Parish Clerk

28^th September 2023

Dear Ms Holmes,

I write with reference to the meeting arranged by MSDC with Bolney Parish Council on 13^th September 2023. 

Your email to the Parish Council dated 10^th August 2023 to arrange the meeting indicated that the purpose of the meeting was to discuss the points raised in the Parish Council’s representation at the Regulation 18 stage of the draft Plan and the proposed Infrastructure Delivery Plan. 

It is therefore very disappointing that despite the representations made in your email, there was absolutely no discussion at the meeting on 13^th September about the concerns and objections raised by Bolney Parish Council in its response to the Regulation 18 consultation.  Instead, after a brief presentation on housing needs and the Standard Method, the meeting focussed almost entirely on the Infrastructure Delivery Plan and the financial contribution being offered to the Parish by the developer of the Foxhole Farm site. 

The Parish Council is frustrated by the lack of explanation from MSDC as to why Bolney has been identified as a settlement capable of sustainable development and why Site DPH18 Land at Foxhole Farm will be included in the Regulation 19 draft Plan, despite over 250 objections made by residents in the Regulation 18 consultation.  The site has been previously reviewed and assessed for development by MSDC on at least three occasions in recent years and rejected on all three occasions.  The last time was in 2020 in the MSDC Site Allocation Development Plan Document when the site for 190 houses was rejected because it was identified as having ‘notable landscape sensitivity and its open, undeveloped character contributes to the wider rural setting and character of Bolney’.  It is therefore very hard for the Parish Council to comprehend why the site is now deemed suitable for allocation for 200 houses.

Overall, the Parish Council considers there has been a noted lack of communication from MSDC in the entire draft Plan process.  Before your email dated 10^th August inviting the Parish Council to meet, there had been no communication or update from the Council since a virtual meeting with the Parish Council on 7^th December 2022.  It is the opinion of Bolney Parish Council that MSDC’s lack of clarity in the site selection process, the failure to discuss the Parish Council’s concerns about the proposed allocation in the Parish and the general lack of engagement with the Parish Council are breaches of the Council’s own General Principles of Community Engagement and the Community Involvement Plan dated September 2022.

Bolney Parish Council is taking specialist planning advice on its position, but it would very much welcome the opportunity to meet with MSDC and members of the planning team again in the very near future to discuss the Parish Council’s Regulation 18 response and particularly its concerns and objections to Site DPH18.

Yours faithfully,

Mrs D Thomas, Clerk to the Council, on behalf of;

Cllr Nicky Hanley

Chair Bolney Parish Council

Cc:

Cllr Eggleston Leader of the Council

Cllr Bennett Deputy Leader of the Council

Cllr Avery and Cllr Knight

Ms Sally Blomfield Mr Andrew Marsh

Another parish fingerpost has now been completely refurbished and looks very smart! Many thanks once again to Pete Berry of the Bolney Volunteers for his excellent work.

Please note that footpath 28Bo from Bookers Farm will be temporarily closed next week for pipeline installation works. In addition, footpath 23Bo, south of Garstons Farm, is also currently closed due to a broken footbridge. This one is likely to be a more long term closure.

Further details and a map of the locations can be found below.

West Sussex County Council is continuing to improve its’ online reporting process for problems with roads and pavements. They have new online forms available via the following link:

https://www.westsussex.gov.uk/roads-and-travel/make-an-enquiry-or-report-a-problem-with-a-road-or-pavement/
These new forms have enhanced mapping capabilities and are mobile friendly for reporting defects when out and about. They have classified and grouped the types of defect reports previously reported via ‘Love West Sussex’ and created separate landing pages on the website for the following: Flooding, blocked rains and gullies; Road and cycle path faults (including potholes); Pavement and verges; Trees, hedges, weeds and grass and Obstructions on the road, pavement or cycle path. Reports are automatically loaded into the Highways Case Management System (known as ‘Confirm’) and then assigned to the right
team. Customers who historically reported via Love West Sussex are being advised of change in process and redirected to the correct e-form for the issue being reported.
The two reporting systems will be run in parallel for a few months through to Spring 2023 to support transition. Then at a date to be confirmed in the New Year, they will cease to subscribe and will end the
contract with ‘Love West Sussex’.

Reminder: WSCC is not responsible for the management of the following issues which need to be reported to Mid Sussex District Council: parking, fly tipping, litter or street cleaning, non-highway related graffiti and bus shelters.

The PCC has launched a new app which you can read about here;

 SPCC – Launching the Safe Space Sussex app (sussex-pcc.gov.uk)

Police and Crime Commissioner Katy Bourne has launched a new app called ‘Safe Space Sussex’. The app is aimed at helping people should they feel unsafe outside of their home.

It has been developed following detailed consultation with partners and public regarding the safety of women and girls in Sussex.

On first downloading the app, users will be asked to enter their own name and phone number as well as a preferred contact. They will then be directed to a map showing their location and a number of red pins indicating Safe Spaces near them. Tapping on a Safe Space will show opening times and the option to see directions from their current location.

When they arrive at a Safe Space they can identify themselves to staff who will be able to offer them somewhere to wait and offer to call 999, 101 or a contact of their choice. 

If the user wishes to share their location using the app, they can do so using the alert button which will allow them to send a text containing their location (both the address and the what3words) to their named contact. 

Over 250 businesses across the county have already signed up their premises as Safe Spaces and their staff have been offered basic training on what to do if someone comes in asking for help.

Stickers and posters will help to identify locations registered with the scheme as Safe Spaces and posters will also be displayed in staff areas to remind employees about the scheme and what to do if they are approached about it.