About Thornhill

Thornhill is a suburb of Southampton

Southampton

Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...

, United Kingdom. Situated on the Eastern border of the City and bounded by three major roads; the area is effectively an island. According to the 2001 Census the population was 11,460. The under 16s represent 23.4% of the population, 5% more than the City figure of 18.2%; the over 65s represent 17.4%, again, higher than the city average of 14.5%.out

History

In 1954 the boundaries of Southampton were extended to include Millbrook, Redbridge, Harefield and part of Thornhill. Thornhill was a small estate of private homes, which was massively expanded in the 1960s by the building of council properties. A large proportion of the occupiers of the original houses are retired accounting for the previously mentioned higher than normal numbers. After the introduction of The right to buy scheme

Right to buy scheme

The Right to buy scheme is a policy in the United Kingdom which gives tenants of council housing the right to buy the home they are living in. Currently, there is also a right to acquire for the tenants of housing associations...

 in the late 1980s, a considerable number of the council properties were purchased from the City Council. Owner-occupier

Owner-occupier

An owner-occupier is a person who lives in and owns the same home. It is a type of housing tenure. The home of the owner-occupier may be, for example, a house, apartment, condominium, or a housing cooperative...

s represent 43.9% of properties according to the 2001 census compared to 47.5% local authority tenure. The remainder are made up of Housing Association and privately rented homes.http://www.direct.gov.uk/HomeAndCommunity/BuyingAndSellingYourHome/HomeBuyingSchemes/BuyingSchemesArticles/fs/en?CONTENT_ID=4001398&chk=VXclp7 The main road through the estate is Hinkler Road, named in honour of its most famous resident, as is the pub! - Bert Hinkler

Bert Hinkler

Herbert John Louis Hinkler AFC DSM , better known as Bert Hinkler, was a pioneer Australian aviator and inventor. He designed and built early aircraft before being the first person to fly solo from England to Australia, and the first person to fly solo across the Southern Atlantic Ocean...

 who flew solo from England to Australia in 1928.

The Community

Recognised as an area of social deprivation, Thornhill is one of 39 areas around the country chosen in 1999 for the New Deal for Communities http://www.neighbourhood.gov.uk/page.asp?id=617. This is controlled by a board of 12 local residents and 8 representatives of relevant agencies (Police, Primary Health Care, City Council, Chamber of Commerce etc.) and is now known as Thornhill Plus You (TPY) which has almost £50 Million pounds to invest in the area over a 10 year period which commenced in 2000. This is being spent on a large number of diverse projects which are detailed on the TPY website.

As part of the redevelopment of Thornhill, during the morning of Tuesday 29th June 2010, a turf-cutting ceremony signalled the start of construction at Eastpoint Centre in Burgoyne Road, in Thornhill. The centre, due for completion in a year’s time, will be a hub for businesses and communities in the city. It will boast the latest business conference facilities in a three-storey 3,770 sq m development.
There will also be training space for businesses and meeting rooms for community groups, a social club and a restaurant area. http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/8243908.Turf_cut_for_new_conference_and_community_centre_in_Thornhill/

Churches

There are two churches, Thornhill Baptist in Thornhill park Road and St. Christopher's Parish Church on Hinkler Road which is adjacent to the main shopping area (which includes the all usual social amenities) and is located in the centre of the estate.

Schools

There are three schools on the Estate, Hightown Primary School, Kane's Hill Primary School and Thornhill Primary School.

There is also a special needs primary school called Springwell School designated for pupils with complex learning difficulties including speech and language disorders, autism and challenging behaviour, which opened its doors to students on September 2007, though was not officially opened until March 2008. http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/archive/2008/03/22/++News+-++Latest+Headlines/2140192.Fred_opens_new_special_school/

Leisure Facilities

The Eastpoint Centre, a leisure, conference and sports facility is in fact the faculty buildings of Hightown Secondary school, which closed in the mid 1980s, meaning that all secondary schools pupils have to commute to one of several in bordering estates. This is currently under re-development.

Youth Schemes

Youth schemes such as the Thornhill Festival, which allows musical talent from the area to show case their talents, Impact and two active youth-clubs are also available providing the activities for the higher than average number of young people in the area.

Fireworks Display

Thornhill in 2008 and 2009 has held a fireworks display on the grounds of Thornhill Primary School. http://google.com/search?q=cache:QrsgKVzpYTEJ:www.thornhillcommunity.co.uk/thornhillcommunity/index.php%3Foption%3Dcom_content%26view%3Darticle%26id%3D75:fireworks%26catid%3D67:community-of-thornhill-schools%26Itemid%3D86+thornhill+fireworks&cd=8&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=uk&client=firefox-a

Antelope Park

The Antelope Park was a run-down office block and Jewson's regional headquarters. It has been transformed into a £25m complex - featuring The Range

The Range Home and Leisure

The Range Home Garden and Leisure , is a British home retail chain for a range of home, garden and leisure items.- History :...

, Gala Bingo and KFC

KFC

KFC, founded and also known as Kentucky Fried Chicken, is a chain of fast food restaurants based in Louisville, Kentucky, in the United States. KFC has been a brand and operating segment, termed a concept of Yum! Brands since 1997 when that company was spun off from PepsiCo as Tricon Global...

, with Jewsons being relocated to a new building at the rear of the site. Other shops are subject to confirmation. http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/display.var.1434964.0.from_an_eyesore_to_a_25m_marvel.php http://www.rokebydevelopments.co.uk/developments/retailandleisure/antelope_park.html

Hinkler Parade

On 22 February 2010, The Hinkler Parade Regeneration Scheme took a step forward with the approval of £15 Million Pound project which would see seventeen shops, many of which are boarded up, twenty-two flats, and a five storey block of sixteen flats in Marston Road, will be demolished and replaced with 106 new homes - which would be a mix of rent, part buy-part rent and full ownership, 5 new shops and a community center.http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/5020312.__15m_plans_for_Southampton_estate_facelift/ The property developers that have been granted by Southampton City Council are Barratt Homes and First Wessex. http://www.southampton.gov.uk/news-events/pressoffice/NewsItem.asp?ID=3901&M=72009

On 22 March 2010, a ceremony took place at 12:30pm which marked the beginning of the Hinkler Parade Regeneration Project, Hinkler Parade will also be renamed to Prospect Place. http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/5074542.__15_million_revamp_gets_underway/