BRAMSHOTT and Liphook’s popular administration officer, Gina Spencer, has decided to call it a day after 19 years.

Gina, joined the parish council in 1997 and has been invaluable in dealing with all matters relating to the planning committee.

She is retiring at the end of August to concentrate on her private life and her passion for running, fitness and other sports activities. Planning committee chairman Don Jerrard, paid tribute to Gina at the last planning meeting earlier this month.

“It is a sad moment for us all,” he said.

“She is an incredible lady and has over the last 19 years outlasted many councillors – all except Michael Croucher, who was there when she joined. Gina has been fantastic, she is undoubtedly the best planning clerk in Hampshire.

“Sadly she has decided to retire and we all wish her well for the future.”

District councillor Bill Mouland joined in by thanking Gina for her help and her immense knowledge in planning matters.

Before sharing the job of administration officer with Nikki Sosin for the last two years, Gina was a full-time information officer at the parish council offices.

With the growth of the internet and people being able to research planning matters and applications online, her workload was reduced. She remembers the days of concessionary fares, when parishioners used to queue in the Midhurst Road car park to pick up their tokens for travel from the parish council office, which was the collection point.

Gina arrived at the parish council at the same time as the biggest ever planning project for Liphook was undertaken – the application which included Sainsbury’s supermarket, the Millennium Centre, the Millennium Green and the large housing development on MoD land.

“I have always enjoyed dealing with the process of planning applications, whether they were on a large scale or not”, she said.

“Over the last 19 years, there have been many interesting housing projects, including Silent Garden, the OSU site, the Poultry Farm, and most recently Lowsley Farm.

Gina added: “I have enjoyed dealing with the people of the parish, the councillors and the staff and I have met many lovely people, like Sam James, who was a district and county councillor for many years. I will be sorry to leave, but am looking forward to my retirement.”