50 Parish Council News
Bury Parish Council The Parish Council is delighted that the major refurbishment programme for both Bury Village Hall and Squire’s Cottages are now almost complete. The Village Hall has had a major overhaul of all lighting and emergency lighting as part of the Council’s initiative to ensure that the Village Hall stays as welcoming and safe for users as possible, as well as a completely new commercial fire alarm and smoke detector system. Some of the hall’s infrastructure is due for renewal and this programme, while possibly not immediately visible, is underway and involves substantial investment by the Parish as a whole. All electrical equipment in the Village Hall has now been tested, with new items purchased to fit in with current health and safety law. Councillor John Labarte and Bury Resident Chris Flower have given invaluable help to the parish to achieve very high quality work at a competitive price. Number One Squire’s Cottages has also received a complete refurbishment, making it fit for rental for years to come. The history of number one and number two Squire’s Cottages is that they were gifted to the village by a past parishioner to fund the build and upkeep of Bury Village Hall, which they still do to this day. The Council is inviting ideas for how to use the Old Post Office part of the hall to serve the community
Coldwaltham PC Edited extracts taken from the draft minutes of the Annual Parish Council meeting held on Tuesday 12th November 2019. Public participation A member of the public endorsed the Council’s comments regarding Barlavington Estate’s proposals for additional housing in Coldwaltham. She noted that the minutes indicated that Barlavington Estates were “hoping to increase the number of homes and the layout but that no specific plans were available”. She requested clarification if that meant that they wished to take more land as well as increase the number of homes? If so, could this be referred to in the minutes? It was also noted that the public were disappointed that the National Park did not remove the meadow site from the South Downs National Park Association (SDNPA) Local Plan. However, they welcomed that the Parish Council noted that there was no prospect of their support for reopening the housing allocation in the Parish in the recently adopted plan. It was asked whether this response was to be made in writing and put on public record – the Council confirmed this had already been done. A member of the public asked if the Council will write to the SDNPA to seek assurance that the housing allocation will not be increased. The Council suggest-
into the next decade. Any suggestions should be emailed to the Clerk. 25th Jan 2020 is National Village Hall Day. Bury Village Hall will be open to visitors between 12pm and 4pm, with free tea and cake for visitors who will be able to see the Hall’s sustainability plans for 2020, learn about the activities available at the hall and to enter the new Bury and West Burton annual photo competition. Each year, three winning photos of events, people or places that take place in the village will be made into photos and displayed in the foyer of the Village Hall for future generations to enjoy. We will also be looking at the plans for the new Bury Wharf sign. Everyone welcome! The Council is also aware of the potential for snow over winter and a further plan for “what-to-do” in the case of significant snowfall is also available on the BPC website. It is seventeen years since the last significant flood in Bury but the Council has felt it prudent to prepare a new Village Flood Plan. A “what-to-do” in case of flooding plan is available on the BPC website. For more information or to contact the Parish council, visit www.buryparishcouncil.org.uk or you can reach Mike Simpson, Clerk and RFO, by sending an email clerkburyparishcouncil@gmail.com ed that both the letter response to Barlavington Estates and the minutes are sent to the SDNPA. Bury Speedwatch Team It was noted that there was an advert in the Sandham Hall Post Office for helper volunteers for the Bury Speedwatch team. One Councillor noted that it is more difficult for Speedwatch to operate in Bury as where Bury wish to check vehicle speeds, the speed limit is 50mph, which poses greater safety issues. Horsham District Council (HDC) items • Housing allocation expected to be 1100+ per annum in HDC to 2036. • There are some major developments which will take a majority. • Gypsy & Travellers allocation continues to be an issue within the district. • There are grants available from SDNPA funds. Fly Tipping There have been reports of rubbish dumped at the end of Colebrook Lane, photos were sent to HDC. Sandham Hall Items discussed were installing additional external lighting, following a recent break-in; and schemes for the provision of public electric vehicle charging points. www.coldwalthampc.org.uk
