Storrington Air Quality

50 Storrington Air Quality

Storrington Pollution More of your letters

Dear Editor, Thank you for the very informative review of the history of this issue in the Horsham area, and Storrington in particular since 2000, in December's Sussex Local. It appears that little improvement has been made since an Air Quality Management Area was declared for Storrington in 2010. To assess progress, we residents might expect availability of data on recorded air quality, on specific dates and times, or we might expect a documented Action Plan for Storrington, where serious local issues in emissions were recorded as early as 2007. Your article makes clear that such is not the case. The Councils' inaction is completely unacceptable at a time when Climate Change is recognised by many as the single most important issue confronting mankind. So no one should be surprised that recent weeks have seen the formation of an Arun Valley branch of Extinction Rebellion, and their first public demonstration of protest, at one of the identified areas of maximum pollution in Storrington. Barbara Walmsley Dear Editor I read your article in the Sussex Local regarding air quality in Storrington with the usual sadness... knowing that there is so little that can be done to divert the enormous amount of traffic that needs to pass through our village/town en route for many other destinations. The idea of ‘Gating’ seems to me to be the only possibility. The Tesco roundabout would be a good place for cars entering from both Amberley and Pulborough directions. The benefit of this could prove two fold - the roundabout is a really difficult obstacle and having lived in Monastery Lane and now on the Hormare estate I have to negotiate this tricky junction frequently. My heart goes out to more elderly people and young ones trying to learn to drive. From Monastery Lane, in particular, it can be a nightmare of looking through a hedge to the right to check if any cars are coming. As there is always a queue at busy times I feel that traffic lights would not make a lot of difference to the build up of traffic. BUT ... they would make the roundabout safer and help the high street itself from being constantly clogged whenever there is a delivery or other hold up or indeed during rush Tesco roundabout

hour, school pick up or other busy times. If another set of traffic lights were introduced on the Washington Road entrance to Storrington I can envisage a better flow through the High Street. I also think that rat runs should be eliminated by introducing traffic calming and no entry except for access. In this way residents of Storrington can be protected from further traffic near where they live. I am aware that funding is a huge issue... but surely we must do ‘something’......with the increase in house building we are facing a grim future. Susan Bartle Dear Editor I was reading about the unacceptable level of NO2 pollution in Storrington. I and many friends/ neighbours live here and crossing the main high street is an absolute nightmare, because of the volume and frequency of through traffic! Putting up "Gating " is pathetic! not only is it NOT noticed or mean anything to most drivers coming through! The health PROBLEM it's causing to so many residents here is so SERIOUS. So many suffer from breathing or cough related illnesses! We have been IGNORED for TOO long! It's time the pollution was taken seriously and a PROPER SOLUTION is found and used immediately!!!! I am really thinking about moving away from Storrington because of the pollution (which apparently is WORSE than LONDON!) A lot of residents here feel the same! SOMETHING has to be done ASAP! Horsham council are dragging their feet over this SERIOUS issue! Extremely annoyed resident Jean Dear Editor Thankyou for raising the vexed problem traffic pollution in Storrington, it has certainly resonated with your readers. It does not surprise me that the Parish Council turned down the chance to declare its recognition of the climate emergency. Neither air pollution or traffic management seems to be a priority with our representative body. Reports from the HDC shows a whole range of issues have been discussed and evaluated. The three small initiatives that you mention in your October article have been a long time in coming, but reading the reports the problems of making any changes which impact on the problems are really very difficult. On your particular issue of parked cars with engine running, this can and has been tackled in London (and probably else where) by the introduction of byelaws. This of course leads to enforcement problems,

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but large cities usually do have resources that are far greater than rural counties. I think however that legislation should be attempted. Weight restrictions at Houghton bridge seem popular, but the bridge seems too well built for the possibility of closing it to HGV's. One idea that has not been aired is the installation of a pavement for pedestrians. This would leave a single carriageway which would have to be regulated by traffic lights. This would throttle down traffic as well as giving much needed safety to pedestrians. It could well be a deterrent to lorry routes. One further idea which needs to be aired is the introduction of a 20 mph speed limit in central Storrington. This has been looked at without much enthusiasm before and can be construed as possibly making pollution worse. However, I think the speed limit would go a long way to making pedestrians feel much safer and if other measures, such as synchronisation of the traffic lights, smooths traffic flows, it would be a win win situation and another deterrent to rat runners avoiding Arundel traffic jams. May the debate continue. Graham Nicholson Dear Editor I have just read the article in October's 'Sussex Local' with interest. As you may be aware, bus routes and run times are very limited from Storrington; I think far more people would go by bus, to work particularly, if there were more route options and more frequent

runs. (The buses that do run at the moment from Storrington are often almost empty and are old, diesel powered, inefficient, not very pleasant vehicles to ride in, as you know.) Maybe the bus companies should start investing in smaller buses, run on electricity, and covering a wider variety of routes, if pollution is to decrease in this area of West Sussex? (Smaller, electric buses would be beneficial in so many ways, in a rural area such as this.) I was pleased to hear that some bypasses are still being planned in Sussex, but my heart sank when the article talked in terms of 'by 2022' for one of them - that's much too far into the future! We need these changes to roads, buses and cars now. (And not just in Sussex, but nationally, with the most polluted areas worked on first, of course.) Rosie Ballantyne-Smith Email your views to us at: info@sussexlocal.net

52 Storrington Air Quality

Storrington Parish Council Anna Worthington-Leese, who is chair of both the Parish Council and the Air Quality Steering Group (of which she has been a member since its inception in 2010) writes: “At the Parish Council meeting of 27 November, it was agreed that in order to try to address the urgent and important issues of air quality in the heart of Storrington and play a part in addressing climate change issues, the Council would focus on each of them individually at every Infrastructure, Communication and Environment meeting. The decisions and recommendations of that committee will then go to every full council meeting. Air Quality The current (HDC) Air Quality Management Area Steering Group (AQSG) is made up of representatives from West Sussex County Council, Horsham District Council (HDC) and Storrington & Sullington Parish Council and is unrelated to the Parish Council groups. This group provides an oversight of air quality issues and actions and is provided with continuous measurements of air quality from the measuring stations located around the village. These show that there is now only one area of concern, the junction of Manleys Hill and School Hill, where levels continue to exceed the recommendation. Richard Evea has already asked that we revisit each of the 25 reviews and proposals considered by the HDC Steering Group and where appropriate carry out further research and apply pressure as necessary. A starting point has been to follow up the request from the HDC Steering Group that WSCC take action to reduce the emissions from their school buses. An initial response has been received and a follow up meeting has been arranged with Paul Marshall, who now leads the County Council. This is an area where some progress can and must be made if we are serious about protecting the health and well-being of our community. We will also suggest that community infrastructure levy monies be allocated to provide charging points on parish land to encourage more electric cars. Small steps but a start. Reading through the list of reviews and actions taken by the AQMA Steering Group, it has to be said that the assertion that councillors do nothing while Storrington chokes is untrue and based on a lack of knowledge. The results have been modest but tangible and more needs to be done but the Parish Council is not the enemy. There is no magic solution to this The Councils respond

issue and we are all part of the problem, but we are working to make improvements.” Editor’s note. We got in touch to ask Mrs WorthingtonLeese to evidence the claim that there was only now a problem at Manleys Hill, together with her comments on points we raised last month: 1) Was the AQSG going to formalise and minute its meetings from now so the public may be aware of its workings and decisions? 2) Given the potential for two measures to solve the pollution issue completely (as indicated by the original consultant Ricardo in their 2012 report) a) What was the barrier to trialling a gating system? b) Why could the Low Emission Zone not be trialled now that the mobile phone signal had been improved? This is the response we received from her office: “Anna is the current Chair of the Air Quality Steering Group but the meetings are organised and managed by HDC Officers. As your questions are related to content and format of these meetings she has suggested that you contact the Principal Environmental Officer (Mark Rankin) for a response or comment.”

Annual comparison of NO2 levels. Full size version on p72 of the report at www.horsham.gov.uk/environmental-health/air-quality

Horsham District Council We asked the same questions of Mr Rankin, who replied: “The steps and measures introduced through the AQAP plus improvements in the fleet have resulted in significant improvements to AQ in Storrington. Pollution levels have reduced year on year and currently there is now only one point of exceedance in the annual average mean for NO2 (Nitrogen Dioxide) in Storrington at the junction of School Hill and Manleys Hill. This information was published in our Annual Status Report which is available on the HDC Website. The recent introduction of the parking and loading ban in the High St and the lorry restrictions to School Hill are anticipated to bring further improvements in air quality.

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These schemes will be monitored and evaluated over the next 12 months at which point further options and/or interventions may be considered.” We asked for evidence to back up the claim about improvement, and, this time via the press office, we were simply referred back to Mr Rankin’s previous answer, and directed to the 2019 Air Quality Status Report on the HDC website. This is a weighty 115 page document, with lots of hefty tables and graphs which are pretty hard to fathom. We do not have infinite resources to trawl through everything in fine detail, but it summarises the measures taken by the Steering Group to date - both of which were put into place only in 2019: • Prohibiting lorries turning from Manleys Hill into School Hill • Peak time restriction on loading/unloading in the High Street The report credits each of these measures with reducing emissions by 1%. In fact the AQSG review of traffic proposals in 2017 only estimated the anticipated improvement as “unknown but expected low”. So two measures implemented after ten years by an ad hoc, un-minuted committee which refuses to disclose the names of its members. In contrast, out of the remaining 16 measures highlighted in the 2017 report, only 3 are assessed as having a “medium-high” anticipated benefit to air quality -

• the gating option • the Low Emission Zone (LEZ) • a total ban on HGVs. Clearly the latter is fraught with difficulty, but are the first two not even worthy of a reply from the council? As for the claims that pollution levels have reduced year on year, the graph from the 2019 report which compares NO2 emissions in Storrington doesn’t quite tell that story (see previous page). Out of 15 monitoring points, 5 were higher in 2018 than 2017; and all bar one show higher levels than years prior to 2017. Apart from Manleys Hill (which is above the acceptable limit of 40μg/m3) two are close to the acceptable threshold, being above 35μg/m3). The graph is on Page 72 of the report which can be found at www.horsham.gov.uk/environmental-health/air-quality. We do not profess to be experts, but are still taking some criticism from those who are supposed to be for our “lack of knowledge”. Maybe that deficiency could be ameliorated if those same officials made the information they hold clearer and made their meetings open to the public with full accountability. If you would like to make your feelings known, the relevant email addresses are: Ray Dawe, Leader, Horsham District Council: ray.dawe@horsham.gov.uk Anna Worthington-Leese, Chair Storrington PC & Air Quality Steering Group: clerk@storrington-pc.gov.uk Please email us your views at: info@sussexlocal.net

54 Finance

Four steps to appointing the right Independent Financial Adviser (IFA)

By Ivan Lyons, Chartered Financial Planner As you may recall, within an earlier edition of Sussex Local, I outlined ‘What is an Independent Financial Adviser?’ If you haven’t worked with a financial adviser before, it can be difficult to know what to expect. We’ve broken the appointment process down into four initial steps –an Introductory Meeting, a Fact Find, Analysis & Recommendation, and Implementation & Review. Following this four step plan will help you to get the best out of your IFA. 1. The Introduction Your chosen financial adviser will usually begin by spending around 30-60 minutes with you to understand what you are looking for, and explain how their services could help you. At Investment Solutions we offer this service at no obligation or cost. As well as giving you an introduction to their fees and services, it gives you the opportunity to check you’ve found an individual you trust and can get on well with. It’s worth remembering that a good financial adviser is likely to be somebody that you develop an on-going relationship with as you are likely to need their advice at various stages throughout your life. The IFA should make clear how they charge, and provide you with a client agreement document summarising their fees and services. This document should also explain the maximum amount payable under the Financial Services Compensation Scheme should you in future have cause to dispute the advice you receive. It is important that you understand in which product areas they are fully independent and in which they may be tied to particular product providers. If you are happy with what you have heard, then you should agree to be advised by the IFA and begin the “Fact Find” 2. The Fact Find Your IFA will spend around an hour with you, gathering a full picture of your: - Current finances –savings, investments, loans, property and income - Future goals –personal and career - Family situation - Attitude to risk and any other investment preferences you may have This information allows your IFA to build a full picture of your needs across the short, medium and long term. Your IFA will provide you with a written sum

mary of your discussion. You should read this carefully and ensure its accuracy as it will form the basis of the IFA’s recommendation. 3. Analysis and Recommendation Your IFA will discuss with you a full financial plan tailored to your specific needs and goals. This will give consideration to: - How your wealth is organised. Should you be saving more, paying down your mortgage faster, moving savings into investments or pensions and/or increasing the amount of protection you have? - How well diversified your investment portfolio is across different asset classes? - Should you be taking on more or less risk to achieve the growth or income required to achieve your goals? - Are you making full use of available tax shields and allowances such as pensions, ISAs, Capital Gains Tax allowance and salary sacrifice? You should understand how the IFA’s recommendation is aligned with your goals and the level of risk associated with the plan. Once you have discussed and agreed a plan, your IFA will again summarise their recommendations and reasons for it in writing. 4. Implementation and Review Your IFA can take care of all product applications for you. You should agree with your IFA a time to review your portfolio. A reputable firm will conduct ongoing reviews on a regular basis in exchange for an annual adviser charge. And Finally: We are here to help! Investment Solutions, Grafton House, 26 Grafton Road, Worthing, BN11 1QT. Telephone 01903 214640 email Ivan at: ilyons@graftonhouse.net or visit www.investment-solutions.co.uk ‘Investment Solutions’ is the trading name of Investment Solutions Wealth Management Ltd who are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

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