About Romsey and District Society

The Society, whose membership has almost reached 1000, was founded in 1974, following a meeting of some five hundred residents concerned about the threatened destruction and modernisation of this old market town.

As a direct consequence of the Society's activities, much of the town’s character has been maintained and the development ethos of that time has been replaced by one of conservation.

In parallel with the establishment of its Planning committee, an early development was the creation, by the Society, of the Building Preservation Trust. A company dedicated to the purchase and renovation of derelict and semi-derelict buildings that possess architectural merit or are of historic interest. Over the last twenty-five years some thirty buildings have been rescued by the BPT and brought back into use.

The Society has also been very active in environmental affairs. Since its inception it has worked to improve footpaths and hedges and generally improve the ambience in and about the town by clearing litter from ditches, streams and other public places. Throughout its existence, the Society has offered a strong social programme for the benefit of its members. Outings to theatres, historic houses and other places of interest, walks, lectures, dinners, wine-tasting and poetry. Within this programme the Society has reviewed controversial subjects which are of immediate interest to many of the local residents. Presentations on mineral extraction, waste disposal and the chemical industry are examples of recent events.

In addition to its three major standing committees, the Society has recently added a fourth dimension as a direct response to the problems experienced by the town and district during the severe weather of the last winter. Neither the drainage nor sewerage systems could cope with the vast amounts of water passing through the town. In the surrounding areas there was general flooding and many houses and businesses were badly affected. In anticipation that the infrastructure is likely to degrade more, unless something is done about it, and that the climate is becoming more extreme, the Society has formed a Public Services committee. This group is dedicated to working with the Public Authorities to bring about improvements in the towns’ services as quickly s possible.

The Society also endeavours to improve the town and district in many other ways – by youth education, historic plaques, improvement grants, traffic schemes and by publication of regular News Sheets to name just a few.

The purpose of the Executive Committee and its Committees can be summed up as follows:

Executive Committee
To do those things that are considered to be of public benefit in Romsey and its surrounding district; particularly those that relate to the environment and infrastructure.

Committees

Planning:
To scrutinise and comment on planning submissions relating to buildings, roads, transport, parking and countryside protection.

Social:
To present a varied social programme suitable for the interests of a diverse membership.

Natural Environment Committee:
Aims to promote positive conservation of sites of environmental importance; to foster public access to appropriate sites in ways that avoid conflict with conservation aims; to further understanding and enjoyment of the natural environment and the need to conserve it; to work for the provision of accessible natural urban green spaces; to encourage local environmental sustainability; to support other voluntary organisations with these aims; to organise environmental enhancement projects; to input on environmental matters to the society’s planning work.

Public Services Committee:
The Public Services Committee is concerned with water services, drainage, sewerage, waste disposal and mineral extraction. It works with statutory bodies to resolve problems connected with these subjects especially where they relate to flooding and degrading the quality of life for residents of Romsey and district.
The committee carries out stream cleans in the spring and autumn and organises forums and talks as appropriate. It also encourages townscape improvements.