December 2024

Free Christmas entertainment for all throughout December

Get ready for some free festive fun!

Every Saturday in December before Christmas, the council is putting on free entertainment in the High Street (Lawrence Square) for the whole family.

The first one took place last Saturday (7 December) despite the weather, and this coming Saturday and the next (14 and 21 December), there's free go-karting and activities from the Craft Bus (both 10am-3pm), plus Twinkles face painting from 11am-3pm in Gosport Museum.

On top of that, each Saturday has its own unique line up of activities planned.

Saturday 14 December - meet the friendly Christmas Nutcracker, watch dinosaurs prowl and enjoy carols from Gosport Waterfront Baptist Church Choir.

Saturday 21 December - the popular giant snow globe returns for those great Christmas photos, plus entertainment including the gentle polar bear and snow queen, as well as more Christmas carols.

Come and do some Christmas shopping at the same time and support local businesses!

While we hope to run all of the events, things like bad weather or high wind might mean not all of the planned activities are able to run.

New council homes for Gosport families making good progress

Building work on 15 new council homes across the borough is well underway.

Over the past few months, construction teams have completed the foundations and brickwork up to the first floor on most properties, with works on the roofs due in the new year.

The homes are due to be finished in summer 2025. Seven new houses will be available at Stoners Close (a mix of four and three-bedroom), three at Glebe Drive (all two-bedroom), and five at Wheeler Close (a mix of two and one-bedroom).

Pictured are Council Leader Cllr Peter Chegwyn and Cllr Sue Ballard, Chair of the Housing Board, visiting the Stoners Close site this week.

And the council has just completed the purchase of a further property in Bury Road, which will provide six more units of accommodation for housing services.

Affordable housing planned at former Blakes Maternity Home

More much-needed affordable housing is progressing under plans to convert the old Blakes Maternity Home building.

The council has agreed to sell the land and building at Ham Lane to Vivid Homes. Vivid plans to convert what are currently empty bedsits into seven new affordable homes, for rental at social rates for local families on the council housing list.

Council grants to support local groups, charities and events

Gosport charities, a scout group and the country's only pop-up military museum are among the latest to benefit from council grants.

The Military Heritage Museum has been awarded £7,500 help it continue to travel around the country displaying military artefacts from as long ago as Ancient Greece, while promoting Gosport and its rich heritage.

The D-Day Fellowship was also awarded £5,000 to create a new D-Day memorial at Stokes Bay, adding to existing war memorials.

At the grants sub-board meeting, the council also awarded Lee on the Solent Scout Group £5,000 to build new toilets in the building it and other groups use.

The council also hands out grants to support popular events, and £5,500 was awarded towards the Gosport Marine Festival, and £3,000 to support Gosport Rotary Club's annual Michaelmas Fair.

Further grants included awards to The Repair Café, Y Services and the Lee Hub Independent Community Library.

Works to begin on new public space at former bus station site

Hoarding is going up this month in anticipation of work beginning on demolishing the 52-year old Gosport bus station.

The building, which was no longer fit for purpose, has been replaced by a modern and bright transport interchange by Hampshire County Council.

Demolition of the old building will begin in early 2025 and the site levelled and cleared. The council worked with the previous tenants of the building to help them relocate and find other suitable premises in the borough.

The site will then be redeveloped into a new, high quality 'People's Park' public space featuring food and drink vendors - creating a welcoming gateway for residents and visitors to the town centre.

We'll collect your Christmas tree for free We will be collecting and recycling natural Christmas trees free of charge from Monday 13 January to Friday 24 January. Make sure you leave your tree at the front of your property, clearly visible.

December and January rubbish and recycling collection days

Most households will have the same waste and recycling collection days over the festive period. The only changes are for those whose collection day fall on 25, 26 and 27 December and 1, 2, and 3 January, when collection will take place on the day after your usual date, as below:

Vote for Gosport's independent business of the year

A new competition aims to find "Gosport's Best Independent Business", as voted for by the public.

Celebrate your favourite local independent business over the past year by nominating them as Gosport's Best Independent Business. Whether it's a local coffee shop, hairdressers or market stall, all small businesses are eligible.

The top prize is a business-boosting bundle and a 1-2-1 marketing support package including bespoke video content. The winner and runners-up will also be invited to a celebration event with the Mayor of Gosport at the Town Hall in January.

Share how you repair and reuse items

Hampshire County Council is looking to help people to extend the life of common household items such as furniture, appliances, and clothing and to make more use of reusable and re-fillable items. Please fill out the survey about the types of items your household finds a way to reuse, and the types of things you get rid of.

Harbourside and Town by-election result

The recent Harbourside and Town by-election was won by Lesley Meenaghan (Conservative). The election followed the death of Cllr Alan Durrant. Following the election the political make-up of the council is now: 15 Liberal Democrat, 11 Conservative, 2 Labour. The Liberal Democrats retain overall control.

Update on coastal defence scheme progress

In September the £1.2m Stokes Bay seawall replacement project was completed on time and on budget, allowing Alverbank East car park, pictured right, to reopen. The council is undertaking a major project to improve the coastal defences at three sites - Forton, Alverstoke and Seafield - to protect homes and businesses. Construction of a new seawall at Forton is nearing completion, and we continue to bid for external funding needed to progress work at Alverstoke and Seafield. More news on our coastal defence scheme will be shared with you in this bulletin in the new year! Flood protection advice for the winter Wherever you live there is potential for flooding, and there are measures you can take to help protect your home and business. You can sign up for flood warnings on the government website and find help to make a flood plan. The Coastal Partners website has useful information on things you can do right now, such as how to check if your home or business is in a flood zone, and if it is, registering it with the Environment Agency. There's also advice on protecting your property, and what to do during and after a flood.