Chairmans News

The Parish Council has launched its new website, the site can be found at funtington-pc.gov.uk, a massive thank you to Rachel, our parish clerk, for all her hard work in building this site. The new site includes news and updates as well as contact details on who to contact if you find an overgrown footpath, a blocked drain, fly-tipping or a problem with our roads.

Please do keep reporting in any issues/problems that you find with our public footpaths, fly tipping or problems with our roads, the more reports CDC or WSCC receive on any problems that you find, the more likely these problems will be dealt with swiftly.

At our September PC meeting we were really pleased to co-op Jason Boswell onto the parish council, Jason, as most of you know, has been working very closely with Southern Water over the past 9-10 months and he will continue to do so as a parish councillor.

The PC will be organising another public meeting for the autumn, with a presentation and an update from Southern Water. The PC will be working very closely with SW as SW start to contact residents to enable them to gain access to properties and land as SW start the process of lining our drains.

We are hoping to finally get the road drainage issues around the parish sorted this autumn, this may require ‘Watershed’ funding to carry out essential repairs/replacement of some of the blocked and broken road gullies.

The PC has now submitted 3 applications to WSCC Highways for speed reductions and traffic calming measures in West Ashling, East Ashling and West Stoke, at last night’s PC meeting the PC also discussed applying for traffic regulations orders to limit the weight of traffic in Watery Lane and part of Southbrook Road (the bridge over the stream).

Our new government has produced a document on proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework, and other proposed changes to the planning system. Local councils and county associations are being asked to make comments on this document, parish councils are not invited to make comment.

The parish council have had some interesting meetings with Sarah Hughes from the rivers trust, Sarah will be advising the PC on ways in which we can make improvements to our chalk stream, as well as advising us on how we can improve/increase the wildlife habitat in the local area.

Our next parish council meeting – Wednesday 4^th September 18:30 in the Church Rooms, St Mary’s Church, Funtington.

Jane Mottershead.