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Sunday July 26th 3pm |
Maybush Copse
Celebration Party
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Queries? Stephen Johnson tel 572059 |
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Everyone is welcome. Bring something to eat and drink, wear stout shoes and beware nettles, teazles etc. Children are particularly welcome, but need to be accompanied by a responsible adult. There aren't any parking facilities so please walk or come by bike. |
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also Monday July 27th 7.30pm at St Wilfrid's Church Hall, Broad Road - Meeting to form a Residents' Management Group - please come along. Your support is vital. |
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Monday July 27th 7.30pm |
Meeting to form a Residents' Management Group
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St Wilfrid's Church Hall, Broad Road, Hambrook |
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The Residents' Management Group will need your support - Site layout to be determined, Funds to be raised, Grants to be pursued, Work Parties to be raised - every aspect of the management of the site. We need you! |
Queries? Stephen Johnson tel 572059 |
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also Sunday July 26th 3pm Maybush Copse Celebration Party - All welcome |
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July 2nd, 2009 |
Maybush Copse Land: Community backed bid - Success!
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A year after its initial bid, the Chichester Harbour Trust has successfully completed the purchase of Maybush Copse. The 8-acre site needs some work done on it so that it can be opened for enjoyment by the local community as an area of woodland and open space. |
This would not have been possible without the Chichester Harbour Trust and the Chichester Harbour Conservancy. More importantly, without your help, encouragement and determination we would not have had a project at all. I am told 180 people made donations to help buy this land (in addition to Southbourne, and Chidham & Hambrook Parish Councils and various local organisations). Clearly your generosity was as solid as your enthusiasm. |
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Maybush Copse viewed from the south |
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| Cot Lane Land (Maybush Copse): News update Mar 5th, 2009 | ||
| Our plans to purchase the site in Cot Lane are going ahead. Solicitors have been instructed and we will complete the purchase ......if we can raise the necessary funds. Lots of cheques have been coming in, well over 100 people have made donations so far, and the response has been wonderful despite the time that has elapsed since the initial tender bid, and the change in the economic climate. If you very kindly offered to contribute to this project but haven't written out the cheque, please could you do it now? We need the funds in order to complete the transaction. So far we have collected about 85% of the necessary funds, but we will need more new donations to reach the target. If you have been watching the progress of this campaign and feel you would now like to make a contribution we would be very grateful. We need some generous people to step in and make success a certainty. You can send cheques by post to The Chichester Harbour Trust PO Box 327 CHICHESTER PO19 1ZN Gift Aid Form (download the form as a Pdf file) If you are a UK taxpayer, please print and complete the Gift Aid form, and send it with your cheque. That enables the Chichester Harbour Trust, as a charity, to claim an additional 28% of your donation from the Government. Please also spread the word around. If you know anyone who might be able to help, or would like more information about the plans to buy the land, please let me know. My telephone number is 572059 If you have a comment or any news, or would like the latest news by e mail, please let me know. Stephen Johnson |
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| Cot Lane Land (Maybush Copse): Good news update Feb 2009 see also background and history Things are at last moving, and the news is good. Now we have to fulfil our pledges. Already two thirds of you have done so! For the other third - it's time to do get out the cheque book. And if you are new to this, it's not too late. You can join with the community and send in your cheque. The Vendor is prepared to sell the land to the Trust, and the Trustees and Harbour Conservancy have agreed that they are committed to the purchase and would like to proceed subject to the funds being available. Thus a deal has been agreed in principle. Since our bid is higher than the sums we have been promised, we have an amount, but not huge amount, to raise in addition to the current pledged sums. I am, and I hope you are, determined not to let this opportunity slip. It will make such a difference to the community and to the local area as a place to live. Please help, if you can, by increasing the amount you can give. If you haven't yet made a pledge, you can email the Chichester Harbour Trust. If you want to speak to the Chichester Harbour Trust, their telephone number is (01243) 777632 Why not just write out a cheque and send it in? |
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Feb 2009 - - Cot Lane Land 'Maybush Copse' in the snow |
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| Cot Lane Land (better) news update Jan 2009 see also background and history There has not been much hard news to report until recently as regards the sale of the land in Cot Lane (the land that we would like to buy for the community through the Chichester Harbour Trust). However there are now serious doubts as to whether the sale to the unknown prospective purchaser will go through. If this bidder drops out, or attempts to renegotiate the deal, our chances of buying the land will be very much improved. I don't want to raise false hopes, but be aware that our bid is not dead, rather it's been hibernating, and hopefully will soon be waking up, having a good stretch, sniffing the air and thinking about breakfast. Yes, you can take a metaphor too far, but I hope you know what I mean. If you have a comment or any news, or would like the latest news by e mail, please let me know. Stephen Johnson |
| Thur Sept 4th 2008: (Not good) News from the Chichester Harbour Trust Our final offer was substantially out-bid by at least two others. The larger of these bids has fallen through. The vendors are therefore proceeding with the second bid. They appear to be confident that the sale will complete. Our intention is to leave our offer "on the table" for the time being in case the sale also falls through. If you have pledged funds towards this acquisition please hold fire for the time being. However if you wish to withdraw, please inform the Harbour Trust without delay. If anyone has information about the successful bidder, or any comments, please let me know |
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Cot Lane Land for Sale: 8 acres of land, for sale by informal tender on June 26 2008
Residents have joined with the Chichester Harbour Trust (a registered charity) and the Chichester Harbour Conservancy to try to buy this land for the benefit of the environment and the community. The Chichester Harbour Trust is interested, given public support, to buy the land and manage it for conservation and the community. The land would be protected from building. Some ideas that could be explored are that the land could combine woodland with paths, more open habitat, (a pond? - possibly) a large open space, with public access for walking, informal recreation on the open space, and occasional community events. For use by everybody, and definitely young people. |
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Reasons to purchase could be community enhancement, defence against full development, (not immediately likely) or unauthorised development.
Clearly the land would need some attention - see photos |
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We have shown there is community support. (If you came to the Public Meeting, or have talked to your neighbours, you will know that there is.) We have to raise the money. We have to reach a conscensus on the use of the land, both the way it is planted and landscaped, and we have to show we can manage it for the long term. Most of all we have to win the Tender (original closing date June 26th 2008!) |
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Want to know more? - e mail me or phone Stephen Johnson for a chat on 572059 |
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The entrance from Cot Lane |
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in need of some improvement |
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looking north from Cot Lane |
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somewhat overgrown in places |
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a glimpse of the interior |
Looking south from the junction with Maybush Avenue |
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On Sunday (June 8th), a group of prospective purchasers gathered together very much at the last moment and went to the site for a mass viewing. The sun shone, the sky was blue, we clambered over the gate, ..... and the teazles.....teased, and the stinging nettles ...... stung, but it didn't deter us. Hopefully you are not deterred either. |
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St Wilfrid's Hall was packed (est 115 people) and the meeting was lively and enthusiastic |
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Stephen Johnson chaired the meeting |
Chris Bulbeck, Chairman Southbourne Parish Council |
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James Davis (for the Chichester Harbour Trust) and Alison Fowler (AONB Manager, Chichester Harbour Conservancy) |
Myles Cullen, Leader of the Chichester District Council and Mark Dunn, Chairman of that West Sussex County Council |
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