Eight-year wait for public area could end

The desire for the first recreation area in the parish is being answered by landowner and former racing driver Derek Bell.

Mr Bell has agreed to lease about an acre of his farmland to the parish council to run as a kickabout and games site.

It has been leased on a rota to different farmers to grow various crops. Barfoots of Botley is using the surrounding farmland this year for its booming sweetcorn and squashes business. Other years have seen the land used for grain.

The land is sited behind the village hall and is similar in size to the hall and its car park.

It is hoped the legal agreement for the new use will be completed by May 23 when Mr Bell returns to his Pagham home from his latest globetrotting.

The long-awaited good news was revealed to Tuesday's annual meeting of Pagham's electors by parish council chairman Cllr Ray Radmall.

He said: 'We don't have any public open space at all in the parish. We want somewhere we can direct youngsters to for a kickabout so they don't have to play football in the street.'

Cllr Radmall explained that the hopes for the site began to form when the village hall was being built for its opening in September 1998.

The land on which the hall is sited off Pagham Road was acquired from Mr Bell. 'Derek told us that if the hall was a success he would do a similar sort of deal with us for some recreational land at the back. We have been pegging away at this issue ever since,' stated Cllr Radmall.

Progress was made early this year when Mr Bell agreed to hand over the day-to-day running of a small part of his extensive farming operation around Pagham.

The past two weeks have seen Mr Bell's land agent and solicitor draw up the deal for the parish council to agree. It involves a 500 annual rent.

'The leasing agreement will be for the next five years. Let's hope that can be progressed as time goes by,' Cllr Radmall stated. 'I would have liked the parish council to have bought the land outright but a five-year lease is better than we have got now.'

Mr Bell has also reserved the right to move the public open space to another site if he wants to reclaim occupation of the site he is prepared to lease.

Cllr Radmall said the parish council intended to grass the newly-acquired public open space and plant hedging to make it a more attractive location. A fund of 26,300 has been built up by councillors to finance any changes needed.

But the very dry conditions could put that idea in doubt. The parish council is likely to have to submit planning permission for a change of use of the land for recreation.

Having the extra space will enable the annual Pagham on Parade event '“ on August 11 and 12 '“ to expand from the village hall's car park.