Blog

Further site investigation works required to support the design for the A2300 improvement scheme are scheduled to commence today. The works are expected to take six to eight weeks to complete.

The investigations are to support proposals to upgrade the A2300 corridor and are being undertaken on behalf of the County Council by the contractor Jackson Civil Engineering Limited.

The work will involve various investigations, for instance to identify the pavement and drainage network conditions. There will also be some vegetation and tree clearance to expose the extent of the highway boundaries. Most of this work is within the area scheduled for works and none of the trees are subject to tree preservation orders. An ecologist will be supervising the clearance work.

To minimise disruption to road users, the works will take place during off-peak hours from 9:30am to 3:30pm and will require the use of temporary traffic lights, junction closure and lane closure where necessary. To ensure the safety of the workforce, the speed limit for the A2300 will also be reduced to 40mph for the duration of the works. There will be some night works at the western end of the A2300 (drainage CCTV investigation and gully clearance) to enable works where day time traffic management is not feasible i.e. due to the proximity of the Hickstead Services roundabout.

The off road work will take place during daytime and this will not require the use of temporary traffic management measures.

The contractor has advised that any noise generated by the work should not be an issue, and the Environmental Health of Mid Sussex District Council have been made aware.

Shermanbury’s biennial Beating the Bounds takes place on Rogation Sunday which this year is 26th May, starting at St Giles church at 2.00pm. It is a popular event made more so because of the fabulous cakes and teas prepared and served by the Friends of St Giles. Last time we also enjoyed freshly prepared vegetarian ‘Indian Street Food’, which will on offer again this year. It’ll be half term so we hope Mums and Dads will bring their children because face painting will be available for children of all ages!

This year is Horsham’s Year of Culture and heritage is the theme so the ancient tradition of Beating the Bounds, which goes back to Anglo-Saxon times, held in the honour of Terminus, the god of landmarks, is a very appropriate reminder of the heritage of the parish. It was traditionally carried out so that inhabitants knew the extent of their parish before maps were invented. The locals, led by the vicar walk the boundary of their parish checking that boundary stones or markers were in the right place and ensuring the that knowledge of the boundary was passed on from generation to generation. During the procession, the boundary markers were beaten with sticks and it is believed the youngsters of the parish were taught where the boundaries were by being held upside down with their heads in contact with the boundary markers to ensure they remembered where they are. It was a way of strengthening the community and gives it a sense of place something the people of Shermanbury said was important to them during the neighbourhood planning process a couple of years ago.

The aim of the current revival, which is led by the Rector of St Giles, is to increase this sense of community cohesion between the two parts of the parish, Shermanbury and Wineham, and the wider community so in this year of culture our neighbouring parishes are being invited to join us to learn a bit about the heritage of the area.

Rather than walk the entire boundary, more than 12 miles, we will amble along the historic bridleway, known as The Grove, between the church at St Giles, just off the A281, where there will be car parking, and the lovely chapel and its garden on Frylands Lane in Wineham. It’s a family friendly ‘there and back’ route of about a mile, but for those who prefer to walk one way only there will be transport available for the journey back to St Giles for refreshments. The Grade II* Saxon St Giles church will be open on the day so the delights of that can be enjoyed as well.

Join us for a relaxing amble with views of the river Adur and enjoy the heritage and delights on your doorstep. Put the date in your diary. Bring the family and your dog and your own stick!

Bolney Horticultural Society Plant Sale and Coffee Morning at The Rawson Hall, Bolney

10 am to 12 Noon Saturday 11 May 2019. Come along and buy our excellent bedding plants, shrubs and

catch up with friends over a cup of tea or coffee. You can also enjoy supporting Bolney School who will

be selling plants to help with their Gardening Club.

Many thanks to all those who came along and used the mobile waste facility at the Rawson Hall on Sunday. It was a very successful event and will ensure that the Parish Council can continue to fund it in future years.

JEREMYS LANE, COLWOOD LANE AND SPRONKETTS LANE

The use of Jeremys Lane, Bolney from the junction with Colwood Lane to the junction with Brighton Road/London Road and Colwood Lane, from the junction with Cross Colwood Lane to the junction with Jeremys Lane is temporarily prohibited from 30/04/19 at 08:00 until 01/05/19 at 18:00.

The use of Spronketts Lane, Bolney from junction with A272 Cowfold Road to the junction with Long House Lane is temporarily prohibited from 30/04/19 at 08:00 until 01/05/19 at 18:00

Restrictions only in place day-time between 08:00 – 18:00. This is for carriageway surface dressing. Emergency vehicle, residential and pedestrian access will be maintained at all times

Any queries about the effect of the closure on traffic using the highway please contact West Sussex County Council on 01243 642105

Any queries about the works please contact Balfour Beatty – 01243 642105

Healthwatch East Sussex, along with the Healthwatch in West Sussex, Brighton and Surrey are launching a series of activities to encourage people to have their say about the future of the NHS in our area.

Healthwatch is the independent health and care champion. Through ‘What would you do?’ they will seek to reach as many people, groups, and communities as possible to get feedback on how local NHS services should change.

The Government is investing £20 billion a year in the NHS as part of the NHS Long Term Plan.

Local organisations have now been asked to work together, to develop their own plans, which will set out how the national plan will work across local areas.

The public are being asked for their views about how health and care services could be improved. They will also be asked to share their ideas on how people can live healthier lives and what improvements they think could be made to help people access services quickly.

For more information and to complete the survey visit: www.healthwatch.co.uk/what-would-you-do

The deadline for completion of the survey is 30^th April 2019.

A community initiative is currently under way to obtain fast broadband for Bolney, Hickstead and the surrounding areas. Such efforts are supported and subsidised by the government, with the aim of providing unlimited broadband for speeds up to 100 MBPS. The scheme is only possible if there is sufficient interest; the more users who become involved, the cheaper it will become. The community group is currently in discussion with YONET Telecom which offers access to the scheme. Any residents and businesses interested in higher speeds can register their interest on the YONET website, via the following link:https://www.yonet-telecom.com/ultrafast-community-broadband
The Parish Council supports this initiative, while awaiting the outcome of the project led by Mid Sussex District Council to install a fast broadband “spine”.

Footpath 19Bo from the church to the roundabout on the old London Road will be closed for 21 days from 8th April. Further details can be found in the link below.