Local Council News

Recycling, vacancies, planning, roads, allotments & volunteering

Village Hall Thakeham Village Hall is taking bookings for regular hirers in 2023. If you need a venue for your group/ club/class, please contact Amanda by email info@thakehamvillagehall.co.uk to discuss our facilities and availability. Take a look at our website www.thakehamvillagehall.co.uk for information about our upcoming events, regular activities, facilities, availability and to make a booking. Recycling The Sussex Green Living special recycling facility is available every weekday morning (9.30-12.30) at the Village Hall. For details of what materials are accepted, visit our website. Parish Councillor Vacancies We have two councillor vacancies. If you would like to be involved in delivering local services and making decisions affecting your community, consider joining our team - contact the Clerk. Planning Most new housing schemes in Horsham district remain held up by the need to meet 'water neutral' requirements, due to pressure on local resources. This situation seems likely to continue to at least the end of 2022. Several local planning proposals, e.g. the 25-house site at the exRushfield Nursery, are affected by this. The same issue is also delaying the production of a new Local Plan for housing in Horsham District. Construction of the last 75-house phase of the Abingworth development is underway and will run through to late 2023. There is no further news about the proposals for new homes at either the ex-Rushfield Nursery site, or the site south of Furze Common Road, both of which the Parish Council has strongly objected to. Monaghans Mushrooms closure latest Following the recent closure we have followed-up with Monaghans management. Monaghans intend to sell the site and potential buyers may include housing developers, although our Neighbourhood Plan specifically opposes housing on this site. HDC Planners have been alerted. Roads The Parish Council has asked WSCC Highways to consider reducing the speed limit on the B2139 north and south of the Picketty Corner junction with West Chiltington Road, due to the poor sightlines there. If you spot a road safety issue, please report it to Highways direct via online at www.westsussex.gov.uk/roads-and-travel/ Community facilities – Abingworth allotments The new allotments are due be delivered mid2023 and the waiting list for plots is still open –contact the Clerk. Upcoming Events The Vox Beatles are playing Thakeham Village Hall on 15 October (7pm) - all proceeds are going towards a new wheelchair for Thakeham resident Maxwell. Tickets for general admission £16.50; disabled guests and their carers are £15, from the Village Hall office or www.eventbrite.co.uk Thakeham Halloween Fireworks, Monday October 31st, Abingworth Sports Ground, Open 5.30pm, Fireworks Display 7.30pm. Food vendors, Bar, Bouncy Castle, Entertainment. For more details or if you would like help to promote upcoming events, see the Thakeham Community Events facebook page. Local Groups Thakeham Bellringers seek new recruits to join them for regular ringing at St Mary’s church. See our website and contact Christine Hounslow (01798 815993). Thakeham Short Mat Bowls Club meets at the village hall on Monday evenings and we welcome new members. Come and learn something new. Email barbara.weir@uwclub.net for information. The local history section of our website can always benefit from new additions - contact Roger Taylor (edstrct@gmail.com) if you have any information you can share, or have questions about our village history. Local Volunteering Opportunities If you have time to spare to help others, do look at our Thakeham Parish Community Facebook page, where volunteering opportunities are often posted. Contact us Email: clerk@thakehamparish.co.uk Phone: 01798 815305 You can find Parish Councillors’ contact details at: www.thakehamparish.co.uk/councillors If you are new to the Parish, contact us to receive a welcome pack! www.thakehamparish.co.uk

Parish yard tearoom, recruitment, volunteers & Ashington festival

The Parish Yard Tearoom project is on hold until HDC sort out Water Neutrality issues. At the Parish Yard there is a water connection, but we can’t use it, deeply frustrating. However, the planning application to build a Parish Office cabin is being progressed as the Parish Council needs somewhere to store documents. After 17 years with the Parish Council, the Clerk is retiring at Xmas and all the documents that are in her loft and garage need a home. Recruitment for a new Clerk is underway. If there is anyone out there that wants a part -time, 18 hours per week job, then checkout ashingtonpc.org.uk for details. It is a varied role – one day you can be checking salt levels in grit bins, the next you’re writing a technical planning document. It’s like running a company – admin, finance, marketing, public relations, HR, DIY etc. Never a dull moment. The Parish Council is not linked to the Parish Church nor to the Ashington Community Centre. Many residents think they are all the same organisation. The Community Centre is run by a Board of Trustees and manages, on behalf of Ashington residents, the Recreation Ground and all community buildings in the area. If any resident wishes to help them then they are on the lookout for volunteers, more people will help them deliver more for the village. Once again, the Ashington Festival takes place on the Recreation ground in August. Ashington is very lucky to have such a fantastic event. Margaret Alford BEM is at the forefront of organising this, but it could not happen without volunteers so if you have some time, either on the day, or during the year then please get involved. www.ashingtonpc.org.uk

Storrington & Sullington Parish Council

Mill Lane; Southern Water drainage consultation response

Edited extracts from draft minutes of the Parish Council meeting 31st August 2022. Mill Lane speeding County Councillor Marshall reported that he had recently attended a meeting with residents of Mill Lane to discuss recent accidents and incidents of poor driving on that road. He had confirmed his support for the residents’ application to reduce the speed limit to 20 mph and Councillors asked whether it was possible to submit non -specific TRO requests so that the Highways Engineers could assess what traffic calming measures would be most appropriate for the individual areas. Cllr. Marshall confirmed that this assessment was part of the process. Affordable School Uniforms. A councillor asked Cllr Marshall what action was being taken across schools in West Sussex. He will make enquiries. Southern Water Drainage and Waste Water Management Consultation. District Councillor Grech was thanked for sharing her observations on Southern Water’s Draft Drainage and Waste Water Management Plan which will be used as a

base for the Parish Council’s response to this consultation. Leisure Centre equipment. Members had been provided with a copy of the Centre Director’s plans to replace some of the gym equipment to ensure that the centre remains competitive and continues to offer state of the art facilities. The equipment to be replaced will be sold and whilst the proceeds from the sale will be paid to the Parish Council as the owners, it was agreed that these will be ringfenced for future improvements to the Leisure Centre. Members also heard that the Centre Director had applied to HDC’s Community Climate Fund for a grant to replace the lights in the studio with more energy efficient LED fittings. Storrington & District Museum leaflets. The walking trail leaflets (lottery funded) have now run out and it is proposed to join with Steyning for a combined leaflet. The Parish Council is being asked to contribute towards the Museum’s half of the cost of £539 and this was agreed. www.storrington-pc.gov.uk