FROM dramatic fire rescues to widespread flood chaos, the Chronicle takes a look over what happened around Winchester between January and March 2014...

JANUARY

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The year starts with one of the most dramatic rescues in Winchester’s recent history. Alex Mutulescu (above), 24, clambers down the ladder as fire rips through his smoke-logged flat in Jewry Street. He tells the Chronicle: “I’m very sad because I have lost everything I ever had.”

Water is a friend to Mr Mutulescu but an enemy for hundreds of householders across the district as they anxiously watch rising river waters. One of the wettest autumn and early winters on record sees flood warnings. The city council is ordering 1,000 sandbags and starting to issue them to worried villagers in places such as Hambledon and Cheriton. The River Itchen at River Park and Water Lane is starting to spill over the banks. But things will get worse.

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Two students take alternative transport in Park Avenue, Winchester

In Alresford there are warnings that the town must expand onto farmland if it is continue prospering. A public meeting attended by 80 people hears that 320 homes should be built on land off Sun Lane. Steve Opacic, city council head of strategic planning, says growth is the best way of stopping the town becoming an elderly dormitory and preserving the local shops, schools and services. It is an argument that runs and runs through the year.

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Bertie the Dachshund (above) is the luckiest puppy around after getting lost for four days whilst on a walk in Micheldever Woods. Hopes are fading before Bertie, nine months, is found in a fire pit at a farm in Northington. Owner Nicki Pudney, from Kings Worthy, praises social networking sites for spreading the word. “The support we got was unbelievable. We are just staggered by the power of technology, and by the support we received from so many people.”

FEBRUARY

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Removing a major stumbling block from the £165 million Silver Hill revamp, developer Henderson reaches an undisclosed deal with London and Henley over its holdings at Kings Walk Parade (above), the Antiques Market and the former Post Office buildings.

Flooding returns as heavy rainfall that started in December continues into February. It is causing transport chaos on the roads such as the A272, A31 and A32 and railways, and there’s a desperate battle as the Army and Navy move in to counter the rising water. Emergency barriers are being built in Park Avenue and Water Lane (below).

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The levels even top the peaks of 2000-01 but fewer homes are affected because of the swift response from all the agencies. Using giant sandbags in a dam in the River Itchen near Headbourne Worthy floods nearby meadows and eases the pressure on the city downstream.

The city council reveals the university wants to build a sports centre on land at Bar End. Civic chiefs are still discussing options for the replacement of the ageing River Park Leisure Centre.

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Jemima with her parents at an auction in January to raise money for her operation 

Six-year-old Jemima Syvret from Otterbourne is preparing to fly out to the United States with her parents Andrew and Jo, to undergo a specialist operation that will eventually help her walk unaided for the first time. A fund-raising appeal passes its £90,000 target.

Householders enjoy some rare good news when the city council announces that council tax will be frozen for the fifth year running, at £126.27 for a Band D property.

Tributes are being paid following the death at the age of 89 of Eastleigh MP Sir David Price, a man widely admired across the political spectrum. He represented the town from 1955 to 1992.

MARCH

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The month kicks off with immigration officials swooping on an alleged sham marriage in Winchester (above). Four people are charged, including a French woman, a man from Cameroon, and two others. It is believed to be the first time a marriage in Winchester has been stopped in such circumstances.

Ex-bursar Linda Whittaker is convicted of £18,000 fraud at Osborne special school in Winchester. The Kings Worthy resident swindled the money by paying a colleague for hours she had not worked, the jury finds. She is cleared of a second count of fraudulently claiming £54,000 for herself. The 65-year-old is due to be sentenced in April.

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In the same week Winchester City Council leader Keith Wood (above) announces he is standing down. He issues a statement saying he would not be seeking re-election in his ward of Sparsholt. He said: “I do not intend to stand again for election in May. It has been a privilege to lead the council in the past two years.” He is succeeded by deputy of two years, Cllr Rob Humby.

Meanwhile, historians brand potential plans to destroy part of a 1,800-year-old Roman wall to make way for 14 new homes “an act of vandalism”. The ancient wall was found at the former Peugeot dealer in Southgate Street, putting developer Bargate Homes’ plans on hold.

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Winchester bus station. Picture by Alex Ratcliffe

The Silver Hill bus station row continues with fresh claims the lack of a bus station would hit the elderly hardest. Bus operator Stagecoach said it is not interested in running the station, leading to developer Henderson dropping it from the £165million regeneration scheme. The £36 million cost of repairing Hampshire’s flood-damaged roads is announced, as the Government reveals it was making £140million available for road works.

A 24-year-old fight to stop a new town being built near Micheldever takes a last-minute twist as Zurich Assurance Ltd said it would challenge a High Court judgement. A week previously the company’s challenge to Winchester’s District Local Plan was thrown out.

Part Two of the Year in Review will be online tomorrow (December 27).