Memories

 

As Christmas and the end of the year approach, we tend to think back over the last twelve months or even further. If you are interested in our local history, you may find this article an interesting read because it reveals a little more about our lost and abandoned villages. 

Several generations ago, my father's side of my family grew up near the village of Pulborough - his parents also chose to spend nearly all their married life there too. Last Sunday, Donna and I drove eastwards and ended up in Pulborough for a late lunch. It was a bit of a trip down memory lane for me. I was not surprised a couple of days later to learn that Pulborough has been named as one of the most coveted villages in the UK. 

Staying in the past for just a little longer, if you miss Woolies, you may be intrigued by this article about the lost shops most wished for at this time of year. In happier retail-related news, the Cathedral is seeking a catering partner in the hope that the Cloisters cafe can be reopened and CDC have partnered with ShopAppy – an online shopping platform that you can use to browse products and services from small businesses across the district and pay for them online or in store. They are in the process of setting up individual websites for Chichester, Midhurst, Selsey, East Wittering and Petworth which will be linked to the overall website for Chichester District. Businesses can express an interest now - full training will be given.

Thanks to Marcus Rashford, there is greater awareness of children who go hungry when their free school meals stop during the school holidays. West Sussex run the Holiday Activities and Food Programme in the summer and over Christmas should you know any families who might be interested in it. It is worth checking what else is being done near you, for instance Selsey has its own scheme run by Full Up, a local community group.

On Tuesday, Donna and I had a Special Full CDC to discuss the Southern Gateway project. Henry Boot Developments have withdrawn because of a delay in some of the land becoming available and the changed economic climate post-Covid. The partners involved in the project, including Chichester District Council, West Sussex County Council and Sussex Police, will now manage the development of their own parcels of land, which together represent 75% of the entire project. 

We wish to thank all the other Members present for unanimously supporting our minor amendment to seek 'significantly' greater, rather than just greater, housing density on CDC’s parcels of land. We argued that access into the City needs to be improved, e.g. an underpass for cars, and that every house built on green belt reduces our District’s tourist appeal , something I have learnt through commuting to Surrey and London since 2005, because so many colleagues, students and parents know and love our area; they see it as being mainly unspoilt.

Next week, Donna has CDC's Economic Development Panel and full WSCC, while I have CDC’s Governance group. It is likely your parish, town or city council will be having a final meeting of the year, if they did not do so recently.

In view of continuing developments in respect to Covid, we are including these links: - 

• Martin Kemp is Father Christmas in this video to encourage vaccinations. 

• Latest guidance.

• Booking a booster.

• Order free lateral flow tests.

• West Sussex data dashboard. 

• BBC NHS postcode tracker so you can see how things are near you. 

And finally: -. 

• There is a warning about exploding chargers after one was bought in Chichester. 

• Stonepillow are celebrating their 30th birthday.

• West Sussex are consulting about their Community Equipment service.

• If you are looking for a more unique gift, the Novium now has an online shop. They also have a Lego Brick Wonders exhibition with a chance you could impress with your own creation. 

• This is CDC’s waste collections over the festive period. 

• And this is CDC’s Calendar of Meetings, and this is West Sussex.

As always, from the whole Team, stay safe.

Tim