Issue No. 10 June 2009 YOUR PARISH COUNCIL There are 9 Members of the Parish Council: Alison Sanderson (Chairman), LOXWOOD Charlie Whitmarsh (Vice-Chairman), Elizabeth Dugdale, Mirus Kuszel, Sarah Lane, Sacha Pawley, Scott Taylor, Howard Thomas and David Parish Council Townsend. ~ Newsletter ~ The Parish Clerk is Jenny Hartley. 88, Rusper Road, Horsham RH12 4BN, e-mail: [email protected] If you wish to contact the Parish Council, please address all correspondence, whether letter or e-mail, to the Parish Clerk. ANNUAL PARISH MEETING Parish Council minutes and agendas are available from the Clerk, prefera- As well as local residents, the meeting was attended by Chichester bly by e-mail, or on the Loxwood village website: www.loxwood.org District Councillors John Andrews and Brian Hooton, and West Sussex OTHER USEFUL CONTACTS County Councillor Chris Duncton, all of whom addressed the meeting following the Chairman and Parish Councillors‘ briefings. Chichester District Council: East Pallant House, 1 East Pallant, Chichester, PO19 1TY. Tel: 01243 785166. Website: www.chichester.gov.uk There were static displays arranged by The Loxwood Society, The North Hall Management Committee, and the Wey and Arun Canal Trust. An West Sussex County Council: County Hall, West Street, Chichester, PO19 1RQ. Tel: 01243 777100. Website: www.westsussex.gov.uk officer from Chichester District Council attended, with useful information 24-hour information line: 0845 758 1232. on how to make your home greener and a supply of low energy light bulbs to take away. Countryside services, footpaths, bridleways: 01243 777620. Highways repairs and maintenance, pavements, grass cutting: The Chairman of the Parish Council welcomed everyone and thanked 01243 642105. them for taking the time to attend the meeting. The minutes of Annual Parish Meeting for 2008 were verified and signed. The Chairman re- Police: emergencies: 999, non-emergencies: 0845 60 70 999. minded attendees that the purpose of the Annual Parish Meeting was to Crimestoppers: 0800 555 111. report back on the activities of the Parish Council throughout the last Newsletter articles: any local clubs or societies who would like to publicise year, and to touch on initiatives already planned for the next. For that their activities, or individuals wishing to submit articles for the Newsletter reason it was much more of a briefing session than one of open discus- should contact the Parish Clerk:: [email protected]. We reserve the sion or debate, and that if anyone wanted to raise a new matter, then right to edit material, and we cannot accept the correct forum was regular Council meetings usually held on the first political material. Monday of the month. The agendas for these meetings were posted on Advertising: any busi- nesses wishing to adver- the PC notice board by the Post Office. tise in the Newsletter should contact the Parish Clerk by Email. The Chairman informed the meeting that the land at Willets Way/Station 16 1 Road was finally in the possession of the Parish Council, and arrange- PURPLEHall Hurst BUSFarm: The Chairman informed the meeting that she had ments were in hand to clear the site and to check over the trees, all of been in contact with Bewley Homes and had received assurances which have TPO‘s. Thethat allPurple recommended Bus is actionsbest haddescribed been carried as aout youthwith regard club on wheels! to ‗Bat Welfare‘ before work had commenced on demol- Staffed by the West Sussex Youth Service and owned by a charitable trust, the The Council had as usual considered a number of planning applications Busishing trundles the barns. around Groundwork West Sussex was visiting expected small ruralto start towns and villages that have including that of Dunsfold Park, which although it was outside the juris- earlylittle in Mayor with noan estimated other 12 monthfacilities build pro- for teenagers. diction of the Parish Council, was felt would have a great impact upon the gramme. They intend to build out the whole site in one village. For this reason the decision had been taken to oppose the devel- go, not just the affordable units Onas was the atPurple one timeBus thoughtwe use toloads be theof toolscase. andThe resources to have fun and look at issues that opment. affordable units will be owned andaffect administered young people by theaged Downland 13-19. We Housing have lap-As- sociation. tops, digital cameras, music, quizzes, games, art, The Chairman talked about the controversial new parapets over the ca- The Parish Council will continueand to information monitor activities leaflets toto nameensure but that a few! Bewley nal. A sub-committee of the Parish Council, which includes two members Homes fulfil all their legal site requirements. We are at North Hall, Loxwood every Tuesday of the Loxwood Society, is working with WACT to try to come to a mutual evening from 7pm – 9pm for the rest of this term. agreement as to how to improve the appearance of the parapets and Allotments: Loxwood has 5 allotments, handled by Hyde Martlett. These are in- associated side barriers, whilst still fulfilling the health and safety require- Ifdividual you‘re interestedplots located in finding behind out the more Lakers check Lea outproperties http://thepurplebus.org.uk/ and one in Nicholsfield. or ments. She reminded the meeting that this was not a clear cut situation, http://www.bebo.com/ThePurpleBusAnyone wishing to apply for an allotment will need to contact Hyde Martlett and negotiations were still under way. directly and join the waiting list. NORTH HALL BOOKINGS North Hall continues to be actively supported by the PC, although man- IfThe you Chairman would like thanked to make all a bookingParish, District you can and either County call CatherineCouncillors on for 751617 their help or aged by a separate committee, which is working hard on planning the sendthroughout an email the to [email protected] year, and reminded the audience . of The the calendar importance is pub- of peo- renovations as well as updating the booking and access arrangements. lishedple putting on our themselves website at forward www.loxwoodvillage.org.uk/calendar.htm when vacancies occurred on the PC. should you want to check when the hall is available before making your booking. Elizabeth Dugdale, the PC rep on the management committee informed the meeting of the plans for renovation and announced that the Youth Sarah Lane, the Councillor responsible for overseeing finances, gave a report on Services ‗Purple Bus‘ would be visiting North Hall weekly throughout the the current situation. summer. District Cllr Andrews spoke about Government efficiency targets, and said that Charlie Whitmarsh spoke about the PCs ongoing attempts to get the despite being limitedA by DATE the government, FOR YOUR CDC has DIARYsound plans to cope with the roads around Loxwood improved. He explained that the work on Station st reduced funding. He talked about the increased targeting of speeding motorists Road was scheduled to begin on the 1 June, and would involve the road 'Loxwood Beer and Music Festival 2009' by the Police, and announced that people should contact him if they wish to being closed temporarily. The work would cost around £120,000. The PC 20th June at North Hall, Guildford Road, Loxwood become part of a network seeking to get speeds controlled. is also continuing to seek ways of reducing the speeding through the vil- From 12 noon until 11pm lage, although a number of the schemes that were being researched had Visit: www.loxwoodbberfestival.com for all info. County Cllr Duncton reiterated the comments by Parish Cllr Whitmarsh, telling not proved successful in the villages which had imposed them. All money raised goes to Loxwood Pre-School the meeting that the planned road renovations in Station Road were one of In the absence of Mirus Kuzel, PC Police Rep. the Chairman reported on only three planned for the county, due to low funding. He then talked about the improved relationship the PC had achieved with the local Police, who the improvements to the recycling facilities with the opening of the Ford Recy- were now carrying out far more frequent tours of Loxwood. cling Plant. 2 15 NORTH HALL Hall Hurst Farm: The Chairman informed the meeting that she had been in contact with Bewley Homes and had received assurances REFURBISHMENT that all recommended actions had been carried out with regard to ‗Bat Welfare‘ before work had commenced on demol- The North Hall Management Committee have commissioned the local award ishing the barns. Groundwork was expected to start winning architect Valerie Hinde, based in Petworth, to design the work. Valerie has handled many community projects including youth centres, church and early in May with an estimated 12 month build pro- school extensions, outpatients‘ clinics, a new café at Chapel Royal Brighton and gramme. They intend to build out the whole site in one the Amberley tea rooms. Several of the projects have involved Grade I or Grade II go, not just the affordable units as was at one time thought to be the case. The listed buildings. affordable units will be owned and administered by the Downland Housing As- Several open days were held recently where the plans were on display and visi- sociation. tors had an opportunity to ask questions and offer suggestions. There was an The Parish Council will continue to monitor activities to ensure that Bewley excellent turn out and some valuable suggestions have been added to the pot. Homes fulfil all their legal site requirements. To be eligible for funding it is vital that we show the village wants the hall refur- bished – if you were unable to attend either of our recent open days but would Allotments: Loxwood has 5 allotments, handled by Hyde Martlett.