A step too far

I live in Petersfield, a wonderful little market town in east Hampshire.

I moved here 12 years ago from Portsmouth, where I’d lived for 34 years, man and boy, born and bred.

It is quite a contrast: every morning I walk to work and somebody who I’ve never seen before will pass me on the street and say ‘hello’. Yet in Pompey – the nickname of the old naval city of Portsmouth for those of you unfamiliar with the vernacular – I spent a year living in a house on my own and didn’t even get to know the names of my immediate neighbours.

In the excellent Tales of the Country, by the Independent newspaper columnist Brian Viner, he explains that when he moved out into the country his social circle changed considerably.

Whereas when he lived in London most of his circle were roughly the same age – a demographic driven by becoming parents – out in a small village, age was not a deciding factor in friendships. You made friendships purely because of things you had in common, hence he often had elderly couples round for dinner who had become very good friends with he and his wife.

On a smaller scale this is also what I have discovered since moving to Petersfield. I spent a spell on the local council and made friends there; I made friends with people involved with the local football club – both senior and the youth version; and I’ve chummed up with other people since joining a local pub quiz team (our age ranges from 26 to 49 depending on who’s available).

Life’s good here in Petersfield; I even write a little column for one of the town’s two weekly paid-for newspapers - how a town of this size can justify two weekly paid-fors, two freesheets and several free monthly magazines baffles me - on the travails of a parent of a 14-year-old playing youth football.

I’ve also been recruited by our local festival organisers to do a bit of compering in the town square – Petersfield has a food festival in May, the main ‘festivities’ on August bank holiday, and a Christmas version. All of the people involved are volunteers and do a great job.

However – and this is the point of me rambling on for nearly 400 words – the people behind the Petersfield Festivities have come up with a controversial plan. They wish to shut off the traffic at weekends and re-locate the statue of William III which has been there since 1812, to allow more events to take place in the square.

Now I’m all in favour of shutting the High Street and making more use of the square. I’d do it permanently if it was within my remit. It is a glorious little square which gives Petersfield the air of a French town.

I’ve passed many an hour sat outside Caffe Nero with a coffee watching the local great and good traversing the square. And we certainly don’t make the most of it.

Now I’m no fan of any member of the Royal Family – particularly a Dutchman who took the throne by force and had very little interest in the country or its citizenry – but I do like a bit of local heritage. And to move the statue would be a travesty.

Especially when we could simply move the ubiquitous Pimms stall to the High St side of the statue and do away with any ‘sight-line’ problems when a stage is erected.

The bottom line is: pedestrianised town centre good; loss of Dutch bloke’s statue bad. And I'm hoping people will agree with me on that . . . it would make a change.