupied,” Lyndhurst Parish Council chairman Keith Buckett said at their March meeting.
He was commenting on empty homes at Pikes Hill and Wellands Road which Mr Eric Dearing stated had been unoccupied for at least 15 years.
New Forest District Council said a recent inspection of the properties had been carried out and the owner informed of necessary work to make them safe. There were loose roof slates, and chimney stacks were defective.
The council did not have any powers to require the owner to make properties available for letting and it was understood he had refused to sell on a number of occasions.
Mr Dearing said: “So many young people are looking for somewhere to live. They saw these houses empty but are told nothing could be done. I suppose they will stay empty until they fall down.”
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A LYMINGTON man has been refused permission to dig for old bottles on council rubbish dumps that date back to Victorian times.
A request to dig in the Milford end of Pleasure Gardens was turned down by the NFDC. In his report chief health and housing officer, Mr J G Jenkins, said there were a number of sites known to only a few people which dated back to Victorian times and which could produce objects which were quite valuable on the open market.
“Although this man states that this is his hobby, it is quite a lucrative one,” said Mr Jenkins.
He said the site could become “overcome with scavengers” if permission was given for the dig.
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A LARGE herd of cattle is worrying the residents at Shirley Holms, near Sway. At last week’s Verderers’ Court one of the residents, John Pope, said up to 80 cattle had been seen wandering in the area.
They had churned up the ground and made it impassable at times.
He said the cattle were not permitted to graze on the Forest between November and May. The verderers said they would look into it.
25 YEARS AGO
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A PETITION protesting at the government’s plans for house building in Hampshire was presented to Parliament by Desmond Swayne, New Forest West MP, signed by 750 constituents.
The petition claimed that the government’s housing targets amounted to the equivalent of another Southampton in Hampshire which would “devastate vast tracts of countryside and overwhelm the county’s transport, health and education service”.
Mr Swayne is asking Parliament to reject the proposal to build 169,000 new homes in Hampshire. He said it was “monstrous to accommodate other economic and social trends by building all over Hampshire”.
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NEW Milton police have again warned people not to disclose their PIN number to anyone after a victim of a handbag theft was later telephoned by a man claiming to be a police officer.
Between 12 and 1pm on Sunday a car parked in Hobart Road was broken into and a woman’s handbag stolen.
Later a male caller told her that her property had been recovered and asked for her PIN number but police have stressed they would never ask for this information.
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DON’T send money to companies offering the chance to earn money working from home, was the advice of the Trading Standards after reports that an “envelope stuffing” company was conning people throughout the UK was now targeting the New Forest.
The company has been the subject of an ongoing investigation by police and Trading Standards after letters were sent to homes offering the chance to earn money filling envelopes in return for an initial fee of £25.
Rob White said: “Think twice about sending money because, if they are asking you for money, the chances are it's a con.”
