Mark Dunn

Dear Mark

It was good to meet you and Robert this morning and have a chat.

As you suggested I am emailing you to reiterate my concerns of the dangers of vehicles parking in The Drive very near to the A259. The danger I have now encountered several times is travelling from Emsworth, signalling left to turn into The Drive traffic behind assume you will be able to complete the turn into The Drive. However if traffic is travelling southwards in The Drive and you are confronted immediately with parked vehicles you are left standing on the A259. I have had several near misses of traffic having difficulty in stopping and hitting my car from the rear.The simple solution would be to introduce double yellow lines on both sides of The Drive for a length of say 30m which would provide sufficient space to turn into The Drive even if other traffic is travelling South towards you. This all sounds a bit “garbled” but I trust you will be able to understand the problem!

I would appreciate it if you could support my suggestion and put the wheels in motion.
My wife and I wish you well in the coming election.

Regards

David Cobden

David,

Thank you for your best wishes. Its was very nice for me to see an old friendly face…though the whole experience was quite encouraging, provided my supporters will actually turn out and vote.

I have already been in touch with Steve Johnson, our expert in matters like the junction of the A259 with The Drive. And I am copying this and your email to him.

We will see what can be done.

The risks of accidents for vehicles turning into the drive, from either direction, are made higher by reason of the speed which the traffic moves at. My guess is that at rush hours there is a considerable volume of traffic moving at significantly over 30 mph. This, and the cars parked on the verges of the A259, which sometimes resembles a car salesman’s paradise, make this junction into a local ‘hotspot’. The idea of a no parking zone – double yellow lines – around the junction seems like common sense to me.

I await Steve’s feelings with interest.

If there are costs involved which the County cannot meet, I will put the matter to the Parish Council.

Mark

Over the last 10 days I’ve walked right round Westbourne and Woodmancote…Delivering leaflets and having a good look round. I think I’ve been everywhere.

Several good things strike me. First the place really is very neat and tidy. The greening campaign and the upcoming Gardens Open Day are clearly very good local initiatives, and one must be struck by making a comparison between Westbourne and some other coastal villages, which don’t have the same sense of ‘pride of place’.

There are exceptions, of course, and how difficult it must be for really old and infirm people to let their once treasured front gardens slip back into weedy and overgrown areas.

I wonder if we might start a neighbourhood garden-tidying group of volunteers who would just tidy up and keep grass cut and shrubs trimmed for older people…. it would make a big difference.

This Thursday i’m giving at talk at Bourne Community College – to the senior english class – on Keats and the Eve of St Agnes poem.

Keats was a genius. In a very short life (he died of TB at the age of 25) he wrote poems which have changed the way civilised people think.

He wrote the St Agnes Eve poem when his was staying in Chichester, in January 1819.

He walked over to Stansted Park, and I think a visit to the Church there, was a big influence over the poem.

It must have been cold…

Ah Bitter Chill it was !
The owl for all his feathers was a-cold,
The hare limped trembling through the frozen grass….

Should the site be developed for housing ? Or do we need industrial units, especially for start up businesses ?

Marshalls are preparing a planning application for 80 houses, plus a small amount of car parking, and some light industrial or commercial units.

I think the fullness of the industrial estate at Southbourne gives a clear indiaction that there’s a demand for small light indistrial units.

But I’d love to have some views from local residents ….

Just email me please at markdunn.dunn@googlemail.com, or comment on this post….

Consie and I went to the launch of the PHG appeal. This is to build up a fund so that admission charges can be done away with. The Gallery is very good for Chichester’s economy, brings in lots of visitors, who eat and shop as well as visit.

When the gallery has open days – admissions free of charge – the visitor number bounce up into the 1000s a day plus, bracket. So its really is a worthwhile cause.

The children let of a lot of balloons – which I think were filled with gas ! I hope it was green gas !

First and foremost the West Sussex Local Authorities must make friends with the soon-to-be-established National Parks Authority, which will run the National Park, taking over some of the reponsibilities which were previously down to the County Council and Chichester District Council. The authority will have members appointed by DEFRA, and in particular members of County, District and Parish Councils will be appointed, along with other local people, who do not hold elected office. We need to be friends and get our voice heard…..I can and will help to get the diplomacy handled properly, so that proper trusting relationships can be established with the Park Authority.

Having The National Park can be a huge asset for us all. It will encourage visitors and help us maintain the vibrant healthy communities which we enjoy.

But there is a threat that it will be a barrier to affordable housing, and will push almost all new development into the villages which are pinched between the proposed Park and the Chichester Harbour AONB.

This means that the local voice must be raised effectively and responsibly. All the local communities need to be watchful and assertive. They can count on my support.

Tough times call for tough measures. Our local community of business people are facing the challenges of the recession with real grit. But let’s not pretend that everything’s going to be easy and end up alright ! We’re facing real changes, and radical thinking and actions will be called for.

I have many years experience in business and management consultancy, and local business can count on me for active support : wherever and when ever there is a need for local businesses to interface with local authorities they will find me eager to help and good at getting local government officers to listen and appreciate their needs.

Education lies at the core of a successful local economy. Chichester College and The University of Chichester are major local employers and bring thousands of young people into our community. Their plans for development and growth are a vital part of the regeneration which will follow this recession. I am fully committed to supporting them, and am proud that WSCC is proving an effective partner in many of their ventures.

The coming of the National Park will bring even more opportunities for tourism and the local hospitality based businesses….Village shops, B & Bs, Holiday cottages and our Pubs can all benefit. Once again I am committed to supporting the important economic opportunities which National Park status will bring in its wake.

Chichester is also a City of the Arts. The wonderful Theatre and the vibrant art gallery scene play an important part in the local economy. I will be energetic in support, looking for ways the County Council can help them prosper.

The young people who make up the military community on Thorney are going into danger and serving us all. They are committed to serve in Afghanistan for years to come, and have madea real contribution to the Iraq campaigns. Every time I visit Thorney I am struck by the sense of purpose and pride in their service which the young professional soldiers show us all: highly professional and highly proficient.

The City of Chichester has been admirable in taking on the historic civic responsibilities which rest with it as host to the military, and I have been proud to be able to join in their ceremonies, in my role as Chairman of The County Council.

I consider it to be a priority for us all to keep supporting and helping our brave young men and women, and their families. Thorney can seem rather remote because of its location. I take this opportunity to assure all the residents there, that – whether or not they are on the electoral register – I ,and their Chichester District Councillors – consider it a privilege to serve them.

In the four years since the Bourne community last elected me to The County Council I have made the continuing improvement in local West Sussex schools and colleges my major interest.

As the WSCC ‘Cabinet Member’ for Children and Young People’s Services, until April 2008 – when I was elected Chairman of the County Council – I was privileged to lead a team which secured over £150 million of new funding for building schools in West Sussex. (Working on this was the most satisfying job I’ve ever had!)

In The Bourne we are blessed with a really outstanding Community College, which is at the centre of a group of first class primary and infant schools. Their plans for further improvement are near and dear to my heart.

There is a special case to be made for the Primary School serving Thorney Island and the military base. This school needs more space and invstment to serve the growing number of children. I am speaking up for it and will go on doing so.

Teachers, Governors and Parents – not to mention the children themselves – will find me always ready to listen help and advise. ( I have fourteen grandchildren, so there’s no risk of me going to sleep on the job !)

Speeding and Selfish Parking practices can, and do, blight the lives of many law abiding residents. Just as Antisocial Behaviour and rowdyism can damage our communities.

Bringing about a real change for the better won’t be easy, but progress can be made if communities, especially through their Parish Councils, keep up the pressure for better local policing and more responsive parking regulation.

As a recent Chairman of the Sussex Police Authority, I am proud of its success in getting the Police Community Service Officers introduced, and of the sensible way PCSO’s are beginning to relate with Parish Councils more and more effectively. We need more of the same, and I will do my best to make sure the current improvements continue.

One priority is making sure that there are enough places for people to park. This has not been easy and there will be more challenges to meet as new regulations are introduced. Another challenge relates to improved bus and rail services. I will keep up the pressure.

Equally, the Sussex Police’s Operation ‘Crackdown’, aimed at cutting speeding – especially in our villages – will get my steady support. It takes time to change habits, but it can and will happen.