Road closures, rail works, water quality and community cohesion were among the topics discussed at a fully booked coffee morning with Satvir Kaur MP in St Denys on Saturday.
In another of the MP’s ‘Big Southampton Test Community Conversation’ events, local residents met with Satvir Kaur, Councillor John Savage, volunteers and neighbours for an ‘offline’ discussion about the issues of the day and to consider possible solutions.
All households in the St Denys area received an invitation in the post, and over 50 residents attended the event, held at St Denys Church Centre.
With the temporary closure of Priory Road beginning just the day before – to allow for repairs to the one-hundred-year-old rail underbridge there – attendees spoke about the impact it would have on them. Repair works are scheduled to continue for three months in total, finishing on Christmas Eve, and mitigation measures have been put in place to manage traffic and allow for access during the closure period.
Another focus of discussion was Portswood Wastewater Treatment Works, situated in St Denys, and a regular cause of complaint for those living nearby.
More ‘Community Conversation’ events are to follow, with the next scheduled to take place in Coxford in October.
Satvir Kaur MP, Member of Parliament for Southampton Test, said:
“It was great bring my Big Community Conversation to St Denys this weekend. The community here have gone through so much in recent months, and it was invaluable to discuss key issues facing them – everything from transport, to safety, to community cohesion and, of course, Southern Water. A huge thank you to everyone who attended. Together, we came up with some practical actions, and I look forward to working together to help bring about the improvements we all want to see.”
Cllr John Savage, councillor for Portswood ward, also in attendance, said:
“Brilliant to meet residents in this way, and to have these important discussions face-to-face. On the issue of Southern Water, as I said in the meeting, ‘the gloves are off.’ They have done some work on the nuisance odour issue, with much more to do, but they have continued to fail to deal with the issue of bacterial load in our precious River Itchen. As such, I have arranged to meet with them, the Environment Agency, the Director for Public Health at Southampton City Council, and the Environmental Health team at the earliest opportunity.”