Let the waves carry you
Last week we mentioned World Mental Health Day is on 10 October and WSCC is highlighting a number of services and organisations that can help, including NHS Every Mind Matters and West Sussex Mind, as well as support for children and young people at Your Mind Matters and for urgent support Samaritans and Sussex Mental Healthline.
We also mentioned that CDC is working with partners to promote grants so you may receive a letter with their logo to do with The Boiler Upgrade Scheme, The Chichester Warm Homes Initiative or The Energy Company Obligation (ECO) scheme.
Some other reminders: firstly, The City Sounds music festival is returning on Saturday 25 November so should you wish to take part should apply at https://citysoundslive.com/application-form by 30 September. Secondly, give your views on what information applicants must provide CDC in their planning applications in the Local List consultation by October 12. Lastly, the West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service is offering free electric blanket testing between 9.30am and 4.30pm on October 3 in The Studio, New Park Centre, Chichester, PO19 7XY. Book your appointment: 0345 872 9719.)
The casework continues for Donna and I, while Mick and Val have continued work on Selsey’s Christmas lights, with Ali's help. She told us she was "truly overwhelmed at how much work Mick and Val have done. It takes up to an hour to mend each of the decoration figures."
This week also saw CDC’s bi-annual All Parishes Meeting on Monday which involved Andrew as Chair of Selsey Town Council. On Tuesday, Members had a chance to ask CDC’s SLT their unprompted questions. Meanwhile, Andrew also had an STC Personnel Committee Meeting with Ian, Donna and myself ahead of STC’s Planning Meeting on Wednesday, which Ian Chaired. Donna and I attended Donna, and in an observatory capacity our Green colleague Tim Young, also had CDC’s Development Planning and Infrastructure Panel which considered an important update on progress with the emerging Local Plan, while on Thursday Donna attended an all day meeting with Hyde, organised for Members of CDC.
This week sees the next Full CDC on Tuesday which you can watch live here.
An update on the sea wall rings on Selsey’s seafront. You may remember CDC identified 9 redundant rings and were consulting about their removal, and that Selsey Town Council’s view was they should stay as they are a part of our fishing heritage. Two of the rings are defective and no longer fit for purpose so are likely to be removed as there is a concern that if someone were to use one and it failed, it could cause an injury or damage to their boat.
I think I have mentioned before that my British-built diesel Honda Civic has clocked over 300,000 miles now and has been the most reliable car I have ever owned. Like me, you were probably expecting diesel cars to disappear a few years after they can no longer be sold in 2030; apparently this may not be the case because some of them may still be on our roads in 2128, yes 100 years later.
WSCC maintained less than 100 miles of our roads in 2021 - 2022. They have recently completed a £1.8m surface dressing treatment programme on 71.7km (44.5 miles) of roads. As part of the programme, 33.2km (20.6 miles) of roads were treated with a new surface sealant to prolong the life of the dressing, minimise the risk of early failures and reduce issues associated with aftercare, especially on high-speed roads.
Community Safety Partnerships are asking us how safe we feel in our local communities. The online consultation allows people of all ages to share their experiences of crime and anti-social behaviour in their local areas and will allow the partnerships to further improve their understanding of the local communities and see whether their current priorities reflect the experiences of the residents living there. Information from the consultation will be shared with the Safer West Sussex Partnership, which brings together the six district and borough Community Safety Partnerships, along with Sussex Police, the Sussex Police & Crime Commissioner, West Sussex Fire and Rescue, West Sussex County Council and other key agencies.
I was not surprised to learn that a study has placed West Wittering in the top 10 most popular beaches in the UK. Every summer the Peninsula grinds to a halt as visitors flock to the wittering, Bracklesham and Selsey. I often mention too, how many of my students and their parents like to come here. Just last week, a student mentioned they stayed in Bognor during the holidays and popped across.
Whether you have a bird table, are a keen gardener or both, this tip about coffee grounds is one you may wish to try to deter squirrels or enrich your soil.
Worryingly, nearly everyone in Europe is living in an area with dangerous levels of air pollution, an investigation by the Guardian has found.
Housing is a huge issue for our District. Around 2,000 households with a connection, such as people who have been brought up here or who are a keyworker, are waiting for a home in our area. Around 48% of these have urgent housing needs. I think we can agree that they are people who we rely on and want to keep close by. If you grow up here you should be able to stay, and important key workers need to be able to afford to work here. Over the past year, nearly 400 affordable homes have been provided in our District, including those at Graylingwell, Minerva Heights (at the West of Chichester), Shopwyke Lakes, Southdown’s Holiday Village, Fishbourne Road and Park Farm in Selsey. CDC’s housing policy, under the Local Plan, means that they can make sure that 30% of all housing on all larger developments is affordable, and in most areas this is ring fenced for those with a local connection.
CDC also works closely with Registered Housing Providers and Community Land Trusts to deliver affordable housing and have invested nearly £900,000 into these projects over the past year, including social rented homes in Chichester and Westbourne. They have also invested over £2 million pounds into expanding their short stay temporary accommodation for those who are homeless.
The Government has also introduced a new scheme called First Homes which means a First Home must be discounted by a minimum of 30% against the market value. After the discount has been applied, the first sale must be at a price no higher than £250,000. ‘First Homes’ will be protected to ensure that restrictions are placed on the property at each future sale to make sure that the home continues to be affordable to future buyers.
There are also people who don’t quite fit the national system of income support. Every day, CDC makes discretionary housing payments to prevent hardship and homelessness. They are also working hard to make sure that rough sleepers access accommodation and support in partnership with charity partners, including Stonepillow, The Four Streets Project, and HEART. You can find out more about their work and access support here.
You may be aware that the latest Thursday Murder Club book by Richard Osman "The Last Devil to Die" has several references to our District: one character has a mansion in Singleton andworks in Petworth. Chichester CID is also involved at one point.
We will remind you in future posts, but CDC”s Cross Market and More, which has welcomed thousands of visitors since its first event in 2021 and showcases the best products from across our District returns in North Street and East Street, Chichester, between 10am to 4pm on Sunday 15 October and Sunday 19 November. The market will include a range of artisans from Petworth, the Love From Selsey group, and several independent shops from the City centre who want to showcase their products.
Finally: -
As always, from the whole Team, stay safe.
Tim
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