Interview: Councillor Julian Hudson talks to chilbolton.news

A sunny Summer afternoon in Chilbolton, with afternoon tea, overlooking the Test Valley: perfect circumstances for a first interview with the Parish Council’s new Chair, Cllr Julian Hudson.

We ask about his early years. “From the age of five, we lived in Otterbourne. Secondary school for me was King Edward VI School in Southampton, and I stayed there for the Sixth Form. Then it was off to Oxford, St Hugh’s College, to study Classics”.

How did he go from studying Ancient Greece and Rome to working as a Highways Consultant?

“I was researching archaic Greek archeology and became interested in how they settled their towns. The way in which they planned them was fascinating, so after I had completed my degree, I moved across town to Oxford Brookes and took a Masters in Regeneration.

“Later on I did another Masters in Spatial Planning. This took me to working at Winchester City Council as a Planning Technician, then for Brent Council in transport planning. I came back to Winchester as a Consulting Engineer”.

He and his wife Nicky, a talented artist, moved to Chilbolton in 2021. He worked on the Parish Council’s Open Spaces Committee and joined the Parish Council in 2023.

He felt he had skills to offer to the community: he is a member of the Planning Committee and is responsible for Highways. He was also a member of the Strategic Working Group which put together the plan for development of new homes in the village.

Most recently he has established a Highways Safety Group, prompted by his concern for the safety of pedestrians, in particular on the Mayfly bridge.

The last six months, since the announcement of the proposed development have been tumultuous for the Parish Council. What does he think about that?

“It has been tricky. Some well-intentioned comments have missed the mark. We need to communicate more, and more effectively. Presentations, social media, Webmaster, the Community Magazine and CPC’s website could all play a role. “.

He mentions that the next Parish Council meeting will discuss how CPC communicates and engages with the village.

“Personally, I am keen to understand people’s interests and priorities. I welcome people contacting me, but I will also reach out to people in the village. We need to provide more opportunities to share ideas”.

We turn to the proposed development of homes and villagers’ concerns.

“You can’t have no planning,” he points out, “it’s a matter of the right number, with the right quality in the right place. In the current environment ’no houses’ is not realistic. A village needs some development in order to thrive”.

About the newly-formed Community Development Committee, he says “Chilbolton has a large number of talented and able people and they are represented on the CDC. But we need to reach out further and involve others who have skills. Community engagement, for example, building a design brief and civil engineering”.

Asked whether CDC would dominate the Parish Council’s time and energy, he says “It a set of big tasks, maybe three to five years for some but others will need longer-term impetus to provide new housing”.

As we have been talking, it is clear that Cllr Hudson has a background of skills and knowledge that are very relevant to the challenges currently facing the Parish Council. More than that, though, he is motivated to ply those skills in pursuit of a cause that is socially worthwhile and useful.

Cllr Julian Hudson can be contacted at cllrhudson.chilboltonpc@gmail.com

Julian Hudson: A snapshot

Favourite food My wife’s spaghetti bolognese
Favourite book Historical fiction, for example ‘Pompeii’ by Robert Harris
Favourite music I’m a child of the nineties, so Indy, but also classical music and contemporary jazz
Favourite film ‘The Boxtrolls’, a stop motion animation
Favourite place in Chilbolton West Down, overlooking the valley
Pets Two dogs - Charlie, a Shih Tzu and Della, a King Charles spaniel
Pastimes Gardening, visiting galleries and art exhibitions with Nicky