About Petersfield Society
Petersfield Society is a charity led by volunteers working with the community to conserve and enhance the special character of this historic market town and surrounding villages, to ensure it remains an attractive, enjoyable and distinctive place in which to live, work and visit.
Inaugurated in the 1940’s as a response to the rapidly changing built environment, The Petersfield Society was given charitable status in 1962.
Today, having dropped ‘The’ from it’s name, Petersfield Society touches on many aspects of Petersfield life. Working with other charities and organisations we continue to campaign on the Built Environment, monitoring planning applications on the 4-week cycle of the Town Council planning meetings, highlighting breeches of the hard-won local plan, promoting adherence to technical planning policies and commenting on asthetics, whilst advocating for enhanced pedestrian and accessibility provision as the town inevitably expands.
Petersfield Society’s aims are to:
- Provide a voice for the community on local development and environmental issues;
- Protect and improve the quality of life in Petersfield and the surrounding countryside;
- Encourage the protection of buildings of architectural or historical interest;
- Encourage the maintenance and enhancement of the natural environment;
- Influence future planning and design for the town and surrounding villages;
- Participate in the development of local and district policies relating to townscape, landscape, traffic and the countryside;
- Support local enhancement projects and foster a sense of community pride;
- Campaign for or against any issues which affect the locality.
The Petersfield Society Trustees
Anthony Allen
Anthony is a Chartered Town Planner and worked with several Local Planning Authorities including East Hampshire, before moving to the private sector as a Planning Consultant. He has a strong interest in architecture and the built environment of Petersfield.
Beth Svarovska
Beth organises Petersfield Society’s town clean-ups, and liaises for the Society with the press and with schools. Self-employed, Beth is closely involved with the business and voluntary sectors within Petersfield. Beth holds an MA from Cambridge University in Biological Natural Sciences and Land Economy and is a former marketing director.
Clive Cook
Clive is a graphic designer and marketer, having been born in Petersfield and lived in the area most of his life, watching the town and area develop over the years. He is keen to see the area develop in line with the community’s wishes rather than it being dictated by developers commercial desires. Clive provides the Society with practical design and communications support.
Peter Bisset
Peter has had a career in overseas development, working for Governments and International Bodies. His areas of interest are the development of civil society, natural resource conservation & utilisation and food production. He has lived in Petersfield since 1983 and his children have attended local schools. He is a wildlife enthusiast, sea kayaker and mountain biker. He was elected to Petersfield Town Council in 2019.
Andrew Hicks
Andrew qualified as a solicitor in the early seventies and practiced in London before lecturing in Law in Nigeria, Hong Kong, Singapore and finally at Exeter University, his specialisation being company and commercial law. Having moved to Petersfield in 2005 he has a strong interest in architectural heritage and preservation, and is a committed and experienced campaigner on such issues.
Keith Hopper
Keith, now retired, worked as a Chartered Highway Engineer for over 40 years. His areas of special expertise are town centre enhancement, traffic calming, home zones and public consultation.
Jon Allen
Jon was brought up in rural North Yorkshire and has a passion for countryside, natural and rural heritage, historic buildings and, he says, in more recent years walking the South Downs.
Jon has lived locally since 2011 and describes himself as having taken root. Throughout his career he has had an enthusiasm for improving how organisations work and he is working in the background with the Trustees improving systems and procedures.