Hampshire Chronicle Review of the Year July to September

A second café operated by a Winchester businessman shuts its doors for good.

Number 25, in Stockbridge Road, Fulflood, closes permanently a few months after Autumn House, in the Square, also closed its doors. Both cafes were run by Alex Donnan and his business partner Laura Turner.

Number 25 on Stockbridge Road (Image: Newsquest)A sign in the window says: “It is with regret we announce the closure of Number 25. We’d like to thank our staff and the community who have supported us during our time in Fulflood.”

An ex-employee at Autumn House, who asks to remain anonymous, says that she is still owed £2,000 after the business suddenly closed in August.

Work begins on the long-empty Debenhams on Winchester High Street as it is to be re-let to a trio of restaurant chains. While unconfirmed, it is believed that Five Guys, Nandos and Pizza Express, which already has a location on Bridge Street, will move into the ground floor.

Scaffolding in front of Debenhams (Image: Chris Atkinson)Scaffolding is put up at the front and rear of the building, with concerns being raised that it will impact the weekly street market.

However, market manager Peter Lovesey says he is working with the city council to ensure that traders can continue to operate, saying: “We’ve managed to work around it, so we’re over the moon.”

A Winchester woman who received France’s highest honour for her service during the Second World War has died, aged 98.

Anne Ponsonby (Image: Contributed)Anne Veronica Ponsonby, of Dower House Nursing Home in Headbourne Worthy, received the Legion d’Honneur in 2019.

During the war, she trained as a wireless operator and supported the Special Operations Executive (SOE) by using Morse code to receive and send messages to the French Resistance. She is survived by her children Belinda and Emma, as well as her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

November

After years of debates and public consultations, a formal planning application for Bushfield Camp is submitted to Winchester City Council.

Put forward by the Church Commissioners, the plans are for a business park, “academic accommodation”, a hotel, retail, parking, sport and community hub, landscaping and public realm works, with more than half the site retained as open space.

Cllr Jan Warwick says: “There are concerns that the planning application process will not allow sufficient scrutiny of the full documentation and it will be difficult for residents to fully appreciate the ultimate impact.”

Winchester Cathedral resubmits plans to erect a life-sized statue of Jane Austen. It is hoped that the statue will be put up in 2025 in the Inner Close, next to number 9, to mark the 250th anniversary of her birth in 1775.

The proposed design of the Jane Austen statue by Martin Jennings (Image: Martin Jennings)A previous statue plan was scrapped in 2019 after public feedback on the design. The new statue is being designed by the same sculptor, Martin Jennings.

Canon Roland Riem, Vice-Dean at Winchester Cathedral, says: “Winchester Cathedral Chapter is delighted to be reviving this project, in a greatly revised form, as a lasting contribution to the 250th anniversary celebrations of Jane Austen’s birth.”

Thousands witness the Christmas lights being turned on as Winchester marks the start of the festive season. The lights were switched on by staff and volunteers from Winchester Hospice after winning a public vote.

People filling the streets to watch the Christmas light switch on (Image: Stu Martin)Meanwhile, hundreds have support Alresford's first festive lantern procession.

The procession sees dozens of participants walk from Perins School to the Railway Station on Station Approach, carrying beautiful paper lanterns which light up the town.

New Alresford held its first lantern parade this year (Image: Stuart Martin Photography)Organisers say they hope the event returns next year.

A large cannabis factory is discovered inside the city centre nightclub Vodka.

Officers executed a warrant at the Upper Brook Street club in the early hours of November 20, discovering a large amount of cannabis plants inside in various stages of growth. The plants have been seized and destroyed. A man is arrested.

Police outside Vodka on Upper Brook Street (Image: Newsquest)Police enquiries into the drugs factory are continuing.

December

The accident and emergency department at the Royal Hampshire County Hospital will close under new NHS plans.

The closure is part of proposals for a new specialist acute hospital on the edge of Basingstoke, using more than £800m in government funding.

Under the plans, the RHCH is to be refurbished and a 24/7 'urgent treatment centre' opened.

Although the current A&E would close, many services will be retained including same-day emergency care, a planned surgery centre, Florence Portal House birthing unit and outpatients.

The closure has been discussed for many years. Winchester MP Steve Brine says: “Modernising services across a Trust will always come with hard choices about clinical priorities, what goes where and have an impact elsewhere.”

Former mayor of Winchester Derek Green is accused of sexual assault against a teenage girl at a Bonfire Night event in 2022.

Former mayor of Winchester Derek Green (Image: Stu Martin)According to Hampshire Police, a 16-year-old girl was touched inappropriately over her clothing at the Winchester Bonfire and Fireworks display at River Park on Saturday, November 5 last year. Police say that Mr Green was attending the event in his official capacity as the Mayor of Winchester when the alleged offence happened.

Mr Green will face a charge of sexual assault on a female at Basingstoke Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, January 11, following a postal requisition.

A new electric vehicle charging hub is coming to Three Maids Hill, north of Winchester.

Plans for the hub are approved by Winchester City Council Planning Committee. The main vehicle charging station will have 33 car charging bays, four large van charging bays, four drive-through charging bays for large/towing vehicles and three designated disabled bays. It will also have a restaurant.

CEO of applicant InstaVolt, Adrian Keen, says: “The right decision was made by the council, and we can now press ahead to deliver this innovative and forward-thinking plan.”