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WHAT’S BEING DONE ABOUT CONGESTION ON THE A259?

The short answer is - nothing.  It was especially bad early in 2010 because of the sewerage works at Bersted, which were a by-product of all the housebuilding happening there and which they never told us about in any consultation. Then there were more delays due to roundabout construction there, but that’s mostly completed now.

But even in the ordinary course of events nothing is being done about hold-ups at the Royal Oak at Bersted, the Squareabout, Hotham Park mini-roundabout, Butlins roundabout, Downview Road traffic lights, Southdowns mini-roundabout and even further along towards Littlehampton.

Because nothing is being done, the Civic Society has presented plans for the improvement of the Felpham Leisure Centre roundabout, the Butlins roundabout and the Hotham Park mini roundabout, designed to allow the free flow of traffic on the A259 and eliminate congestion. There has been general approval of these, except for some Felpham residents who seem to think that having to detour slightly to access part of the village outweighs the greater convenience of everybody else in the district. However, nothing is happening, and it seems there is a danger that this will disappear into a drawer at WSCC in common with any other proposals that don’t come from Tescos or Butlins.

West Sussex County Council clearly thinks that the answer to all the problems will come from the much vaunted relief road, if it ever happens. UPDATE: In fact, the relief road did help with congestion through Bognor Regis.  But did not help with congestion east of Flansham to Littlehampton, which is now a lot worse.                               

ARE THEY GOING TO BUILD THOUSANDS OF HOUSES AT CHALCRAFT LANE?

The developers want to, and the Church Commissioners, who want to make lots of money out of selling the land, want to as well.

The matter is still grinding its way through the whole planning process and we rather suspect that the promoters are lying doggo at the moment.

What will happen?  Who knows, but a recent planning inspector’s decision at an appeal over a smaller development in Chalcraft Lane was quite encouraging.  He felt that development of farmland in the strategic gap between Bognor Regis and Chichester was inappropriate, and therefore refused it.

Don’t get too excited though.  There’s big money at stake and you can be sure that Developers/Commissioners et al will be rolling out all the legal big guns they can if it suits them.

Arun may well be cowed by this and decide not to take them on for the sake of a quiet life.  We’ll see...                         

WSCC WASTES £120,000 ON CHAIRS THAT ARE NOT NEEDED

400 new office chairs at £300 each have been bought by WSCC because they have moved staff in Horsham from one place to another.

Why don’t they take their existing chairs with them? No answer.  Why spend that much when you can get perfectly good fully adjustable director’s chairs from Viking for £49.99?  What’s happened to the chairs they were using before?  No answer.  Why are none of the County Councillors even slightly concerned about this wastage of our money?  No answer.

It’s clear that the procurement processes  at West Sussex County Council need a thorough overhaul, and for that matter, so do all the Councillors.                          

THE CONDITION OF OUR ROADS

In spite of West Sussex County Council’s efforts to repair the road damage of previous winters, much of this work has been of poor quality and will fail again, and there is a great deal which still must be done.

London Road and Queensway, which were desperately bad, have been repaired.  The same goes for Felpham Road, but there are many more potholes in various places which still need attention.

What are they doing about it?  That appears to be a secret, as JWAAC Highways & Transport meets behind close doors and its reports to the main committee don’t tell us much...            

RESIDENTS “OUT OF ARUN” CAMPAIGN LAUNCHED ON FACEBOOK

A group of Bognor Regis residents has launched a campaign to separate Bognor Regis from Arun District Council on a Facebook Page, and within a short time more than 2,500 people had signed up to support it.

Caroline Wilson, of Collyer Avenue, is leading the campaign, after attending a Town Council meeting and hearing Councillor Paul Wells say that Bognor Regis people are “fed up” with bad decisions being made by Arun for the town.

A petition to Arun for “Bognor Decisions by Bognor People” has been launched, and after one morning in London Road shopping precinct more than 500 people had signed.  A further petition to the government is planned, for boundary changes to enable Bognor Regis’ separation.