Update on HCV tasks and airfield warning

We have made a great start to the year with a variety of tasks for Eastleigh Borough and Hamble Parish councils. Thanks to some exceptional turnouts by volunteers and their concentrated efforts we have been able to clear a formidable amount of mono culture scrub from Hamble Common. As a reminder the Common is not a natural feature but is a Site of Scientific Interest (SSI) as it was created thousands of years ago by our predecessors and remains a habitat for a wide range of wildlife which has adapted to its rare environment.

Support for the Parish ground team has been more varied ranging from clearing overgrown pathways to large scale litter clearances. The litter cleans are once a month and alone would not be enough to keep Hamble clean and safe. Fortunately we are not the only ones to tackle litter discarded in Hamble. Some of our team pick up rubbish independently and recently we met with a couple who have turned their daily dog walks into a mission to tackle this perenial issue. Over the course of a year they have managed to pick up 1254 cans, 162 vapes and lighters, 2062 plastic bottles and 520 glass bottles. This is a formidable achievement and illustrates the scale of the problem arising from anti-social behaviour and is a stark indication of what Hamble would be like if it weren't for the efforts of volunteers.

We hope everyone has taken note that Cemex have appealed against the refusal of their application to turn the airfield into the largest imaginable threat to our environment, local businesses and community. Please do all that you can to prevent this industrial scale anti-social intention.