New Allotments for Brickfield Road

Raf Persaud, Chairman of Northcote, Brickfield, Somerset and Portswood Road Residents Association with Conservative Councillor Vincenzo Capozzoli

I am delighted at the decision by the city council to protect the unused land at the corner of Brickfield Road, in Portswood from development.

A decision was taken back in 2006 by the Lib Dem council Administration at the time to sell the land for housing and when this came to light last year there was strong opposition, led by the local community group (NBSP).

In particular I would like to thank Raf Persaud for his tireless campaigning on behalf of the community.

Portswood Councillor Vincenzo Capozzoli and I have been working for the past 12 months to keep the site green and to protect the land for the local community.

Following the public meeting of local residents last year we have been working hard behind the scenes to reach an agreement with the University that will see the site converted to allotments. Using the site for allotments was a suggestion put forward at the residents meeting last year and I am pleased that the council has listened to local people and found a way to achieve this.

Mountbatten Way CREW

My Colleague, Cllr Brian Parnell in Saxon Road

A major clear up of Mountbatten Way and nearby roads started today as part of Crime Reduction and Environment Week in Freemantle.

Offenders under the Community Payback scheme are working to tidy up rubbish that had been fly tipped in the area. Work will also include cutting back bushes, filling pot holes, erecting neighbourhood watch signs.

Lighting repairs on the bridge have been reported to Network Rail.

The clear up follows a request by the local neighbourhood watch for Saxon Road the Cracknore Road.

Southampton set to embrace new housing powers

Southampton City Council is set to embrace new powers which will allow it to protect family homes and control where excessive concentrations of houses of multiple occupancy (HMOs) spring up in the city.

Last week the council received government guidance on new ways to control HMOs – rented homes where three or more unrelated people live.

The council is now looking at the best way to use these new powers, named Article 4, which means it will be able to refuse new HMOs in Southampton, where they are appropriate.

Article 4 powers allow local authorities to implement strict planning rules in specific areas. The rules require landlords to attain planning permission before turning homes into rented HMOs.

These powers would allow us to look carefully at areas in the city where there are problems or issues with houses of multiple occupancy. We can also look at areas where there are concerns from residents about protecting where they live in the future.

It means we can insist that landlords apply for planning permission if they change the use of a house into a HMO.

As well as exploring how it will use Article 4, the council is also working with communities and organisations to make sure plenty of houses remain as family homes in Southampton.

We want to embrace diversity in Southampton and make sure we cater for all. However we must protect family homes and make sure Southampton is a place where families can live and enjoy. To do that we need to make sure there are lots of family homes for our residents to choose from. That is why as well as looking at these new powers, we are also working with people like private landlords and the University of Southampton, who we are supporting with their accommodations strategy.