What defines the area of North Camp?

This is a subject that seems to have caused angst to many members of the local community recently and in the past. There are arguments of North Camp being a territory of Aldershot with a few suggesting the area we all know, love and live in is actually called South Farnborough. To some this may be a case of dividing themselves from Aldershot, to gain, in some peoples opinion, a more upmarket address or people just plain don't like the term. I apologise if you are an advocate of South Farnborough and don't fall under one of these categories and I would encourage anyone with views to email me about this subject.

Extract from www.hants.gov.uk

"North Camp, Aldershot
Situated north of the Basingstoke Canal, North Camp has grown into a mixture of civilian and military life. Although the term formally applies to the military town, local shops and businesses in the area have developed into a small community known locally as 'North Camp'."

The website also refers to the area as "North Camp, Farnborough" and "North Camp town centre" !

When I first started this website I spent many months collating information on the area and had to draw my own conclusion as to the boundaries for this purpose. The map I roughly devised travelled along the Farnborough Road from Boundary Road up to the Basingstoke Canal and across to the A331 up to the North Camp train station and then down Park Road, Sycamore Road and finally joing up again with Boundary Road. Issues, News and Events affecting the surrounding areas are also included on the website to give a bigger picture of how we fit into the scheme of things.

An approximate outline

As the boundary for Farnborough ends at Lynchford Road it is undeniable that the area from Lynchford Road up to approximately Boundary Road can rightfully be called South Farnborough, the term of North Camp means much more though, it relates to a community and strength in unity more than just a geographic location as well as a very proseperous area of shopping and local business.

If we are to be exact and strict over the rightful use of the term many people are quick to point out that North Camp protrudes from Lynchford Road Southwards into the military area, as the first row of shops one and a half miles opposite in Aldershot was actually the South Camp, with the Basingstoke Canal roughly marking the centre line. It's only natural though that over the years the shopping district of North Camp Village, (Another story!), is so called because on the military side of Lynchford Road there are no shops only military service quarters and facilities.

At a recent North Camp Matters meeting the issue of boundaries rose again with a more interesting answer. The question was who do we allow membership to the organisation? We all know the roughly defined boundaries of working and living in North Camp but we have members who are based a good few miles outside the area, so
the answer was to allow anyone with an interest in North Camp to be offered inclusion on proceedings. The day people start telling us that they have an interest in 'South Farnborough' as opposed to North Camp we may then think about changing our definitions!

On a quick note for those who may have experienced confusion, the area of North Camp is roughly defined above but North Camp Village is a term that has been used in recent years to reflect the growing business community made up of many unique and traditional shops based primarily in Camp Road including but not limited to Lynchford Road, Queens Road, Alexandra Road and Peabody Road.

The opinions in this article are my own but have been deduced from talking to many residents and traders in the area in which we live and work. If anyone would like to discuss further a topic could be opened on the North Camp Forum at www.northcampforum.co.uk or alternatively you can email me at steveoptix@hotmail.com