Changes to HBC public facilities during the coronavirus outbreak

In order to protect the public and help slow the spread of coronavirus, Havant Borough Council has made changes to public facilities.

Allotments

The council-owned allotments in the borough remain open, although we would remind residents to follow social distancing advice.

Car parks

We have been asked if we will relax car parking charges. Abolishing car park charges at this stage could encourage more visitors to the area, which would be against the government’s policy of social distancing.

Hayling seafront

The sunny weather over the weekend encouraged many people to visit Hayling Island for a walk on the seafront.

We would like to remind residents that the government advice on social distancing is that if you do go for a walk or exercise outdoors, you should stay more than two metres away from others not within your household.

Meridian Shopping Centre

Following Monday's announcement from the Prime Minister for all non-essential stores to close and for people to stay at home, the decision has been taken to close the Meridian Shopping Centre from midday on Wednesday 25 March until further notice. 

Special arrangements have been made for The Beacon Food Bank.  Anyone needing to use or donate should visit the Beacon Church Havant website

Two stores will continue to trade as requested by their head offices. Wilko will still trade from its external doors to North Street opposite Waitrose. Bargain Buys will use its rear door opposite Havant bus station.

If you need to shop, please limit the number of visits and continue to maintain social distancing staying at least two metres from others using the stores.

Bulbeck Road car park will remain open and free until further notice to assist staff working in these essential stores.

Play areas

All play areas around the borough will be closed until further notice.

Public toilets

From Tuesday 24 March until further notice, all council-owned public toilets in the borough will be closed. The Norse South East staff who clean the toilets will be redeployed to other work in the area.

Rubbish, Recycling and Garden Waste Collections

We are currently working as hard as we can to keep your waste and recycling collections running as scheduled. Due to staff shortages we will be prioritising domestic waste (black lidded bin) collections. We will endeavour to collect your recycling (green lidded bin) and garden waste (brown lidded bin) on your regular day, but this is likely to become increasingly difficult. 

Please put your bins out as normal on your scheduled collection day. Please leave your bin out all day as the crews may be running later than usual. If your bin is not collected please leave it out, where it will not cause an obstruction, and our teams will collect as soon as they can. This may not be until your next scheduled collection day.

We will collect excess recycling which can be left in clear plastic sacks or a cardboard box next to your bin. If your rubbish collection is missed, we will collect any extra rubbish which can also be left in sacks next to your bin. 

Please do not contact us to report your bin as missed - please follow the advice above. We will continue to update our website and social media pages regularly so please keep an eye out for service updates in your area. Thank you very much for your cooperation and patience during this difficult time. 

Tips are now closed

Hampshire County Council has closed all Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs) until further notice.

"We are working hard to keep residents safe"

Councillor Michael Wilson, Leader of Havant Borough Council said: “We are working hard to keep residents of the borough safe and are prioritising providing the services that our residents need the most.

“Many of our staff are working from home to safeguard their health and some are having to self-isolate, so some services have less resource than normal.

“I would like to reassure local residents and businesses that our dedicated staff are doing everything they can to maintain the public services they rely on.