FELPHAM PARISH COUNCIL NEWS

Letter To Arun District Council

Councillors have requested that I write to you to officially complain in the strongest terms regarding the decision not to invite Felpham Parish Council to take part in the recent Arun Flood Forum despite a request to attend.

Following a recent FOI request to the Environment Agency we were informed that ‘In the short term, the EA have committed to carrying out a silt survey of the rife, jointly funded with Southern Water, to help inform the flood risk management actions landowners can take in the area. Building on our recent flood recovery work with partners, with the established Arun Flood Forum we also plan to continue discussions with local residents and stakeholders throughout 2024 to understand a combined approach to managing flood risk in the catchment.

In the long term, work completed as part of the Aldingbourne Rife Integrated Flood Risk Management Study identified two key locations where options for fluvial flood risk reduction should be investigated: Barnham and Felpham. We undertook some additional modelling/assessment work to confirm the scale of flood risk reduction that could be achieved in Barnham, and to help us assess the impact on flood risk of making changes to the pumping regime at Felpham. These projects are on our programme, and we will be using evidence gathered from recent events, alongside any future discussions within the Arun Flood Forum, to inform the business case for each.

As the discussions within the Arun Flood Forum will inform the business case for the EA project within Felpham, Councillors would like a clear explanation as to why Felpham Parish Council was not invited to participate. We would also like to request official minutes of the last meeting.

This letter will be published in Felpham in Focus and to represent our residents we would like to request that we are included in the invitation to attend future meetings.

Changes to Arun District Council’s free car parks in Felpham and Middleton-on-Sea Car Parks Update from Arun District Council

From 1 April 2024, Arun District Council propose the introduction of a new maximum free stay period within Grassmere (Felpham), Links Avenue (Felpham) and Shrubbs Field (Middleton-onSea) free car parks.

It is proposed that the maximum free parking times will be changing with a no return period also being introduced. Please see the new free parking times and no return periods below:

Grassmere car park – 8 hours free parking, no return within 2 hours.

Links Avenue – 2 hours free parking, no return within 6 hours.

Shrubbs Field – 8 hours free parking, no return within 2 hours.

Visitors will need to obtain a free-of-charge ticket from a ticket machine located within the car parks. The ticket must be clearly displayed on the dashboard.

Blue Badge holders can continue to park within all Arun District Council car parks all day, without obtaining a ticket, as long as a valid Blue Badge is clearly displayed.

Introducing the ticket machines would enable us to collect usage data on these car parks. This data can be used to inform decisions taken by Arun District Council, in partnership with the parish councils, regarding any future changes to the car parks.

The changes would also deter abuse of the car park, allowing a greater turnover of vehicles and will identify abandoned vehicles earlier, enabling their removal, ensuring availability for residents and visitors.

We have noticed that there has been speculation about the cost of the machines and their installation and maintenance. We can confirm the installation cost is £150 per machine, not the £3000 that has been shared. The machines themselves are stock and are therefore not an additional cost to the council. The ongoing maintenance and restocking of the machines will be encompassed under our existing car park contract.

If you have any questions regarding the above changes, or comments to make on the proposals, please contact car.parks@arun.gov.uk by 21 March 2024.

Honorary Freedom of the Parish

Councillor Bob Budd nominated Gloria Moss as the first recipient of the ‘Honorary Freedom of the Parish’ in recognition of the work undertaken by Gloria which has been of unique benefit to the Parish Council particularly in relation to Felpham Emergency Resilience Group and public use defibrillators. It was also noted that Volunteer President Gloria Moss, has been volunteering with the British Red Cross for over 40 years and recently received the British Empire Medal (BEM) which is given to mark the achievements and service of extraordinary people across the UK. This was seconded by Councillor Glen Hewlett and unanimously agreed.

Meeting Dates

Main Council: Tues 2 April, 6.15 pm

Finance: Tues 2 April, 5.30 pm

Allotments: Tues 9 April, 6.00 pm

Projects: Tues 9 April, 6.30 pm

Planning: Tues 9 April, 7.15 pm

For meeting dates and information visit the Felpham Parish Council website: felphampc.gov.uk.

Felpham Parish Council, Felpham Community Hall, Meaden Way, Felpham, West Sussex, PO22 8FA, Tel:01243 827470, Mon-Fri, 10.00am-3.00pm.

Web: https://felphampc.gov.uk Email: clerk@felphampc.gov.uk Twitter: @FelphamPC