Readers' Letters December 2

I READ Lewis Brown’s recent page three article re Selsey buses with interest.

The residents may have a point but so has Stagecoach.

An easy solution to half the bus traffic around this corner would be to direct the buses, once around East Beach to the Seal Road terminus – then for the bus to go straight out of the village along the High Street.

It could even be vice versa, ie straight to Seal Road, along High Street then to the East Beach area and out of the village.

It would mean that there would only be bus stops on one side of the road and that some users would have to bear the journey around the village.

Result? Traffic around Albion Road halved in one fell swoop.

There might be a few variations around this idea but it is the easiest, in my humble opinion.

Eddie Clamp, Grove Road, Selsey

IN ANSWER to Mrs Wisdom’s article (name not nature) she couldn’t have done a very good survey before she bought her house if she didn’t realise the buses went pass it.

The 51 bus service serves almost all of east Selsey and by looking at a street map she would be able to see the number of houses in that area.

I would suspect that she has a car and I am sure that she could have found a property that was not on a bus route.

Nigel Welburn, Merryfield Drive, Selsey

I WRITE in response to your recent newspaper headline regarding the floods.

I live on Fishbourne Road East.

While my property has not been affected by the floods directly, Fishbourne Road East, the road I live on, has.

The stream at the bottom of my garden is ducted under Fishbourne road East via a culvert, but as I have pointed out to Chichester and West Sussex County Council, as well as the Environment Agency on numerous occasions in the form of phone calls, letters and emails, it is the culvert itself that is the problem.

The capacity is simply not great enough to take the volume of water needing to pass through it during periods of heavy rainfall, water therefore backing up as a result, flooding the road and nearby properties.

The culvert creates a bottleneck, and this you will find is the cause of all the floods that have blighted Chichester and surrounding areas over the past two decades – the culverts are not of sufficient capacity to take the volume of water travelling along the rivers and streams when in full flood. Furthermore, I have pointed out that a brick lintel cuts across the culvert on Fishbourne Road East further reducing the capacity.

Also, the water is forced at right angles immediately it enters the culvert.

I pointed out prior to recent roadworks on Fishbourne Road East in the form of speed bumps that this road floods.

In the council’s wisdom, it channelled water back into the stream, upstream of the culvert itself, thus exacerbating the problem.

The council and Environment Agency have been quick to point out that we, as residents backing on to the stream, are reparian owners and as such it is our responsibility to keep the stream and grille that covers the entrance to the culvert free of debris.

I informed the council and the EA that we, as residents, do this on a regular basis as well as paying a gardener to carry out clearing procedures.

They no longer respond to my concerns even though I have supplied them with photographic evidence of the river and road in flood and dimensions of the culvert pipe itself.

I have pointed out that for a small investment they could prevent untold misery to home owners and avoid the chaos, cost and disruption caused by flooding simply by increasing the dimensions of the culvert pipe.

I can’t help but think their reluctance to face the problem is a short-sighted, narrow-minded, cost-cutting exercise rather like our so-called cycleways.

Looks good on paper but have you tried cycling on them?

Vincent Gray, Chichester

A CORRESPONDENT asked who would use the proposed new footbridge over the A27?

Well, lots of us who live in the Whyke Road area and like to walk around the Chichester Lake District, as Richard Williamson calls it, will use the new bridge to get there safely.

At present we have to cross the A27 on foot, or drive, if we wish to walk there.

The new bridge will open up a number of walking possibilities, not only the lakes, but a pleasant path across fields to Hunston to link up with the Chichester Canal.

I see the correspondent lives in Cleveland Road so he, too, could try some of those walks.

Last year an exhibition about the proposed new bridge, held at Kingsham School, was well attended and many people, including disabled people and wheelchair users, welcomed the chance of safely crossing the A27, which now forms a barrier between the south of the city and the countryside.

There are also a number of people who walk down Whyke Road to get to the St Joseph’s Night Refuge in Hunston Road.

They too have to brave crossing the A27 on foot at present.

Maybe those who claim not to see anyone using or needing these bridges , as they drive along the A27, should get out of their cars and try them?

We regularly use the one by the Bognor roundabout at Vinnetrow Road, and nearly always see a cyclist or walker.

Stephanie Carn, Whyke Road, Chichester

THE BYPASS traffic problems continue to exercise us.

Mr Redman realises that his well-thought-out plans will be rather a while in materialising, if ever.

In the meantime may I assure Mr Sitwell of Cleveland Road, that a footbridge over the A27 near Whyke Road will in fact be very much welcomed?

He will remember that St Joseph’s night refuge is reached by crossing the A27 at that junction.

Certainly the road from the bypass to St Joseph’s has been improved to make walking there less suicidal, but that is all.

Then there are the lakes.

Perhaps not all fishermen, and people who walk dogs for their own mental and physical health as well as that of their dogs, use their cars to get there.

And if you live at the south end of Whyke Road, as we do, using a car would hardly be eco-friendly.

If Mr Sitwell, or indeed any other doubter of the need for a footbridge, has ever tried to cross the bypass near the Whyke Road roundabout, he will remember that traffic moves round it extremely fast, and it can be a dangerous experiment.

We do it no more, and have thus lost the use of a very pleasant walking area.

Yes, a footbridge will be expensive – as will all the very necessary improvements to aid traffic flow on to the bypass and in other parts of the city – and we shall have to be patient, but we still need them.

Marion Somerville (Mrs), Whyke Road, Chichester

I WOULD like to say thank you to our wonderful dustbin men.

After the recent high winds knocked over the bins they picked them all up and cleared up the rubbish that had spread out over the car park.

We don’t thank them enough for a job well done.

Iris Chase (Mrs), Conduit Mead, Chichester

YOUR CORRESPONDENTS should be aware that the slaughtering methods employed for both Halal and Kosher meat are substantially the same.

In the case of Kosher meat the sciatic nerve and adjoining blood vessels may not be eaten which means that much of the hindquarter meat slaughtered by this method, has always been sold off as non-Kosher meat.

This means that for years many of us have unwittingly been eating meat from animals that have been ritually slaughtered.

Leslie Devenish, Westbourne, Emsworth

MIGHT I be allowed through your pages to congratulate all the young people who took part in the Remembrance Parade and Service at the Chichester War Memorial?

With all the attractions of the modern world it was most heartening to see so many young people in uniform paying their respects on a typical wintry November day.

A word of appreciation also for the Chichester City band, standing in the background unsheltered in the rain playing to the crowd before the parade arrived and playing the National Anthem after the dedication and most appropriately playing Sussex by the Sea as a finale – the marching song of the Sussex Regiment.

Perhaps next year we can persuade the city council to print the chorus of the song in the programme?

We’re the men from Sussex.

Sussex by the Sea.

We plough and sow, reap and mow.

And useful men are we.

And when you go to Sussex, who ever you may be.

You may tell them all that we stand or fall for Sussex by the Sea.’

Many Sussex men have fallen and it’s their names on the memorial that we remember on Remembrance Day.

Jim Payne, Whyke Lane, Chichester

DURING THE war we were living in Elm Grove , Barnham, and, together with my mother and brother, (I was eight years old) remember seeing air crew bail out of an aircraft, flying slowly but straight and level heading north, over Fontwell and quite low.

We counted five parachutes coming down.

This would have been in the summer of 1944.

My recollection is that the aircraft was a Flying Fortress – we were all very good at aircraft recognition then – I did not know there was a bomber strip at Lavant which would have needed a hard runway for heavy bombers.

I have understood that Liberators were withdrawn from bombing raids because they were deemed too slow and unwieldy.

Was there another occasion in this area when airmen were forced to bail out in similar circumstances?

It is interesting that Mr Green has contacted survivors – that shows how young they must have been.

Are there any survivors of the GIs who were billeted in the Railway Arms and came running as a squad up the road towards Eastergate every morning just before the invasion?

They gave us local children a wonderful party in the room at the back and I had to tell my brother what many of the various dishes were.

He vividly remembers the bunting decoration.

How many of these men survived D-Day?

Now that would be a story.

Brian O’Gorman, Westergate

THERE IS much discussion as to what criticism David Cameron should or should not be making to the Chinese authorities about civil rights.

Whatever the criticism one thing is for sure, he should be praising the Chinese for their action to reduce their population and so help to avert the global population explosion.

We may or may not approve their methods of population restraint but China is the only nation on this planet that is doing anything to avert the crisis.

Whereas we sit back wringing our hands at the unsustainable demands on this earth’s resources caused by the global population explosion which will inevitably lead to disasters.

And we do nothing to avert this crisis.

So, David Cameron, express to the Chinese your respect and admiration for their decision to limit their population and announce your policies to persuade our British people and other nations to curb our populations.

Jake Wright, Stene Street, Halnaker

AS I AM an 86-year-old outpatient at St Richard’s I was surprised to be told that my minor surgery operation would be done at Wothing Hospital and at my request to have at least the pre-op. assessment done in Chichester was refused.

My treatment at Worthing will require several visits – consultant, biopsy, pre-op assessment, operation and follow-up – each requiring two separate minicab journeys at £25-30.

I leave you to work out the math.

Since I am registered severely sight restricted. I was even more surprised to find that there is no NHS transport available between the hospitals.

St Richard’s said it would contribute towards the cost of the train fare and to my ‘free’ bus fare but in my condition public transport is difficult.

I suggested that a return minibus at, say, 8.30am and again at 4.30pm would not break the bank – especially if a small fare/donation was charged but this was dismissed,

I hope when the doctors take over the hospitals, they will address this anomaly.

James Ayling, King George Gardens, Chichester

ATTN: Selsey residents and businesses.

Do you want to see faster broadband in Selsey?

Register your vote on BT’s website www.racetoinfinity.com by December 31 and you could help Selsey become one of the five areas in the UK to receive an early upgrade to superfast broadband (you do not need to be a BT customer!).

To qualify, we need the votes of at least 1,000 Selsey households.

We have about 380 at the present time.

One word of warning – you should consider ticking the opt out box if you do not wish BT to sign you up for email and phone marketing!

J Smith, Clayton Road, Selsey

THE PROPOSAL for the redevelopment of the Roussillon Barracks has been described as an eco-village.

It is probably not.

The layout of an eco development would be different.

The houses would be arranged to capture as much sunshine as possible with windows facing the sun large large and those in shadow small.

The developers admit that the nature of their estate layout precludes all but 40 per cent per cent of the proposed houses ever able to have solar panels.

This is not good in 2011.

Oil and gas prices are rising and will continue to rise.

The supply is finite.

Estimates vary but one source recently posed that a sharp decline might be as soon as 16 years away.

Neither does the layout have the character of a traditional village.

In the developer’s design statement it comments that solar panels are not efficient and do not justify their cost.

This is no longer accurate.

Due to government support, panels are in increasingly wide use.

And surplus energy generated this way by householders can be profitably sold back to the energy companies.

The developer has proposals to make provision for later installation of solar panels but this misunderstands the very way that energy generation and conservation works.

To be efficient, panels have to be an initial part of the house designs including their layout in the estate.

The heat of the sun as factored by modern technology is one of the most promising sources of renewable domestic energy.

Neither are the levels of house insulation to be attained mentioned, which is the first and most important Eco measure to be taken and has to be as near 100 per cent effective as possible.

A district heating system fired by wooden pellets is offered but this is not new technology.

During horizontal distribution around a large estate there have often, in the past, been heat loss problems.

Furthermore, pellets are generally thought better suited to smaller installations.

Such a system needs constant management.

And the suggested common pool of electric cars will require similar management.

Will the developer be prepared to assume such responsibilities for the next 60 years or will it devolve to residents’ committees?

These frequently become a common source of later friction and inefficiency in operation.

Its offer of ACIS panels in every dwelling has been described by one commentator as a gimmick.

Possibly individuals possessing laptops would probably have greater access to more varied information.

The estate layout is of commendably high density to properly to exploit the diminishing land available.

It is, however, rigidly rectangular.

A more relaxed approach might reduce the considerable areas given over to access roads and achieve the village quality sought.

This may appear a trite comment but the offered conjectural view of the estate from the air, is reminiscent of a barracks with a grassed-over parade ground.

Amenity values and privacy may be compromised in such a layout.

No details are offered of house designs or room sizes but from information gleaned from the press the impression is that individual house footprints may be small.

The house-building industry in Britain does not have a high reputation for innovation or quality of design.

Certainly not if compared with the 18th century when Britain produced the best housing and planning the world has ever seen.

It came to be known as Georgian and these, 300 years later, remain the most desirable houses to 
purchase.

Chichester is a remarkable city.

It has a long history and fine medieval and Georgian architecture (and even post-war buildings) set out on a Roman Street plan.

After the last war it was fortunately imaginatively re-planned to meet increased population and traffic.

Is what is now on offer at Roussillon Park good enough in this context, or in the face of the severe energy deprivation expected in the future, nor on the limited evidence available, as a good layout for the disposition of new houses?

There are new developments being constructed in Britain now, by leaders in the house-building industry, designed for the future and the kind of accommodation wanted by the next generation; which is not the same as by the last generation.

The Roussillon developer’s proposal offers its experience gained from building large parts of Poundbury, as being relevant to Chichester.

However, Poundbury is not at the cutting edge of eco technology.

It is an interesting peccadillo in nostalgia, sponsored by the Prince of Wales.

But on inspection, is an ordinary estate of housing, but in a ‘better than average’ layout.

Neither is Poundbury at the very edge of a city of the quality of Chichester.

The best and realistic way forward in any field of endeavour, has never been by trying to reproduce the past.

Evidence of this in architecture, can be seen in a walk round the centre of Chichester, to enjoy the variety of buildings, put up by successive generations starting from about 1100AD.

Each built to meet new needs, aspirations and best technology of its time.

And all of it merging into such a satisfactory whole.

Michael Manser, Chichester

I READ with interest your report on the dramatic rise in visitor numbers to the area and the comments of Councillor Nick Thomas; “We need to make the most of this renewed interest and find ways of keeping tourists coming back year after year.”

So why in the same edition the planned closure of the Tourist Information Centre in South Street is reported and, in recent issues, proposed closure of many of the public conveniences in the area as a cost saving exercise?

There is a high demand for public toilets from visitors and shoppers in the city centre and to propose closure at a time when supposedly visitor numbers are increasing is just crazy.

Just take a few minutes to visit the first floor of M&S in East Street and see the queue to use their loo!

Michael Galvin,West Street, Selsey

IN RESPONSE to recent correspondence regarding the future management of Pagham Harbour, I would like to offer the views of the ‘Friends of Pagham Harbour’, the charity that has supported the Local Nature Reserve for more than 26 years.

We have recognised the county council’s difficulties in funding the reserve for a number of years, and have been asking, to no avail, for greater resources to be spent – especially on education and the Visitor Centre facilities at Sidlesham.

Last November, the county council made it clear that it needed to make substantial financial savings and so had invited the RSPB to consider a possible transfer of the management of the reserve.

A further overall budget cut of 26 per cent over four years has now been announced. Our reserve is in trouble; we need a solution.

We view the RSPB as being, perhaps uniquely, able to provide the support and commitment to sustain Pagham Harbour Local Nature Reserve and its visitors into the future.

We do have concerns over the county council’s handling of the matter. We are alarmed that, 12 months in, council officers have still not prepared a paper their councillors need outlining the options. We are concerned at the steer given by a draft Service Level Agreement.

We have concern for the incumbent Pagham Harbour staff, left worrying about the possible terms of any change. And we are concerned at the significant bill any organisation coming in will face to set right the deficiencies and low standard of facilities. We have confidence in the RSPB and, if a partnership deal between them and WSCC can be negotiated to satisfy concerns, we will give our full support to the new arrangement that will sustain and hopefully enhance the reserve in the years ahead.

Peter Gadd, Chairman of Friends of Pagham Harbour

WE SHOULD all applaud the proposed developments at Graylingwell and on the Roussillon barracks site to the north of Chichester, not least because they are on brownfield sites and more homes are no doubt needed in West Sussex. Building on greenfield land must be resisted at all costs. This it must be guarded and cared for in trust for future generations.

However, the thrombosis on Chichester’s roads seems to worsen day by day.

The congestion on Broyle Road and College Lane, not to mention the other arteries on which life in Chichester depends, will get worse unless something is done about it.

It is time WSCC and CDC took this seriously, as well as the local flooding problems, and came up with solutions rather than procrastination.

Michael and Jacintha Hutton, Chichester

HAVING hurriedly amended its two year out-of-date website information so that everybody can now see the membership of its secretive Regeneration Board Committee, Arun District Council seems to think everything’s fine.

But the committee still meets behind closed doors and publishes no minutes, and none of the public have the slightest knowledge of its ‘recommendations’ nor how and why it arrives at them.

Worse than that, Gillian Brown’s protestations do not change the fact that these recommendations are being made by people who, for the most part, do not represent the town of Bognor Regis at all, and have no right or authority to be making these decisions on our behalf.

Of its eighteen members only six are elected and legitimately represent the public; but only two of those represent the town of Bognor Regis which should, by rights, be having a major say in the matter.

Eleven of the remainder are either persons from major organisations, such as St Modwen who will inevitably be interested in gaining money or some other advantage out of the regeneration process, or tame Arun appointees.

And we also have three Arun appointed groupings who give the appearance of representing the town, but in reality represent practically nobody at all.

None of this is the remotest bit satisfactory and has been described in the town as a ‘sham which no respectable public authority should be involved in’.

To add to this, Mrs Brown has admitted that Arun still has no plan as to how the decisions on the Sainsbury’s £500,000 will be made, making vague mention of the Bognor Regis sub-committee.

However, she omits to mention that only three members of that committee actually represent the town and there is no process at all whereby members of the public may address that committee.

And in the end she admits that the final decision will be made by Councillor Dingemans, who neither lives in nor represents any part of the Bognor Regis area and, furthermore, has been involved in both of the above stages, effectively taking a major part in making recommendations to himself!

None of this lives up to the standards of transparency, democracy and straightforward openness we should expect from Arun District Council, and it is imperative that this is cleaned up straight away.

The Regeneration Board should be re-formed with a combination of properly elected persons from Bognor Regis Public Authorities and the major representative voluntary groups with visible paid membership.

There is no reason why certain businesses should not also be involved, but only in an advisory capacity, and the board must meet in public and publish its minutes.

We believe that the best way of arriving at sensible and unbiased council decisions is by ensuring that the decision-makers are exposed to the rigours of public scrutiny at all times, and it is entirely untenable that anybody should suggest otherwise.

It was interesting, therefore, to see Peter Coles of Brighter Bognor supporting this particular form of secrecy in local government at the recent JWAAC meeting and his associates Stan Jonas and Helen Yeo criticising Simon McDougall in the Observer letters.

This is scarcely surprising, though, for representatives of a shadowy group with no visible membership, no AGM and no elective process.

As individuals they are entitled to their views, but they represent nobody but themselves.

Hugh Coster, Deputy chairman, Bognor Regis Civic Society

LAST WEEK Stan Jonas, chairman, Brighter Bognor, appeared to believe that the relationship between the Bognor Regis Regneration Board and Arun District Council represented democratic accountability.

Why is this his view when the town has not been told if the viability of developing the Regis site without flats has been explored?

And if not, why not?

Local people have a huge stake in the success of regeneration as well as the businesses and bodies that Mr Jonas mentioned.

Local people have repeatedly voted against more flats on the seafront.

It would seem that a vibrant exclusively leisure and commercial development there is even more appropriate today with more and more British people opting for a ‘staycation’ holiday for both economic and climate reasons.

Gillian Farina (Mrs), Shelley Road, Bognor Regis

DELIGHTED to read that Bognor Regis will have a voice when decisions are made on spending the ‘Sainsbury’s money’.

It would be a travesty if this were not the case.

Let’s hope Bognor Regis’ proposals are given full consideration and that the end result benefits all of Bognor Regis’ residents and visitors.

Maralyn Regruto, Stirling Way, Aldwick

IN THE comprehensive spending review, the chancellor announced the government would be removing the mobility component of Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for those people who live in residential care homes.

Disability charities and organisations, such as Mencap, are campaigning against this decision.

We are all very concerned that, as an unintended consequence of this proposal, many people with a learning disability will no longer be able to afford to go out and meet with friends and families, participate in external social activities and engage with their local communities.

I believe the government has misunderstood how disabled people use this important benefit.

Without this vital lifeline, many disabled people in residential care will lose much of their independence.

Christopher Bemrose, The Steyne, Bognor Regis

I HAVE never written to a newspaper before to express my views but feel that the letter from Evelyn Stuart headed ‘show compassion’ cannot go unanswered.

Those of us who live in Esplanade Grande, and the apartments eastwards, are not all living in ivory towers with the implication that we are all rich.

Many of us have led busy working lives and have achieved our wish to live where there is a sea view through our own efforts.

The majority of people living in these apartments have not ‘sold properties in London to move to sunny Bognor Regis’.

Having had a meeting with the police and local council representatives it is clear that the people using the shelter in question are not within the scenario of the local man affected by recession and all the hardship and disadvantage that can bring.

We are given to understand that the people involved are eastern Europeans (not that that makes them any less human beings) who have been offered help and accommodation from various agencies but have refused to accept these offers.

We have also been told that some, at least, have sufficient money to initially pay rent when they would also be offered financial help but they do not wish to spend their money on such facilities.

They have therefore chosen rough sleeping which must be very uncomfortable at times especially for the man who is confined to a wheelchair.

In doing so they give no choice to those (particularly in King’s Court) who have it ‘in their faces’ almost every evening and morning.

And the ‘it’ is not just eating and sleeping but loud drunken behaviour and toileting for all to see.

So, before condemning us ratepayers for lack of humanity (which is certainly not true of many of us) she should find it in her heart to ask whether she would be happy with this situation in her back yard!

Audrey Greenway, Esplanade Grande, Bognor Regis

THE COALITION Mantra is that Labour saddled us with massive debt.

These figures are taken from official HM Treasury figures 1950-2010.

In the 1950s, UK GDP stood at £13.308bn.

Our Public Net Debt was 193.89 per cent of that.

This was in the aftermath of war and crippling debt incurred as a result.

From then through to 1965, the debt reduced progressively to 42.11 per cent in 1980, regardless of political control.

From 1980-1986, it see-sawed around 44-41per cent and in the stagnant period of 1987-1992, it went down to 26.7 per cent.

From 1993 to 1996 it rose back to 41.2 per cent, when we all know there was no investment, no new schools etc.

New Labour came into power during 1997.

The GDP Debt was 41.92 per cent that year, and reduced to 29.33 per cent by 2002.

From 2003-2008, it rose to 36.25 per cent.

And this was the period of massive Labour investment in schools, hospitals, services and infrastructure.

A shining comparison to the cut-all Thatcher period with its higher GDP percentage average debt.

In 2009, precisely because of the actions of the Right’s beloved Market, the GDP Debt rose to 44.19 per cent and this year to 52.34 per cent.

The lie is exposed.

Labour DID manage the economy better.

And Labour made Britain a better place.

Now we see the enobled former MP for Arundel shunted off to the unelected Lords because his local party didn’t reselect him.

This man tells Cameron that the cuts will make the poor ‘breed’.

Truly a Traditional Tory nailing his nasty, natural colour to the mast.

And yet more silence from the Lib Dems locally.

Jan Cosgrove, Longford Road, Bognor Regis

GIVE A stray a Christmas dinner.

Due to the recession many more strays are filling the rescue centres throughout the country.

Once again we are asking the public to donate food for dogs, cats and rabbits to be distributed between RSPCA, Cats Protection, Mount Noddy, Chichester Dog Rescue, Dogs in Need, Pats Cats and Cat and Rabbit Rescue.

Items can be taken to Woodland Veterinary Centre, Grange Road, Midhurst, The Haslemere Clinic, Chestnut Avenue, The Liphook Clinic, Headley Road.

Ann Boxall, Resource manager, Woodland Veterinary Centre, Grange Road, Midhurst

MACMILLAN is delighted to announce that the Budgens Store collection in Midhurst on November 19 and 20 raised £386.06.

We would like to thank all of Budgens customers whom kindly donated.

All money raised from this collection will help fund the Macmillan Palliative Care Service based in Midhurst.

A special thank-you to Budgens for their continued kind support to Macmillan in Midhurst.

Mandy Kendall, Fundraising manager. West Sussex

MANY thanks to the people of Midhurst who contributed to our Christian Aid street collection in Midhurst on October 8 and 9, where a grand total of £768.39 was collected for Christian Aid funds.

Anthony Poston, Co-ordinator, Midhurst Christian Aid