New Milton Advertiser 2nd Oct 2020

Friday 2nd October 2020 · 9

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National park gives thumbs-up to £3bn Waterside vision

‘Rat on a rat’ poaching plea

Drink-driver in 14-month ban A CHRISTCHURCH motorist was banned from the roads for 14 months for driving while over the alcohol limit. Michael McCafferty (32), of Blackberry Lane, plead- ed guilty to drink-driving a Volkswagen Caddy van in Poole on 15th August. The Poole Bench fined McCaffer- ty £100 and told him to pay £119 in court costs. A post by local police on Twitter said: “If you know someone committing rural crime in #NewForest phone 101 in confidence to #RatOn ARat.” 11-week closure for main road A STRETCH of the main road through Tiptoe has been closed for 11 weeks while major gas replacement works are carried out. The road was shut from Tiptoe Primary School to the Fortune Centre of Riding Therapy’s Wootton Hall Farm site for the works which started last Monday and are due to continue until 11th December. Access for homes and busi- nesses is being maintained at the school end, while a hard concrete bollard has been put in place at the Rising Sun pub end, leaving space for pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders. POLICE are urging people to “rat on a rat” amid reports of ongoing game poaching in the New Forest. Members of the rural communities in Beaulieu and Sowley had alerted police to the offences being commit- ted in their areas between 4pm and 6pm on most days of last week.

NATIONAL park authority members have backed plans to bring up to £3bn of investment and thousands of new jobs to Totton and the Waterside. As reported in the A&T, the Waterside Vision prepared by New Forest District Council fol- lowing outline permission for 1,500 homes at Fawley power station and approval of its Lo- cal Plan, setting out delivery of more than 10,000 homes out- side the national park by 2036. The paper states the main goals are securing investment in the A326 transport corridor to reduce congestion and bet- ter connect the area. Discussing the report at a meeting of the NPA’s planning committee, committee member Caroline Rackham said it was “really fabulous” that the NPA, NFDC and Hampshire County Council were working together on the vision but wanted more details. She added: “It is so import- ant for the area. There are so many things missing from this particular document, like grad- uate retention, arts and culture that I know are now included which I am grateful for. “The broadband needs more of a stress as it is something so important for building up any sort of economy in an area and town centres as well. There is nothing specific in how the town centres will function in this and that is really so import- ant. It needs looking at in more detail.” Committee member Barry

Rickman, who is also leader of NFDC, welcomed the docu- ment and said: “This is a great bit of joint work and the give- away is in the name – it is called a vision – so I think there is a lot more that will come on board. “I agree wholeheartedly with what Caroline is saying about culture in particular and I think in time we should also include sport within that as an important activity in people’s lives.” NPA executive director of strategy and planning, Steve Avery, said: “Members will be aware there is an awful lot of development planned for the Waterside. Pretty much all of it is set out in NFDC’s Local Plan. “I should stress this is not a planning document, but its main purpose is to aid invest- ment in to the Waterside to support all of the infrastructure that will be needed.” The document also sets out social and community oppor- tunities, which include new knowledge-based employment, investing in education and training courses, delivering a mix of housing tenures, and re- using brownfield sites. Also needed are “sustainable alternatives” to the car, such as cycling and walking, and re- storing the Waterside passen- ger railway line, investment in 5G connectivity, environmental infrastructure, and improve- ments to Totton town centre. The document will be de- bated further at the NPA’s full meeting on 15th October.

(Photo: NFDC)

Only a section of the damaged sea wall at Milford is currently being rebuilt

Rebuilding part of sea wall a ‘waste’

Petition launched demanding funds to fix the whole stretch

Another 90m of the wall af- fected is not being improved for the time being but is scheduled to happen as part of phases two and three of the project in the next two years. However, SMFTS members have pointed out New Forest District Council will need to be successful in applying for central government money for those phases to happen, and they might be asked to fund some of it themselves. “We understand without fund- ing for the phases two and three of the programme to defend the coastline at Westover, the patch- ing up currently taking place will be wasted time, money and effort. “We urgently need EA [En- vironment Agency] funding to

complete the defence of the whole stretch of coastline, in- cluding the 90m which are cur- rently being left undefended. To this end, we have started the petition to show support for the NFDC in their applications for funding,” the petition said. SMFTS added: “This is crit- ical for protecting the homes of dozens of local residents, restor- ing the scenic coastal path and safeguarding the social and eco- nomic future of the village.” As reported in the A&T, the project moved ahead after a report by NFDC contractor Jacobs highlighted the failure of a 270m section of the concrete protection. Should nothing be done, the Jacobs reportwent on, around 50 properties – including the White

House – were at “imminent risk” this winter. It suggested stabilis- ing the wall, compensating for the loss of beach material, and installing protective boulders. NFDC was initially reluctant to intervene because it claimed it did not own the land concerned and had no legal responsibility. However, in recent weeks it has committed to underwriting the cost of the initial scheme to in- stall an 8,500-tonne rock struc- ture to protect up to 180 metres of the wall. The NFDC appointed con- tractor Earlcoate Construc- tion, based in Fordingbridge, to undertake the work, which is already well under way, with clusters of large boulders being delivered by barge and installed for extra protection.

Driver charged over death of pedestrian

BY JON WALLER

WORK to rebuild part of a failed section of Milford sea wall will be “wasted time, money and effort” if additional improvements are not carried out, a petition has warned. Signed by more than 350 peo- ple, the petition was launched by Save Milford From the Sea (SMFTS), which fears residents will be charged to fix part of it. The first phase of a New For- est District Council-led £1.9m project to address faults focuses only on a 180m stretch.

A LORRY driver has been charged over a fatal collision in New Milton town centre in which an 89-year-old pedestri- an died. Margaret Fraser, of Waverley Road, New Milton, was killed in the incident on Station Road on 20th January. Police have now charged Gary Horbury (57), of Ferndale Road, New Milton, with causing

death by careless driving. The incident, near the town’s main crossroads, involved a Travis Perkins lorry. Grandmother Mrs Fraser, de- scribed by her family as “inspi- rational” in a tribute after her death, suffered multiple inju- ries, an inquest heard. Horbury will appear at South- ampton Magistrates’ Court on 13th October.

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‘IT GIVES YOU PEACE OF MIND’: Among the factors that set Colten Care’s 21 homes apart is that all are registered for nursing care and all our nurses benefit from group-wide clinical support. It means that if a resident’s needs change over time, they can stay in familiar surroundings cared for by people they know. Professional nursing expertise has given added reassurance to residents and their families during Covid, as Colten Care relatives and staff explain. Relatives and staff highlight Colten Care’s nursing excellence

Photograph taken in February 2020. Before PPE was required.

Jenny Cottrell says she feels ‘very lucky and reassured’ that her mother Rosemary lives at the Sturminster Newton home, Newstone House, one of seven Colten homes rated Outstanding by regulator the Care Quality Commission. “It’s good to know nursing care is there,” says Jenny. “It gives you peace of mind for the future. As she’s settled, you wouldn’t want to move her again if circumstances change. Not everyone is fortunate to have the Colten experience but I think it is a model we should all be striving towards.” Linda Carrington, whose mother Pearl lives at the New Milton home Kingfishers, also rated Outstanding, says: “At the time mum moved in, the availability of nursing wasn’t

35 years’ experience, is in charge of Colten’s central team of eleven senior

with me at all. Now I realise it’s 100% important. Having spoken to friends with loved ones needing nursing care, I know it’s a real gift. You don’t want to send people to hospital if you don’t have to. I am very struck by the level of care for mum and we are both very happy that if her health did deteriorate she could still stay at Kingfishers. She can trust the words of people who know what they are talking about. I am very reassured, no more so than now. We’re especially thankful now.” A former NHS ward sister, Zoe Mills is Kingfishers’ Clinical Lead, in charge of the home’s nursing team. She is full of praise for how her nursing colleagues have stepped up to the many challenges of caring for older people during the pandemic. “They are a credit to their profession, leading by example to keep everyone safe,” says Zoe. “We always have to demonstrate sound, up-to-date clinical knowledge. When you go into nursing you expect challenges along the way but I think the manner in which my colleagues have risen to the demands of managing Covid has been phenomenal. They have maintained the safety of residents and colleagues, shown amazing skills in team working and kept up everyone’s mental well-being. Our

residents present severe frailty and complex needs all the time and we need to balance our clinical skills with leading safe, appropriate care without the immediate back-up of a doctor on hand. I am surrounded by inspirational nurses day in, day out.” Among Zoe’s colleagues is Jeanette Hendon, Colten longest serving nurse with nearly 26 years under her belt. Jeanette says: “As an on-duty nurse, you are the clinical expert and you need to be at the top of your game all the time. I love my job – you have the responsibility of balancing clinical expertise with leadership skills as residents, families and colleagues look to you for reassurance and direction as a clinical situation changes.” Operations Director Elaine Farrer, herself a nurse with

operations, clinical and quality managers. Nine are nurses with exceptional expertise - their combined nursing experience runs to an astonishing 265 years. Elaine says: “Because we recognise the importance of our nurses, we can offer our residents the reassurance of clinical excellence.” Summarising colleagues’ responsiveness to Covid, Elaine adds: “While suddenly having to think differently, all our nurses have continued to maintain consistently high standards of care. They’re doing wonderful work.”

Families with loved ones at a third Outstanding Colten home, Woodpeckers in Brockenhurst, share the reassurance of having nursing on hand. Jean Keevil, whose mum Helen is a resident, say s: “It’s important to know nursing’s there down the line if you need it. I’m so glad that if mum’s needs do change she doesn’t have to move somewhere else. At Woodpeckers, there is a very low rate of staff turnover. That’s a great plus. If the staff are happy, it makes for a happy home.”

something that had registered

F R E E We are now offering the opportunity to come and stay with us and enjoy two weeks FREE .* 2 w e e k s *

Rosemary showcasing her flowers.

†

UK’s highest rated ‘Large Care Home Group’ on public review site Carehome.co.uk. (Awarded March 2020)

* Terms & conditions apply.

† Correct at time of print

For more information visit www. ColtenCare .co.uk or call 01425 482464