Meetings |
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| Parish Council meetings are normally held in Chidham Village Hall at 7.30p.m. on the first Thursday of each month |
| CHIDHAM PARISH COUNCIL - December meeting headlines- |
| The December news letter will be delayed pending the outcome of the Big Lottery funding application for the new village centre due this month. Thanks were minuted to the retiring vice chairman Robin Yeld for all the hard work he has put in over the years. Robin will continue as an advisor when available on drainage matters. A new Parish councillor is to be sought along with advertising for tree wardens. A £2000 grant was approved for the village hall committee, pending confirmation of a renovation project. This was felt prudent in order to maximise it's possible sale price. This is an increase from previous year, when £800 has been given. Approval was given to a kill your speed signage scheme for Broad Road and Priors Lease Lane , up to £200. Provided Highways approval was given! A tree planting scheme is to be put forward to WSCC for approval in Broad Road . Highway verges are to be show as areas for improved tree planting in the hope this may lead to reduced speeds as the road will appear to be more enclose. Cliff Archer tabled a proposal to change the councils name to that of Chidham and Hambrook Parish Council. Next years projects are to include; Councillor Steve Clark was elected new Vice Chairman |
If you have views about the proposal to change the name of Chidham Parish Council, ** e mail the website and we will make sure they are represented in the Council meeting. ** attend the February 7th Council Meeting and have your say directly. |
| August Parish Council Meeting
Despite the summer holiday season a full complement of all 9 councillors were joined by members of the public for the August Parish Council meeting. Matters Arising Reports by County and District Planning New Village Centre AOB Open Forum |
| ANNUAL PARISH MEETING - Report | 26/4/2007 |
| Following a welcoming glass of wine and a quick rush to spread out more chairs in the packed village hall, Michael Penny, Chairman of the Parish Council opened the 2007 Annual meeting. | |
| The Chairman's report focused on the election of officers and committee members at the next council meeting and noted the vacancy for co option of one councillor. The increased precept of £20,000 was explained, half of which had been allocated for possible use in funding the new village centre feasibility study. Planning applications last year amounted to 59 and the planning committee continue to canvas views from neighbouring properties where possible. A recent police report for the parish indicated improvement in all areas except vehicle crime. |
![]() Cllr Mike Penny |
| The Council continue with its support of the popular children's play area in Broad road via insurances and the issue of Marshalls short term future was assured despite current rumours. The council will continue next year to publish the quarterly magazine and report via the village web site. |
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| Village Centre Councillor Cliff Archer reported on the new village centre feasibility study and shared his vision that in three years time the meeting would be held in a new multi purpose village centre on an enlarged site at St. Wilfrid's in Broad road. Cliff advised the meeting of a BIG Lottery stage one application this week for a total package costing £1.4 million. Target completion date March 2010. |
![]() Cllr Cliff Archer |
| Councillor Robin Yeld introduced Diana Beale to the meeting to give a presentation by the Chidham and Hambrook Sustainability Network. Diana explained the organisation was born out of the village diary contributions to the web site and was now a Low Impact Village Environmental ( L.I.V.E. ) project. The aim, to reduce our carbon footprint and help build a greener, healthier, happier community. Maggie Haynes talked about local food production and initiatives with the school as well as the Ashton Hayes Going Carbon Neutral Project : see the web site for details. | ![]() Diana Beale |
| Councillor Steve Clark brought the meeting up to speed with the ongoing road safety campaign. He thanked Carole Hasket of Broad Road for her endeavours to get a visit from the WSCC SID (speed indicator device). This will be coming to an area near you soon! Bob Reed from Priors Leaze will also be assisting with the commitment leaflets and a poster campaign. County Councillor Mark Dunn noted evidence shows speeding is generally a local issue emphasising the need to continue with the commitment campaign. | ![]() Cllr Steve Clark |
| Steve also reported on the village web site's year. A year of organising, promoting and reporting village events. The site has good visibility in the community and wider a field! The Church and Village pages are particularly well visited. It was suggested this was due to regular turn over of news and the wonderful pictures contributed by the teams involved. E mails sent to the site have resulted in the recent youth football match at Bosham, and the year ahead will feature village cricket and possibly a web cam on the school sports hall over looking the Bosham channel. Steve requested input from the community into a village calendar planned for October this year, to reflect village life, environment, nature and events. | |
| Mrs. Caroline Davis spoke about the launch of FINCH (Friends in Chidham, Nutbourne and Hambrook) in March of this year. She outlined the philosophy of friendship, help and support. All calls to the dedicated help line, 07775 942399, are followed up as soon as possible. People in need have started to use the service including Citizens Advice. | ![]() Caroline Davies |
| District Councillor Miles Cullen commended the parish for it's sense of community and volunteer involvement. He said the main issues at District this year had been St. Richards, Housing (the Local Development Framework) and a push to obtain funding from central government to protect the coast line. Local issues included fly tipping and illegal development ( Newells Lane and Hambrook Holiday Park were given as examples). County Councillor Mark Dunn praised the workings of the parish and applauded the Environmental initiatives coming out of the sustainability Network. Mark reported all studies tend to show speeding is usually shown to be by local people and suggested a link on the web site to report offenders could by a positive step. Question time followed. - David Myers from District promised to look into a green dog mess bin on the Cutt Mill footpath. The Chairman closed the meeting with thanks to the Clerk, Barry Mann, for his invaluable help this year. |
![]() Cllr Myles Cullen ![]() Cllr Mark Dunn |
| Parish Council Meeting report - Jan 2007 |
The January Parish Council Meeting was attended by our District and County Council representatives. The following notes are a brief résumé of the main topics discussed.
Should you like to discuss any item contained please feel free to call any councillor or e mail via the links on this site. |
| Parish Council Meeting report - Oct 2006 |
| The October parish council meeting was attended by District Councillor Miles Cullen, who gave an update on the LDF, and several members of the public. Matters arising from the September meeting included the Clerk reporting back on the content of previous planning applications relating to the Priors Leaze grain silo site, and it was decided to request District to investigate a possible breach with regard to the storage of aggregate. He is also to express concern over increased traffic movements and parishioners concerns about speeding of the heavy goods vehicles. A lengthy discussion, opened up to the public, took place over a recent planning application in Newells Lane. The planning committee are to circulate the application in the coming weeks for comment back to District. The application in full can be viewed and commented upon via links on this site. Correspondence had been received concerning inconsiderate parking adjacent to the school and a number of options are to be investigated. Initially the school are to be copied the letter. Approval was given for the hire of a speed reactive sign for use in Broad Road as a follow up to the 'commitment' campaign. The hope is to gather data on the volume of offenders to test residents perceived concerns with regard to traffic speed and to reinforce the councils arguments to the Highways department for measures to slow traffic in this area. An update was given on the Parish Plan actions ahead of next weeks review meeting. |
Annual Chidham Parish Meeting
| Chairman Mike Penny welcomed a small audience to the Annual Parish Meeting on the 27 th of April, this despite a growing number of parishioners this year attending the monthly council meeting. The opening report by Mr. Penny included a vote of thanks to Cllr. Hoskins, stepping down to concentrate on her school activities, and a plea for applications to the two vacancies to be filled. Representation is particularly short in Hambrook north of the railway line. The Council continues to have representation on many of the parish organisations and attends the quarterly Bournes forum as well as the District Councils annual meeting of parish councils. A number of initiatives from the Parish Plan were commended; Cllr. Gladwin thanked locals who turned out for recent village litter pick, and noted more days will be advertised to registered volunteers and villagers in general. The Web Site team were thanked for their efforts, in particular Stephen Johnson for the time and hard work spent reporting and supporting village organisations. Cllr. James continues to produce the Parish Newsletter, but it was noted more volunteers are required to lighten the load with the quarterly distribution. The £1000 increase in the precept will support expectation brought about by the plan, including assisting in a village centre feasibility study which is now under way. It was reported that the Dell project is now virtually complete. The project for use by the whole community is a valuable asset with a 5 year plan backed by the Harbour Conservancy. Finally the Chairman thanked all who helped make the Railway Fun Day a real community event, at the same time raising over £1000 for village initiatives and organisations. |
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This years guest speaker was Mr.Austin Wade, Rural Housing Enabler, Chichester District Council, responsible for the provision of up to 25 affordable homes per year. |
| Mr. Wade started his presentation by commending councillors on their decision to undertake a housing needs survey in the parish. 23 people, with a local connection, are currently registered with a housing need and the D.C. feel there is mileage in exploring this further. All the parish will be surveyed. The types of accommodation were explained along with the selection criteria to ensure a local connection. Councillors raised concern over the ‘right to buy’ protection to ensure a lasting asset to the area and about raising expectations where demand will almost certainly outstrip supply. Key will be to seek support for a small development as well as identifying a suitable site at the correct price! It was noted that, despite current Government pressure, the parish of Chidham is not required to provide any additional housing at present. |
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Following a break, where guests were encouraged to refresh their glasses, Cllr. Archer presented an update on actions from the Parish Plan published since the last Annual meeting. There is to be a formal review in September, and it was noted earlier in the Chairman’s report that the Chidham Plan is now being used as a model in other areas! The updated Summary of Progress with Implementations is available on the Parish Plan pages of the web site.![]() The meeting was closed by the Chairman with thanks to the councillors for their help and support over the previous year. |
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The January Parish Council Meeting was attended by the new District Council Rural Housing Enabler, Mr. A. Wade.
In response to information sent to his office obtained via the Parish Plan, he advised of the need for increased affordable housing though out the region. In Chidham we currently have 23 registered in need.
- 9 requiring 1 bed accommodation
- 4, 2 bed
- 5, 3 bed
- 1, 4 bed
Should you like to discuss any item contained please feel free to call any councillor or e mail via the links on this site.
Waste Management Consultation - Letter
Chichester Voluntary/Community Sector Forum - Notice
Parish Budget For Year 2006/07
At the January Parish Council meeting Councillors approved a precept of £13,000 for the coming financial year. This is an increase over the current year but the PC decided that it was well justified in view of the parishioners expectations reflected in the Parish Plan.
A major new expenditure was to set aside £1,000 for a feasibility study into the provision of a new village hall. It is intended that the allocation would only be spent by a properly constituted sub-committee, independent from, but approved by, the Parish Council. Volunteers are required for this important project, please contact any parish councillor.
Further funding has been allocated for land drainage, next year our aim is to improve the ditch from the Dell (our new conservation area) out to the harbour. It was decided that there would be no allocation for preservation work at East Head. However should there be an emergency the PC would consider a special one-off grant.
Continuing support will also be given to the village web site and the village directory.
These matters are open for discussion at the Annual General Meeting in the spring: please come.

M.Penny Chairman Chidham Parish Council
January 2006-01-09
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POLICE IN FORCE AT PARISH COUNCIL MEETING
The September meeting of the Parish Council was attended by Inspector Kim Hudson and Community Police Constable Paul Bryant.
P.C. Bryant was introduced, as one half of the P.C.S.O. covering our area, and he sees his roles as,
1 - the visible side of policing (keep an eye out for him on his bike as he moves through the villages)
2 - our 'on the ground' officer dealing with low level crime
3 - a link with the community, via for example the parish council, the web site etc..
4 - the forces eyes and ears in the community
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| Your parish council raised a number of issues with the officers |
Speeding
We are in a low risk area for police speed monitoring
Red are areas where death has occurred
Amber is accident black spots
Green are low risk i.e. Chidham
The onus falls mainly on the community to action speed crime in these areas and the officers endorsed the ‘commitment’ campaign and discussed the ‘speed watch’ programme – we are able to purchase a speed gun and receive training if we feel the need.
Anti-social behaviour
The P.C.S.O. was made aware of your concerns regarding a number of sites and P.C. Bryant will continue to monitor them, however he can respond quicker when a prompt complaint is made via the help line 0845 6070999. A number of orders are currently being placed on motor cycle riders, but continued reporting is required if seizure is to occur as a points system is used.
Level of Policing
We are low on the pecking order.
Crime figures are falling, about 26 last year, mainly domestic, with a high conviction rate and the trend is falling. Parish wardens were discussed, and should the need arise the costs of these can be shared with other councils in the area, but are only of use for non-criminal matters such as visiting the elderly, rubbish tipping etc..
The officers assured the community that we are not being overlooked and that they are aware of our issues. We thank them for their attendance and look forward to a return visit soon.
It is hoped the Police will use the web site to communicate and update the community on a regular basis.
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Brakes applied to speeding campaign
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This campaign aims to:
If you would like to sign up please contact a Parish Councillor and a volunteer will be in touch. |
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Such has been the take up to ‘The Commitment’, West Sussex Road Safety Unit have run out of leaflets!
Whilst awaiting a reprint the team of volunteers are having a well earned rest and taking stock. We have had a great response ‘door stepping’, most of Broad Road has been covered with 50+ responses, and Scant Road West produced 30+ signatures.
We are only halfway down Chidham Lane but already have 40+ forms, Cot Lane and the Main Road are also in progress.
Marshalls have handed back an initial 20 completed forms, and we thank them for their efforts. In the near future Chidham School will be using the campaign as part of their traffic plan.
The success of the campaign depends on you. Making ‘The Commitment’ means that you will try to drive within the speed limit at all times.
This campaign aims to:
- Encourage drivers to make a personal commitment to keep within the speed limit
- raise awareness of the dangers of speeding, not only to drivers and their passengers, but to all road users
- involve the community in speed reduction
- improve the environment of local communities by reducing danger and nuisance to other road users
- make speeding as socially unacceptable as drink driving has become.
If you would like to sign up please contact a Parish Councillor and a volunteer will be in touch, alternatively call Steve Clark on 574129.
Thanks for you support, and for TRYING!
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Reporting Problems
Southern Crimestoppers
If you have any information about crime, please contact CRIMESTOPPERS on 0800 555 111. All calls are treated in the strictest confidence.
Non urgent Police matters- 0845 6070999
Abandoned/unwanted vehicles- 01243 534610
Dog control (strays/mess)-01243 534618
Flooding, Info.line-0645881188
Footpaths -01243777928
Social Services -01243 752999
Childline- 0800 11111
Citizens Advice Bureau -01243 784231
Highways
-Traffic Signal Faults 01489 571422
-Damaged surfaces, uneven or overgrown footpaths/roads 01243 836900
Noise complaints -01243 534601
Pollution -Air, sea water, noise 01243 534601
Pothole repairs -01243 836900
Roads and Pavements -01243 836900
Street Lighting -Faults 0845 7581622










