Funding slashed for homeless charity

There are fears that Southampton’s homeless community could be left without vital support if the City Council slashes funding for one of the city’s most successful voluntary groups.

The Street Homeless Prevention Service has been helping vulnerable people find accommodation, employment, training and health care for over 12 years. It also helps them to access benefits and find ways of staying in privately rented housing.

Councillor Peter Baillie cabinet member for housing told a cabinet meeting yesterday that a saving of £15,000 would be made by pulling the funding for SHPS and taking the service directly under local authority control.

"We’ve got to find the best way forward for the service and in this case we’ve got a fantastic officer and a great team which already provides these functions in house. Whilst it is very clear that SHPS has done a good job, this move will provide greater synergy within the service and the best value for money," he said.
"In these times we need to think about what the essential services are and in this case SHPS is something of a luxury."

Jo Ash, Chief Executive of SVS told the meeting: "When SHPS was established 12 years ago it was unanimously agreed that it was the best way to meet the needs of vulnerable individuals. Since then we have been lauded by the government for our contribution to the community. Every homeless person helped by the service stays in their accommodation, and goes into training or employment.

"£15,000 seems a small price to pay for the damage caused to the people of Southampton and it seems totally contrary to the Big Society agenda which is supposed to be at the heart of council policy.

The decision was deferred for two weeks for cabinet members to consider the proposal but the final decision will be made by the Executive Director and Councillor Baillie in a fortnight’s time.

Top six to have salaries scrutinised

The six most highly paid officials at Southampton City Council could have their slaries vetoed if new government palns are implemented.

Communities Secretary Eric Pickles has introduced a measure which will mean councillors can vote to block salaries over £100,000.

The move comes amid fierce protests over pay cuts which rocked Caty Hall yesterday.
Pickles told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: "This is just part of the checks and balances so that it allows every councillor to consciously make a decision with regard to senior pay. "It just seems to me to be a reasonable thing to do."

Councillors will also have the power to approve bonuses, pension payments and other perks along with basic salaries.

Six executive officials at Southampton City Council currently enjoy salaries over £100k. The highest of these is that of Chief executive Brad Roynon whose basic salary is £172, 618. He is closely followed by Executive Director of Resources, Carolyn Williamson who earns £130,714

All council employees will have to take a 5.3% pay cut but protestors at yesterday’s budget meeting vented their fury at huge wages.

Mark Humphreys, 55, who works in parking services said: "I’m sure they are doing a great job bless em’ but this is a twin track approach. Those people in there on six figure salaries could face job cuts but that will be over a two year period. All of us out here are facing the cuts straight away."

Council Leader Royston Smith said: "We already scrutinise top salaries very carefully. They have to be approved by our Chief Officers Employment Panel, and their decisions are reviewed by both the cabinet and the full council. We’ll also be cutting the number of chief executives to four this year. At the end of the day you can have as many people as you like planning how to empty the bins but it’s more important to have the bin men at the coal face actually doing the job."

Hampshire County Council currently has eight executives on salaries over £100,000 with Chief Executive Andrew Smith on a gigantic. £207,969

Eric Pickles

Council leader Ken Thornber, said: "This measure will further increase openness and enable all councillors to be involved and satisfied that the salary they agree is fitting for the role and responsibilities of the post. It would also allow the public to see what factors the council took into consideration when making the decision and hopefully help create a better understanding of what senior officers at the council do to help ensure the delivery of vital services to the people of Hampshire"

Protestors hijack council meeting

Protestors caused chaos by hijacking the council’s budget meeting at Southampton Civic Hall today and had to be ejected by town sergeants.

Around 200 angry protestors gathered outside under Unite and Unison banners.
Demonstrators crowded inside Civic Hall but were turned away from the council chamber and the public gallery by security staff who told them it was full.

Inside the chamber there were loud boos and jeers from the public gallery as the councillors took their seats. Chants of "cut our pay, lose your seat in May,’ and ‘you should all hang your heads in shame,’ were shouted down at the councillors.

Mayor Carol Cunion attempted to begin the meeting amid shouts from a group of protestors still gathered in the lobby outside and loud bangs on the chamber door.

Councillor Letts suggested that the meeting be adjourned and moved to the Guildhall: "This is the largest public protest we have seen here since the council tax riots, " he said. "We should make sure that all the people here can hear this debate." However he was overruled by Mayor Cunion who said that this was not possible as the venue was already in use.

Councillor Lettes then requested that all councillors be allowed an unlimited amount of time to speak on proposals instead of the mandatory four minutes but the motion was overruled.

Councillor Moulton introduced the budget proposals saying: "This is about the services we provide in Southampton, not a debate about policy made at Westminster. I read a Unison leaflet recently which blamed the banks for the budget cuts but we should not forget that it was Gordon Brown’s spending spree that caused the deficit.

"These are Labour cuts, not Tory cuts."

This was greeted with cries of: ‘get your facts right councillor Moulton.’
Mayor Cunion callled the meeting to order on several occasions and threatened to throw out the public if they continued being disruptive, but after ten minutes she was forced to adjourn the meeting and the protestors were asked to leave.

Unite Representative Peter Watts, the most vocal of the protestors inside the meeting said: "It’s a disgrace that the public are not allowed to have their say. Our council tax pays for the councillors.

"The meeting should have been moved to the guildhall then we could have had a say. We could say we’re willing to take a pay cut but there won’t be any guarantee for our jobs in the future even if we do.

"The councillors are so smug, we just can’t sit there and take it. We see depravation around this city all the time.

"We’ll be holding a public ballot on this and if the union ballots in favour we’ll definitely be calling for industrial action."

Simon Cotton, shop Steward for Unite was one of a group of Unite demonstrators from the council’s Waste and Recycling team who were barrerd from entering the civic centre.

He said: "We’re sick and tired of being treated like scum, we’ve had enough. Morale amongst workers is really low and when that happens the quality of service suffers. We’ve had a pay freeze for the past four years and now they want us to take a pay cut. This is the 21st century not 1918 it’s time for a change."

Hampshire Trading Standards consider High Court appeal

Hampshire trading standards are considering appealing to the High Court over a cement-based product which can cause burns.

In a recent case at Southampton magistrates court, Hampshire Trading Standards attempted to prosecute B&Q over its sale of a floor-levelling compound which left a Southampton woman scarred for life.

Jane Dobson, 46, was left with extensive burns on both knees which required skin grafts after she knelt in the wet floor levelling compound manufactured for B&Q by Sika, to smooth it over with a trowel.

The prosecution argued that the warning label on the product was not sufficient to suggest that it could cause burns but District Judge Anthony Carroway ruled in favour of B&Q.

Martin Window, Principal Trading Standards Officer for Hampshire County Council said: "We are really shocked at the outcome of the case. We all felt today that this was an unfair ruling.
"We will have to consider our position very carefully. I would certainly like to appeal this decision if it is possible, but we will need to consider the fact that we have to pay for this out of the public purse."

Prosecuting barrister Miss Louise Bagley said: "This is a really bad day for us, certainly one of the worst in my legal career. It’s obvious that the defence have found a loophole and we were expecting that, but we will do whatever we can to challenge it."
Under
Chemicals Hazard Information and Packaging for Supply Regulations 2009 (CHIP for short) cement products are labeled ‘irritant.’ They do not carry the label ‘harmful’ which is reserved for chemicals that ‘may cause damage to health.’

Archaeology department secures prestigious grant

A prestigious grant of £799,000 has been secured by the University of Southampton’s Archaeology Department.

The grant which was awarded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) will be used to finish the excavations at Portus, the harbour for ancient Rome which supplied goods to the Etearnal City from around the Mediterranean.



Model re-construction of Portus showing the hexagonal anchorage built by the emperor Trajan



Excavations in 2009 revealed an Imperial complex, an ancient theatre and one of the largest canals ever built by the Romans.

One of the most spectacular finds was a sculpted head which could be that of the mythical hero Odysseus.

Sculpted head which may be that of the mythical hero Odysseus

Project Director Professor Simon Keay said: "This is a massive boost for the university, the department and archaeology in general. This is one of the few global archaeology projects that is still ongoing so we’re very excited to be taking part in in."

The Portus Project which was begun in 1998 .is a collaborative effort between Southampton University, the University of Cambridge, the British School at Rome and the Italian Ministry of Culture.

The excavations which will run from March to May 2011 will focus on a mystery building.

"This is a huge structure of 170m by 35m and so far we’re completely in the dark about. it," said Professor Keay. "We think it could be absolutely central to understanding how the port operated."

"The only reason the Roman Empire survived for 300 years was because it was supplied with grain, wine, olive oil and other goods through Portus. This was not unlike the way Southampton supplies modern Britain today , he said."

Cutting edge digital technology will be developed to show exacltly how the port worked: "We are lucky enough to have some fantastic specialists at the university such as Graeme Earl who will set up computerised models of the port to show the traffic passing through it. We plan to create a major new website so that the public can see it for themselves and we’ll be able to publish academic books and a popular guide to the site for people who want to visit it."

Re-construction of the theatre

Professor Keay is hopeful that the site will be opened to the public in years to come to rival the great ancient parks such as Ostia, Heculaneum and Pompei: "This is a major site with a theatre, temples, warehouses and wharves. The will is certainly there in the Italian miinistry to open it up, " he said.

The grant comes as a welcome boost at a time when archaeology and the university is threatened by funding cuts: "We’ve got an excellent record of securing major sources of funding at Southampton and this just proves that we will continue to do so, " Professor Keay said.

Communications officer Peter Franklin said: "This will have a massive benefit to students at the university and will help us to continue to attract the very best academic candidates."

For details on the excavations and graphic re-constructions visit http://www.portusproject.org/

 

Excavations on the site of the theatre



Music maestro hits the high note of his career

Role model, musician, composer, author: Year 6 teacher Mark Baxter is all of these and this Easter he’ll be hitting the high note of his musical career by leading a performance of his very own musical Rabboni at Wincehester Cathedral.

The 52-year-old music teacher is leading rehearsals for the prestigious Easter event with 250 pupils from Hook with Warsash and Brockenhust Primary schools.

Mark has written several musicals which have been performed by schools across the UK but he has never seen them sung on such a grand stage: "This will be such a great opportunity for the children. Winchester is a wonderful venue and the children are hugely excited about it, he said."

Rabboni which loosely translates as Great Master in Ancient Aramaic, is a re-telling of the last week of Jesus’ life in song.

Dr Trevor Reader, Archdeacon of Portsdown said: "This is a very moving production which deals passionately with real life issues such as love, hate, life and death, and which culminates in a vibrant expression of Easter joy."

Mark doesn’t just reserve his musical talents for the classroom though: "We have a heavy metal band outside school and I record quite a bit of rock music in my own studio," he said, "It’s a great hobby of mine."

The musical maestro has also turned his talents to writing. This year he published his first musical entitled ‘Emmanuel.’ It’s a series of assemblies with music about the Christmas story and has already sold over 600 copies. "It’s really great to know that people in schools all over the country and even the world will be singing my songs, he said."

Chris Hines, Head Teacher at the school said: "Mark has inspired generations of children here. Other schools have always used his work. He is a real role model, especially to male pupils and he has helped to create a unique musical ethos here."


The special Easter service is being held to raise money for the El-Shaddai charity which raises money for Indian street children, a cause dear to the heart of the school’s headmaster who was inspired to raise money for the charity whilst travelling in India.

Award for Community minded mum

Holly Milner receiving her award

A single mum from New Milton has been named Young Person of the Year for her inspirational community work.

Holly Milner,20, won the Raglan Housing Association’s Community Spirit Award
for her exceptional enthusiasm and commitment to her neighbourhood.

She helped to keep old folks on Barton Court Road going through the snowy weather by checking on them and doing their shopping and she put on a valentine’s day get-together for residents.
"It was a chance for us all to get to know each other," she said. "It was a really good day with face painting and biscuit making for the children and tea and cofee for the adults."

Despite being mum to a three year-old, Holly is now organising a scheme to raise money for a play park: "There’s nothing for the children do round here," she said. "There are a lot of different age ranges so we need to give them something to do."

Holly has also planned community day called the ‘big clean up,’ which will take place on March 26. Residents. "Lots of people can’t get to the tip so we will bring in big skips and charge them 50p so that they can get rid of their rubbish, " she said. "We’re also planning BBQs and car boot sales to raise money."

Holly received her trophy and high street shopping vouchers, at the awards ceremony in Oxford, from Kevin Murch of sponsor C G Fry & Son Ltd.
"I was shocked to get the warad, I felt over the mooon and it made me feel as if some of the work I’ve done is paying off."

Tracy Nicholls from Eastleigh, was also chosen as runner up of the Green Award for investigating the viability of free insulation for some residents at her scheme which helped residents make big savings on their heating bills.

All Raglan households across the South and East Midlands had the opportunity to nominate residents in four Community Spirit Award categories.

Raglan’s chief executive, Nicholas Harris, summed up the spirit of the awards at the ceremony, saying: "Raglan’s properties are just bricks and mortar and it is you, the residents, whose energy and commitment turn them into a welcoming community – thank you for turning our bricks and mortar into homes".
　

Alex climbs Kenyan giant for charity

ALEX Cochrane has raised £3600 to fight his mother’s illness by scaling the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro.

He climbed the Kenyan giant two weeks ago to raise money for LUPUS UK, a charity which was set up to fight the rare immune disorder Lupus, an illness with which Alex’s mother has been diagnosed.

Alex, who works for AMICUS ITS in Totton, trained for over a year in preparation for the 19,000 ft climb by scaling Mt Snowdon and Scafell Pike.

Alex’s mother Jo Cochrane, 52, said: "Alex just texted me one day and said he’d done something really daft. Then he told me that he'd decided to climb Kilimanjaro.

I couldn’t believe it at first but I’m really proud of him. He’s proved that you can do anything if you really work at it."

Alex, a keen snowboarder said: "I hadn’t really done anything like this before so I had to go out and buy some walking boots. It was one of the hardest and best things I’ve ever done. The wind chill factor at the summit was between minus 25 - minus 30 degrees and the organisers said it was one of the coldest years they had ever known. It would have been great to stick around and admire the view but it was just too cold.

"I phoned my mum on the way down as soon as I could get a signal even though she’d asked me not to. She was really excited."

But even when Alex got back to England, he couldn’t sit back and relax.

"I got in to find mum had organised a surprise party for me which was really amazing even though I was absolutely exhausted," he said.

Mrs Cochrane who works in a school for children with special needs suffers from the rare and so-far incurable illness which causes the immune system to turn against itself: "I get extreme tenderness and weakness in my joints and I’ve also got raynaud’s syndrome which means my fingers and toes go blue and cold at any slight change of temperature. I’ve only got a mild form of the disease compared to many people though, so I’m very lucky," she said.

Alex and his family have also organised a series of fundraising events over the past year including a computer racing night and community coffee mornings.

Mrs Cochrane said: "It’s great. We knit scarves to sell and have stalls for plants, books, toys and jewellery. All our friends and family are extremely supportive and there’s a great sense of community."

Janine Hirsch, fundraising manager for LUPUS UK said: "We’re absolutely delighted Alex has done this. This is still quite an unknown disorder so we need to raise as much money as possible to go towards scientific research”.

And Alex says this is only the start of his mountain conquering career: "I hope to do the three peaks challenge next year which involves climbing Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon within twenty four hours," he said.

For more information or to make a donation visit:

http://www.justgiving.com/nutdoeskili

www.lupusuk.org.uk

local soldier helps build vital road link

A soldier from New Milton has been deployed to help construct a vital military road in Afghanistan.

Michael Lee,19, a combat engineer for the Royal Engineers, is helping to build Route Trident, a road link which will give British troops the freedom of movement they need to protect local communities in the war against the Taleban.

It is also hoped the road will kick-start economic and social development in the area and help encourage the Afghan people to reject the Taleban.

Sapper Lee said: "We work for long hours, often at night and under enemy fire. The force protection we provide for our soldiers is very important as it helps keep all of our soldiers safer against attacks from insurgents. But it’s not just about safety and security –we also do things like install hot showers which are a real morale boost to the lads."

A spokesman for Task Force Helmand, the name given to all UK forces in the province, said: "As a combat engineer, Michael is responsible for building structures in dangerous locations. The aim of projects such as Route Trident is to make it easier to drive out insurgency and improve security for the local population."

But despite the high-pressure situation, Sapper Lee has still maintained his sense of humour:

"What keeps you going is being able to spend time and have banter with the rest of the squadron – amongst my personal highlights have been trying to catch a runaway headless chicken that we were preparing for a special dinner treat!" he said.

"I am very proud of what I do and the difference we are making. The locals often tell us we have made a big difference to their lives by improving the roads."

Sapper Lee, a keen rugby fan, attended Arnewood School in New Milton before joining the Army in 2008. This is his first visit to Afghanistan.

Solar power makes island green

Solar power is helping residents on the Isle of Wight to cut their energy bills in half.

Southern Housing group have installed solar power into over 300 of their island homes in a bid to make bills more affordable for tenants.

The energy-saving scheme has been developed in partnership with green service provider Eaga.

Island residents like Mr and Mrs Clews-Cartwright have noticed an immediate impact on their energy consumption.

Brenda Clews-Cartwright said: “The whole install was really quick and clean and we are delighted with the result. We noticed the difference immediately. Our monthly fuel bills used to be around £92, but straight away they went down to £72 and are now as low as £50.”

The scheme has also won the approval of Southampton MP and green energy specialist Dr Alan Whitehead who visited the island recently to lend his support to the initiative.

Dr Whitehead who sits on the House of Commons Energy and Climate Change Committee, said: “As someone with a special interest in clean energy and micro-generation it is encouraging to see first hand how low carbon technology can be used so effectively. I’m grateful to Mr and Mrs Clews-Cartwright for showing me the system in their home and I applaud Southern Housing Group and Eaga for making solar energy so accessible and affordable.”

Southern Housing group is one of the first housing associations to partner with Eaga, and is taking a lead in the drive to make the Isle of Wight a ‘green island.’

Paul Wenham, Property Services Director at Southern Housing Group Ltd, said: “It became apparent to us that in some cases our residents were paying very high energy bills and this, combined with the ongoing search for new cleaner energy, prompted us to begin this project.

“We think the results speak for themselves, and our residents agree that the changes we’ve made have lowered their energy bills. We are currently reviewing extending this and other initiatives across the Group.”

John Swinney, Eaga Director added: “Our programme is all about making renewable technology easy, affordable and accessible for all. It’s a fit and forget exercise for the householder and with forward-thinking partners like Southern Housing Group we are now rolling the programme out at scale and making a real difference.”

·         Eaga have developed a simple and effective way to provide homes with solar panels free of charge. The system works by fitting photovoltaic (PV) panels to the roofs of south-facing houses which are then connected to the mains to provide energy. Eaga makes money from the scheme by using the the feed-in-tariff (FIT), which provides an income from electricity generated domestically and fed into the national grid. This means that the install and maintenance of the system are completely free to residents and housing providers.

Millennium Walkway won't be completed in my life time

Story as printed in the Portsmouth News

EVERYONE in Portsmouth knows about the Spinnaker Tower. Love it or hate it, it’s impossible to ignore the spidery structure thrusting into the sky over

Portsmouth’s world-famous harbour.

Everyone also knows that the tower has always been, and still remains a huge source of controversy with questions like: ‘Was it worth the money?’  ‘Why wasn’t it completed on time?’ ‘Is it serving any useful purpose?’ being raised almost daily in the cafés and pubs of the city.

What fewer people realise is that another major millennium project still hasn’t been completed and  lies languishing in solicitors’ offices and council meeting rooms.



Proposed route of the Millennium Walkway



The scheme is known as the Millennium Walkway and it has frustrated councillors to such an extent that Portsmouth City Council leader Gerald Vernon-Jackson ecently commented: “I doubt if the project will be completed in my lifetime.”

According to Councillor Vernon-Jackson, Network Rail are behind the failure to complete the scheme which has already tied up hundreds of thousands of pounds of taxpayers money and has embroiled the council in a series of costly legal negotiations.

“This is a highly complex project involving four sets of lawyers. Negotiations have been going on between them for many years but the real problem is network Rail, they’re an absolute nightmare to work with,” he said.

The much touted Walkway was supposed to be completed, yes, you’ve guessed it, in the year 2000. It was to be a waterside heritage trail linking Clarence pier at Southsea to the dockyard via Gunwharf Quays and The Hard.

Initially the scheme was part of the grandiose Portsmouth Harbour Millennium Project, which aimed  to transform the waterfront area for the year 2000.

Most of the trail is now fact complete: Walkers can obtain a leaflet from the

Tourist Information Centre to guide them along the pleasant heritage trail which links up sites of historic value such as the Square Tower and Spur Redoubt.

However agreement has stalled on the most striking phase of the trail, a covered walkway linking Gunwharf Quays to Portsmouth Harbour Station, which is owned by Network Rail.

Roger Ching, Strategic Director for Portsmouth city Council has worked

tirelessly for the completion of the walkway for the last ten years but says

that ongoing legal disagreements between the five main players have prevented completion. Portsmouth City Council, Whitelink, Continuum -the company behind the Spinnaker Tower, Gunwharf Quays and Network Rail all have a stake in the area covered by the development.

MrChing said: “This would have been completed many years ago if it were not such a complex project. I don’t think people realise just how difficult it is to reach agreement when there is such a large number of stakeholders involved.”

He is however optimistic that the legal disputes will soon be settled and that the council will be able to commission new contractors to complete the work in the near future: “We’re just waiting on the final bits of paperwork from Network Rail,” he said.

However Councillor Vernon-Jackson is much less optimistic: “Roger has been saying this for many years,” he said. “At times I despair and there is no apparent end in site.”

David Hempsey who is overseeing the scheme for Network Rail was unavailable for comment but a  spokesperson for the company said: “We are working with all the parties involved in this project and are hopeful of resolving all outstanding issues shortly so the Millennium Walkway can be completed fully.”

The council has also faced an embarrassing funding crisis over the project. In June 2009 it was forced to re-pay £250,000 to Berkeley Homes after failing to meet a deadline for completion. The construction company had handed over the funds in return for planning permission to develop No. 1 Gunwharf Quays on condition that the project be completed within five years. However by the time the money was due to be repaid, the council had spent £86,000 of it on the Spinnaker Tower and had to make up the shortfall from its own budget.

A 2008 cabinet report estimated that in order to complete the walkway, the

council would have to find £895,000 from ‘available capital resources.’ Put

simply, this means that the city will pay for the much of the project with our council tax and other rents, fees and charges that we hand over to the council on a daily basis.

If the £250,000 that was repaid to Berkeley homes in 2009 is deducted from this sum, the council will now have to find around £1million of capital funding in order to complete the project and this is not taking into account the increase in building costs since 2009.

The report dated November 2008 also recommended that the Council’s Strategic Director be authorized to accept the lowest tender for the completion of the scheme  as soon as possible.

However a survey of the key players in January 2010 suggests this process has not been carried out.




Portsmouth Harbour Station

 A spokesperson for Wightlink said: “At t the last meeting with Portsmouth City Council, I am pleased to confirm that they were happy with the progress with the legal agreements and budget and are finalising the design which will be going to tender shortly for revised prices.”

Clearly this is the same stage that had been reached in November 2008.

Juliana Delaney for Contiunuum, the company behind the Spinnaker Tower development said: “We are hopeful that the scheme will go to tender in the very near future.”

If the plans ever do go forward, this will just be the beginning of the process. The council will then have to vote on whether to proceed with the project and will have to allocate the necessary funding. This is at a time when the council is having its budget slashed by 28 per cent over the course of four years, this seems unlikely to happen. 

So there may be a long path ahead for the Millennium Walkway. It could turn out to be the longest heritage trail ever built and there certainly won’t be a pot of gold at the end of it.

Words 1000

Residents speak out against EastEnder's car lot

PLANS to convert a car wash into an ‘East-enders’ style automobile lot are causing outrage amongst Fratton residents

Home owners on Claremont Road say the Superhands car cleaning business is already wrecking life on their street and that any attempt to expand it would be disastrous.

Matters came to a head yesterday when Mr Yadgar Omar put his plans to convert the business before Portsmouth City Council Planning Committee

The joint founder of the Fratton South Neighbourhood Watch Scheme which lodged a petition against the plans said: “There’s been a lot of swearing recently and residents have been told to f*** off.

 “It’s especially bad for people with child buggies or those in wheelchairs and on crutches. They just can’t get down the street because of the cars parked on the pavements. It’s been even worse recently in the icy conditions.”

Mr Omar defended his plans to the committee: “There has been a misunderstanding with my neighbours,” he said. “I really believe there is plenty of space around to develop the business and we are always careful not to park anywhere we shouldn’t.”

Councillor David Fuller was also vocal in his opposition to further development at the site: “Residents just don’t want an East-enders style car lot in their area,” he said.

The planning application was deferred to allow Mr Omar time to provide more details of how the proposed car lot will affect the parking situation.

Story as it appeared in the Portsmouth News 

Stories in Stone

Stories in Stone: Published in etc.  magazine, March 2011

Martin Elvery discovers  the beautiful Roman mosaics of Sussex which tell a forgotten story of how the other half lived 2,000 years ago.

We all like to show-off to our guests and relatives when we invite them to dinner: We might bring out the best crockery, or set up a decorative table-centre as a talking point. For the Romans -or more accurately the Romano-British- living in Britain almost 2,000 years ago, it was little different;  Instead of making small talk about the NEXT curtains or the latest IKEA furniture however, Roman dinner guests would have talked about the floors!

Mosaic art-the art of creating pictures from small pieces of tile, glass or stone,   was first developed in Mesopotamia in the third millennium BC, originally using terracotta cones and later different coloured pebbles to make intricate designs. But it was the ancient Greeks who perfected the art, developing precise geometric patterns and detailed scenes of people and animals. The Romans brought mosaic art to Britain after the emperor Claudius launched an invasion of the country in AD 43, and it soon became the favoured floor decoration for elite Romano-British families in their chic country villas and  town-houses, as they sought to imitate the fashions of Rome.

As a wealthy Romano-Brit you would have been keen to further your position amongst the Roman high society by holding regular dinner parties for the great and good of the empire.  Once you had welcomed your dinner guests -perhaps they would have bee travelling officials or relatives from a far distant part of the empire-you might have  invited them to  recline with you on cushioned couches in the dining room where a low table would have  been regularly re-filled with an array of exotic dishes which were designed to amaze and delight you;  As you invited your guests to tuck into such delicacies as larks tongue and honeyed doremouse, you might have tried to impress them by telling them stories about your floors.

In the early years of the Roman empire (1^st century AD), the fashion in Italy was for black and white or partially coloured geometric mosaics. These mathematically complex and often symmetrical designs, varied enormously but a basic rule was that the more lavish the design, the more impressed your dinner -guests were likely to be. Diners would have been suitably awestruck at the magnificent house of Fishbourne Roman Palace for example when you revealed to them that one of your  geometric pavements  was in fact a clever  illusion: At first site the pavement appears to be a simple cube-based design, but on closer inspection you r guests  would have noticed stars shifting between the squares, then –if they were still sober enough- it would have dawned on them  that the perspective in the pavement confuses the eye to create a continually alternating  pattern of three-dimensional shapes. At Bignor Roman Villa, near Pulborough in the heart of the south downs, you might have taken an after-dinner stroll with your guests along  a fine geometric pavement in the main corridor of the villa, fronted by an open colonnade, which let you gaze out on magnificent views across the downs.

At  Fishbourne  it's possible that you -as the host- might have been king-Cogidubnus, a British prince who had collaborated with the Romans and had probably received the colossal palace as a gift in return for your loyalty. Over dinner you might have drawn your guests’ attention to the  beautiful boy-on a dolphin mosaic  which graced your dining room. In the centre of this pavement  a boy cupid sits astride a beautifully executed dolphin, with a trident in his hand.  In Roman mythology, cupid was the god of love and erotic desire so you might have laughed  with your guests over stories from mythology of young lovers who were struck by cupids bow- such as Aeneas, the prince from Troy who founded the Roman nation, and Dido queen of Carthage who was thrown into an uncontrollable desire for him by the will of Juno queen of the Gods.

For fun, you might have asked your guests to look closely among the vine tendrils around the edge of the design, to see if they could spot a small black bird which may have been the trademark of the designer -much as a potter might stamp his work today.

If you were lucky enough to be the owners of Bignor Roman Villa, you would have been a wealthy Romano-British couple who had inherited  a fine  country houses amid acres of highly profitable farm estates. In winter, you might have escorted guests to the winter dining room which was heated under floor by an ingenious hypocaust  system which can still be seen today. During dinner you could have asked your guests look down at the head of Venus, Goddess of love, which was the central feature of the mosaic in this room. You could have asked guests to stand up and walk slowly around the dining room to marvel at the brilliant trick of the mosaicists art which caused the doe eyes of the goddess to gaze at you intently  no matter where you were standing  in the room.

If time allowed you might have invited your guests to bathe with you in the small heated bath house in the south western corner of the villa. Bathing in Roman times was both a social event  and an issue of hygiene and  you would have had a good opportunity to enjoy conversation in the changing rooms before passing into the inviting warm and hot rooms. While they changed, guests would have rested their bare feet on a  beautiful floor adorned with the head of medusa. The story of the snake headed gorgon who could turn men to stone with just a look- and who was recently featured in the film Clash of the Titans- might have served as a warning to bathers against vanity and the pleasures of the flesh: Medusa was said to have once been a beautiful maiden who was transformed into a gorgon as a punishment for sleeping with the sea-God Poseidon.

In summertime you would have invited guests to dine in a summer dining room nearer to the front of the villa where a strikingly three dimensional image of mythological figure Ganymede awaited you. Ganymede , a prince who was said to be fro the city of Troy (yes the one with Brad Pitt), is depicted as hanging  in the clutches of a starkly rendered golden eagle complete with beady eyes and a dangerous looking beak. But all was not lost; The story goes that Ganymede was so attractive that Zeus decided to have him abducted and taken up to Mount Olympus to serve as a cup-bearer to the gods. Perhaps dinner guests imagined furtively  that they were having their wine poured by Ganymede himself and that they were in fact dining in the company of immortals!

But the dream of Roman civilization could not last ad after nearly 400 years of occupation, the last Roman troops were recalled in 410 AD and the province was gradually over-run by Jutes, Angles, and Saxons from Northern Europe. Over the course of time the mosaics were buried beneath farmers fields as the buildings collapsed and decayed around them. It was only the dedicated work of teams of archaeologists in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries that has brought the floors to light once more and has allowed us to re-imagine the stories that would have been told around the dinner-tables 2,000 years ago.