January 2020 Newsletter

January 2020 Newsletter

We started the New Year with Dr Sarah Renfrey giving our January Coffee Morning a talk on the work of Littlehampton Community Fridge, whose ethos is reducing food waste as well as helping the less fortunate, indeed, it is open to anybody and everybody. Look them up and see what you can do for them (egg boxes are often needed) as well as what they may have for you.

ADC have their Design Guide (part of the Local Plan) out for comment. Do take a look through it, either at the one copy in the library or online at:
www.arun.gov.uk/supplementary-planning-documents-spds
It is quite a read but well worth the effort as it will (we hope) provide much ammunition for grounds for objections to poor planning applications’ design and siting. There are Response Forms available at the Council and we hope to have some at our February Coffee Morning, alternatively let us have your comments to present through our Society.
It is reported that fresh design drawings for the Town Regeneration of the town centre (which has now got the funding in place!) are soon to be published and our Society will get the opportunity to comment, as well as it going out for public consultation. We are told there will not be any “significant changes” allowed from the first designs, so we are seeking clarification as to what would be less than significant and therefore open to public influence. Keep an eye open for a real chance to have your say if only within their set limits.

On the subject of planning: could we put together, say, 3 or 4 people to share watching planning applications, attending relevant (not all) Councils’ meetings, asking questions or presenting written questions, and so forth, to help our Society keep informed of development around the town?

Our Society is wondering what should be our next major campaign. Ideas have been mentioned around: climate change, future development, increasing risk of floods, etc. Would you like to think about what objectives may be suitable for our Society’s attention and give us your suggestions.
Your Committee is always open to thoughts on fund raising, increasing membership and supporting other local voluntary groups in their projects. We would also wlecome your views on holding lunch time and/or evening meetings. Please come and talk to us.

Our nest Monthly Coffee Morning will be on Friday 7th February, 10.30 am to 12.30 pm, at St. Mary’s Church Hall, Littlehampton, when we will host Turning Tides, whose work on reducing homelessness in the town has just been featured in the Gazette. We hope you will join us for what promises to be an interesting talk, affecting the town’s future ambience, we believe. Our Events team are lining up more speakers on topics of local concern.