The Gazette has covered a variety of news, events and announcements in 2024, and here we look back at the last six months of the year – July to December.
July
The second half of the year began with the General Election. Held on July 4, the result was historic, with Basingstoke electing its first-ever Labour MP, Luke Murphy.
Mr Murphy won the seat from Dame Maria Miller, who received 14,438 votes in comparison to Luke Murphy’s 20,922.
North East Hampshire also saw a large change, electing Liberal Democrat Alex Brewer to be the constituency’s MP.
The area has historically remained a Conservative-safe seat since its creation in 1997, with the party holding 59.5 per cent of the vote in 2019.
Speaking on the historic win, Mr Murphy told the Gazette he was ‘absolutely thrilled’, adding that he pledged to be the ‘most accessible and visible’ MP that the constituency has ever had.
Luke Murphy just after the election (Image: Matt Rooks-Taylor)
A trial for three teenagers accused of attempting to murder a man in Buckskin Lane by riding at him with a machete began at Winchester Crown Court.
Amman Majid, 18, of Chivers Close, Charlie Costen, now 21, of Harlech Close and a 17-year-old boy from Thatcham, who cannot be named for legal reasons, stood trial for the attempted murder of Andrew Loake, 47, of Holyrood Close.
During the middle of the trial, which concluded on August 14, the 17-year-old was released after the case against him was dropped by the judge.
Majid and Costen were jailed for a combined total of more than 24 years in December.
Three Basingstoke businesses were announced to be opening, with family-run cafe Boswells confirmed to be taking over the former Patisserie Valerie unit in Festival Place.
Lifestyle Fitness announced the launch of a new gym, taking over the management of the Everest Sports Centre in Popley, and American restaurant Slim Chickens opened in Festival Place in a unit previously occupied by Tapas Revolution.
Customers heralded the fast-food chain for having ’10/10 chicken’, with one saying ‘the food is delicious’.
Brothers Fergus and Arlo Gilligan at Slim Chickens (Image: Newsquest)
August
August saw a wet start, with heavy rain hitting the town and causing flash flooding. Trains, buses and roads were affected by cancellations, delays and diversions, causing travel chaos.
The weather damaged a number of businesses in Hartley Wintney, as water swept down the high street before entering through doors and windows.
(Image: NQ)
The Crooked Billet in Hook had to ask customers to leave after water poured through the roof, damaging flooring installed only weeks after it had been installed.
“Everyone jumped in and we managed to get all the furniture out, we had pots and pans and mops to try and catch the rain,” said owner Matt Clarke.
Basingstoke held its first-ever Pride parade on August 17 to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community.
RuPaul’s Drag Race UK star, Crystal, led a march from Willows coffee shop to the Amphitheatre at Festival Place, followed by hundreds dressed in outfits covered in rainbows and glitter.
Organised by Basingstoke Pride CIC, the event was supported by funding from Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council as part of a fund to deliver new and innovative projects to enhance the local community.
Crystal with a marching band (Image: Sarah Gaunt)
Directors of the CIC, Mia and Vee, said: “We hope Basingstoke Pride will be the foundation of our LGBTQ+ family’s growth.”
DJ Chris Evans’ music festival CarFest was held at the end of the month, with people travelling far and wide to Laverstoke Park Farm to watch acts including Sam Ryder and Scouting For Girls.
Tributes were paid after the festival to a three-year-old boy who died unexpectedly after suffering a medical episode on Saturday, August 24.
The death was confirmed to be non-suspicious by police, who said ’emergency teams worked together with the support of the NHS to take the child to hospital where he sadly passed away’.
Chris Evans said he wanted to respect the family’s privacy but made a ‘sincere plea’ for people to download the What3words app, which assigns random words to 3-metre grids, making it easier for emergency services to find those who need help.
Mr Evans said he was inspired by the ‘selflessness’ of the boy’s father to use the opportunity to share information to help others, adding: “It is therefore, with their permission and only with their explicit permission, which I am yet to gain, that next year’s CarFest will be held in this little boy’s name.”
September
The exciting news came that Superbowl UK would be opening its doors in Festival Place in the summer of 2025.
The entertainment centre will bring 10 bowling lanes, soft play, interactive darts, shuffleboard and a SEGA Prize Zone to the centre, in addition to a restaurant serving classic diner food and drinks.
The acquisitions director at the company, Kate Quaintance, said that ‘everyone will be able to find something to enjoy’ at the complex, which will be located opposite the Apple store.
Former police officer Terry Cooke was found guilty of a ‘persistent campaign of harassment’ against a female tenant living in a room in Basingstoke, that lasted for five months.
Terry Cooke (Image: David Clarke/Solent)
Cooke was sentenced to a 12-month community order with 25 rehabilitation days, a fine of £120, a victim surcharge of £114 and ordered to pay court costs of £650 on September 19.
The landlord was also given a restraining order against the tenant, Lin Eriksen, for two years.
Cooke was previously sacked from his job as a PC with Hampshire Constabulary in April 2021 for using his position to pursue vulnerable women. Before his dismissal, he had served in the force for 20 years.
The award-winning Parlour Tearoom in Viables announced that it would be opening a second cafe in Worting Road in a unit previously occupied by farm shop Cobbs before its closure in May 2023.
The team at Parlour Tearoom (Image: The Parlour Tearoom)
Mother and daughter Lucy and Sharon Fisher took over ownership of the cafe in 2017, converting it to a tearoom years after its opening in 2010.
Lucy said the family received an overwhelmingly positive response to the news, adding: “We can’t wait to take you along on this journey as we create a true destination that we hope you will all love.”
Oakley resident, Steve North, had an emotional reunion with the air ambulance crew who saved his life after he had been hit by a car on his 38th birthday, causing him to fall off a bridge.
Steve lost both of his legs in the accident, but work from Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance meant that he survived despite being given a ‘slim chance of survival’.
Steve said: “If it wasn’t for them, I probably wouldn’t be here today. My life changed in an instant and the same could happen to any one of us.”
Steve North (Image: Dave Zapple)
October
A French cat who was found in Basingstoke, more than 150 miles away from her home in Calais, was returned back to her owners Christelle and Francis.
The pair never thought they’d see their feline, named Ophelie, again after she was allegedly stolen during a camping holiday in the North of France.
However, thanks to the hard work of animal care assistant at Brunswick Place vets in Viables, Jade Williams, and her friend Adrien Nortier, Ophelie was returned home.
Jade said that the whole ‘crazy’ situation should serve as a reminder of the importance of getting your cat microchipped.
Ophelie with her owns Christelle and Francis (Image: Christelle)
The deal for Manydown, a development of 3,500 new homes in the borough, was signed and sealed by Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council after 28 years.
The journey to develop the 2,000-acre site spanned nearly three decades, with the land purchased on a 999-year lease for £10 million.
Cllr Paul Harvey, leader of BDBC, said he had the ‘great pleasure’ of announcing that the deal had been signed at a council meeting on October 17.
He added: “Manydown will be delivered.”
A man who murdered his friend in an ‘unprovoked and inexplicable’ attack at a flat in Braddock Court was jailed for life.
Samuel Dewulf fatally stabbed 48-year-old Justin Green on April 29. The murder trial, which was held at Winchester Crown Court, lasted four days before Dewulf changed his plea to guilty.
Judge Dugdale sentenced Dewulf to a minimum of 15 years in prison for the ‘senseless and despicable act of violence’.
Samuel Dewulf (Image: Hampshire Police)
Speaking after the sentencing, Justin Green’s family said he had a ‘heart of gold’. Adding: “He should still be here with his family. However, due to somebody’s cruel and callous act, he isn’t.
“We are broken and will never be the same again. We will miss you every day.”
The AA building was lit for the last time as the company bid farewell to its iconic headquarters in Basing View, which it had occupied for more than 50 years.
Fanum House was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1973, and was known as the tallest building between London and New York.
A spokesperson for the AA said: “Soon, we will be vacating Fanum House but moving down the road on Basing View to PLANT which is an iconic refurbished Grade II listed building of architectural significance.”
Farewell event at Fanum House (Photo: Sarah Gaunt)
November
An application for eight warehouses to be built on farmland was given the green light by Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council, despite concerns from residents.
Permission was granted for Newlands to create the warehouses in Dummer, despite previous plans being rejected by the council, as the proposed size of the buildings was reduced.
Sheila Harden, chair of Dummer Parish Council, said that residents of the village and the nearby Hounsome Fields and golf course developments would be ‘seriously affected’ by the application.
She added: “These residents will be subject to 24/7 disruption.”
How the warehouses could look (Image: Newlands)
Two private hire drivers from Basingstoke suffered racial discrimination from borough council officers, an employment tribunal found.
Miss O Akinleye and Mr A Olumade, both Black and of African descent, took BDBC to a tribunal for race discrimination, harassment and victimisation due to race, and discrimination due to sex, respectively.
The outcome of the tribunal ruled that both claimants were ‘subjected to unwanted treatment which was related to race and that the behaviour of the authority officers created on occasions, a hostile and intimidating working environment for them’.
BDBC said they were taking the judgement ‘extremely seriously’ and considering ‘what actions need to be taken as a result’.
The new nightclub, Labyrinth, was at the centre of an investigation around two spiking incidents that occurred at the Winchester Street club on November 16.
Two women aged in their 30s and 20s reported being spiked; one had her drink laced while the other was physically spiked with a needle.
Laura Williams, who reported being spiked at the club, said she ‘couldn’t remember anything from the night’.
Jade, Laura and Chloe (Image: Laura Williams)
The mother of two spoke out to raise awareness about spiking, as she says clubs have an obligation to look after customers, adding: “Staff should be able to recognise what’s people being drunk and what’s not people being drunk, what’s spiking.”
Hampshire Constabulary confirmed that they were investigating the incidents, adding that they ‘take all reports of drink spiking and needle spiking extremely seriously.”
December
A national plan to offload patients taken to accident and emergency departments without a handover from paramedics made its way to Basingstoke hospital at the beginning of the month.
South Central Ambulance Service was ordered to adopt the new ‘wait 45 process’ which requires crews to offload patients at the Aldermaston Road hospital without a handover ‘if clinically appropriate’ if the crew has to wait more than 45 minutes.
Hampshire Hospitals Foundation Trust said it worked closely with SCAS to prepare for the new approach and SCAS will have additional operational commanders working in emergency departments to support crews.
It added: “While demand remains high, using all resources efficiently will protect services for the most acutely unwell.”
A man was sentenced to a minimum of 32 years in prison for the murder of a ‘devoted dad’ and the attempted murder of his brother in Popley earlier this year.
Kenneth Walker, 64, of Tasmania Close, was handed the sentence after being found guilty of the murder of Craig Laurie and the attempted murder of Craig Laurie after a trial at Winchester Crown Court.
Craig Laurie (Image: Hampshire Constabulary)
Walker’s girlfriend, Jane Bryne, was sentenced to 30 months in prison for perverting the course of justice.
Craig Laurie’s partner said that he was the ‘devoted father of our children who now have to grow up without the loving presence of their dad’.
She added: “Since that tragic day, we have been consumed by grief, fear and profound emptiness that words cannot fully capture.”
The construction company responsible for building Crown Heights in Alencon Link will have to pay out more than £14million after it failed to install fire safety measures at the apartment block, a judge ruled.
Ardmore Construction Company was ordered to pay £14,454,914.45 of damages to the developers of the building, Barratt.
The building does not contain cavity barriers, a type of fire protection installed in walls that seals off gaps during a fire to prevent it from spreading.
The scaffolding on Crown Heights (Image: NQ)
In failing to include the barriers, Barratt alleged that Ardmore had ‘breached its duties’ as it had ‘deliberately concealed’ the fact that they had not been installed.
Judge Joanna Smith DBE said the case was an example of ‘professional negligence’.