January 12, 2024
Welcome to our second blog of 2024 and its been a rainy week! Unfortunately, it’s caused damage to roads and traffic delays, and we may get snow! There is always speculation about just how much rain or snow we might get; but I think it is heightened this year because the Peninsula has a high water table and is noticeably saturated, so it does not take much more to cause significant problems.
Many of us value our beaches and are concerned about how clean their water actually is. Sewage outflows are therefore a particular worry. The Environment Agency carefully monitors water quality and rates each beach in terms of the quality of its bathing water. Did you know that one of our County’s beaches has been given a zero rating for the second year running and people are advised not to swim in its waters as a result? This article lists the current EA verdict on Sussex's beaches.
This has been a very busy week at school, with meetings and / or additional classes every day after school. In addition, on Monday, Donna and I had a Group Leaders & Chairs meeting with CDC’s Monitoring Officer; on Tuesday there was welcome news, when CDC’s Cabinet considered a report on Selsey’s sea defences and recommended Full Council agrees to apply for a grant to undertake an extensive study into future proofing solutions that might better safeguard the 1300 homes that could be at risk in the longer term. Increasing parking charges was considered as well, something that will also come to the next Full Council on the 23rd - you can watch CDC’s public meetings live here; finally on Wednesday Donna had Planning at CDC and West Sussex commitments, as well as Sidlesham Parish Council in the evening. (I got home just in time to take her there as she doesn’t drive.) At the same time, Ian and several other members of the team had STC’s Planning Committee.
Next Wednesday is STC's Full Council at the Town Hall, and we'd like to thank everyone who responded to the Town Council's Business Plan. It was really appreciated by us all. The main item on the agenda is the budget.
The day after the next Full CDC, the 24th, is the first public facing Development and Infrastructure Panel for Donna: this coming week she is back in the Chair for CDC’s pivotal Overview & Scrutiny Committee at which our Police Commissioner may finally answer questions - Ms Bourne cancelled when I sat on O&S in our last term, and has also done so once already for Donna so, without seeming pessimistic, let’s see what happens on the day!
You may remember, I was looking into the possibility of CDC giving retailers a grant to help reduce their overheads and carbon footprint. I have now been briefed that there is an enabling grant scheme designed to help improve the efficiency of independent local businesses, to maximise the potential for growth and to assist new business with start-ups. The application process is focused on welcoming applications from businesses in the green sector or applications for projects to reduce a business’s environmental impact and these type of applications are prioritised during the evaluation process There is also a proposal for a permanent Economic and Sustainability post, which is presently being trialled as a temporary one, with its own Eco dev pot.
I should also mention that there are existing general grants of up to £15,000 which support projects that bring inward investment and support viable start-up and existing SMEs to implement 'growth' projects which require relocation and expansion into larger premises within the district or occupation of long-term vacant commercial premises.
CDC has arranged a Feel-Good Farmers’ Market in the City centre on Friday the 19th from 9am until 2pm. In addition to the normal traders, they will have a range of partners attending who will be available to help you improve your health and fitness, including Everyone Active, Nuffield Health, Fitjoy, their Social Prescribers (who help with non-medical issues) and their Health and Wellbeing Team, who are available to assist you on a whole range of matters, e.g. mental and physical wellbeing, healthy eating on a budget; reducing your alcohol intake, losing weight, being more active, improving your emotional wellbeing and free Nicotine Replacement Therapy.
CDC has also given the go-ahead for Chichester’s first ever Vegan Street Market in East Street on Sunday 28 January between 10.30am and 4pm. It will bring together vegan street food vendors, artisan bakers, craft brewers, ethical jewellery, cosmetics, clothing and much more!
Advance warning that from Monday 12th February you will need to pre-book a timed slot to visit one of the West Sussex Recycling Centres. Slots can be booked on the same day or up to 14 days in advance, and are for either 15 or 30 minutes, depending on the site you choose to visit. You can learn more here. Sadly only 41% of what we put in our black bins is actually general waste so WSCC has produced a series of short videos that explain how materials are recycled in West Sussex and why it is so important to reduce, reuse and recycle all we can.
CDC meanwhile has secured £12,000 to increase tree cover and enhance community wellbeing through the creation of new community orchards in the Chichester District. This is thanks to a share of the government’s £2.5m Coronation Living Heritage Fund, which has been developed to promote green spaces and connect communities with nature to mark the coronation of His Majesty King Charles III. CDC is one of 39 councils participating in the community orchard component of the fund, which will be issuing grants to parish councils and community groups to support the development of community orchards within their local area. This is part of ‘Tree Chichester District’ which has supported the planting of seven community orchards in Selsey, Chichester, Fishbourne and Goodwood over the past year. Since January 2021 it has seen almost 25,000 trees planted through 175 individual projects and is an integral part of CDC’s Climate Emergency Action Plan.
The Novium Museum has been awarded a grant of £44,593 from Arts Council England to unlock the advertising archive of the former local family-run business, Shippams, in an exciting new project which will culminate in an exhibition in 2025. Established in 1786, Shippams was a beloved employer in Chichester, whose success and popularity spread worldwide. Through digitisation, oral histories, a public engagement programme and a headline exhibition, the project will explore how family and community shaped one of the best loved brands of the 20th century.
As well as being one of the leading businesses of its time to use television advertising, Shippams was also a prominent local asset, opening their doors to members of the community and providing rich engagement programmes for their staff and families. Employees often joined the company straight out of school and stayed for the duration of their working lives. One generation would follow another, their experience and knowledge being vital to the company's success. 1974 marked the end of an era for Shippams, when the former family run business was acquired by the William Underwood Company. Princes, who acquired the company in 2001, took the decision to close the East Street Walls factory, but the factory façade and silver wishbone were retained and can still be seen to this day.
The Novium will work together with the local community to explore themes of community, family, sustainability, and identity within the company. The project will record oral histories with ex-employees, family members and the local community to share their lived experience. Members of the public will also have the opportunity to be a part of the Shippams project, with the museum recruiting and working with local volunteers to catalogue, re-pack and digitise the Shippams collection, which consists of over 700 items from the company’s iconic advertising archive, hundreds of photographs, ephemera and objects relating to life in the factory, and archaeology recovered from an excavation of the old factory site in 2005.
Finally: -
As always, from the whole Team, stay safe.
Tim
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