From Our Files: Efficient power...airport referendum...holding Sway
50 YEARS AGO
FOR the second year in a row Fawley Power Station has headed the list of the Central Electricity Generating Board’s most efficient power stations.
During the 1973/74 financial year the station burnt 2.275,000 tons of fuel oil to produce 9.919 million units of electricity.
This represents a thermal efficiency of 35.72 percent being the highest figure ever recorded by a station of the CEGB.
The increase of efficiency of 0.48 percent when compared with the financial year 1972/73 represents a saving of £550,000 worth of fuel during the year.
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SOME Bransgore residents may feel a little anxious after the ‘News of the World’ revealed that a bestselling author who has come to live among them may be studying for material.
Leslie Thomas, who made his name with ‘Virgin Soldiers’, has moved to a house in Dial Court with his second wife Diana.
Residents at his old address in Watford are furious because his latest novel ‘Tropic of Ruislip’ have recognised some people in it.
The book features adulterous affairs and amorous intrigues in detail and his revelations have upset his former neighbours.
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HURN Airport Action Group may soon be considering seeking a referendum over the proposal to develop Hurn Airport.
Mrs G. Ward, of Ringwood, said she would be putting the idea to the group committee after comments at Ringwood Town Council.
She said she was “horrified” to hear the council were in favour of it saying: “There are thousands of people in the Hurn area who are against the plan. I have heard from two jumbo jet pilots who live in the area and they are against it.”
Mrs E. Foy, also from the group, said airlines were losing money and “not so many people will be flying in the future”.
25 YEARS AGO
A green fingered couple from Hordle are proud of their latest achievement: a fruit bearing banana plant.
They were brought the plant by their daughter Jacquie some seven years ago.
“When we were brought the plant it was only 18 inches high,” said Sylvia.
“Now it measures over five feet and has sprouted two extra stems which are equally as tall. We keep the tub in the sun lounge.”
Richard says the bananas produced are “really juicy and sweet”.
Sylva regularly waters and feeds the plant and sprays its leaves to keep up humidity.
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PROPOSALS to build five large homes in Sway in Brighton Road have led parish councillors to question whether it is the type of development the village needs.
“One has to say from a social policy point of view these are not the sort of houses we need,” Kevin Lanford said, adding: “They are huge, they’re all five bedroom houses, some with three washrooms, double garages, conservatories and sizable gardens.”
Ian Straw said: “They would be £300,000 houses at least.”
He said the developer could instead build ten houses on the plot which would better meet housing needs.
“This sort of style and size of house is not really the sort of development a small New Forest village needs.”
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AS the latest Yellow Pages begin to be left on doorsteps of Christchurch residents a plea has been made for people to recycle their old ones rather than just throw them away.
They can be placed in newspaper and cardboard banks throughout the town.
Leisure committee chairman Jose Spencer said “If every resident recycled their old Yellow Pages more than 30 tons of recyclable materials could be saved from going to landfill.”
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A TEMPORARY haul road on the inside of Mudeford sandbank is to be made permanent despite objections from beach hut owners.
The road was used last winter by contractors working on putting in mains sewerage. It is along the metalled road used by the Noddy train through the huts to the seaward side then behind the sea wall and through the dunes.
The road will be used for coastal protection work. Two petitions from beach hut owners against the road had been received by Christchurch Borough Council.
Cllr Mrs Spencer said during a visit to the sandbank she had seen two old beds and a cooker dumped by the council rubbish skip.
“Hut owners should take it away themselves,” she said. Councillors voted for the seaward side route to become permanent.
