I’m pleased to tell you that a new roar-some exhibition will be arriving at our Novium Museum this May!

'Dinosaurs: Hungry Hatchlings' showcases how even the largest dinosaurs started life as eggs and tiny hatchlings. It will open on Saturday 11 May and run until Saturday 9 November 2024.

Visitors can discover the secrets of dinosaur eggs and babies with amazing dinosaur specimens from around the world. The exhibition will follow iconic dinosaurs such as the Tyrannosaurus rex, Triceratops, and Diplodocus on their perilous journey from egg to adult. Skeletons, authentic models, and stunning artworks will bring the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods to life.

The exhibition will also showcase dinosaur fossils from the local area including Iguanodon and Horshamosaurus kindly loaned from Brighton and Hove Museums and Horsham Museum. Tickets cost £5 for adults, £3 for children or £14 for a family of up to 5.

To coincide with the exhibition, the museum will be offering a new workshop, 'Hungry Hatchlings', and a dinosaur loan box for schools. This workshop will explore the life cycle and habitats of dinosaurs and delve into how their skeletons helped them survive and move in their natural habitats. The workshop will take place in the 'Dinosaurs' gallery, giving children the chance to see the skeletons and models up close whilst their imaginations will transform them into mini dinosaurs!

The loan box will include a selection of real and replica fossils, looking at animals and habitats during the dinosaur age, as well as the role of a palaeontologist. For more information, visitwww.thenovium.org.uk/schoolsor email:noviumlearning@chichester.gov.uk

The exhibition will be accompanied by a series of activities, including a very exciting VIP (Very Important Palaeontologists) opening event. As well as the opportunity to be one of the very first visitors to the exhibition, budding palaeontologists can take part in craft activities and get up close and watch a dinosaur show with realistic baby and adult dinosaurs! Tickets for the launch event start from £18 per child.

This exhibition will replace the popular Star Wars-themed 'May The Toys Be With You', which closes on Saturday, 20 April 2024. This has been a really popular exhibition, so it is definitely worth popping into the museum to see this before it closes.

Chichester Roman Week will also be returning this May half-term from Monday 27 May – Saturday 1 June with exciting events across the district and beyond. This will include a ‘Romans at the museum’ day, which will take place on Wednesday 29 May when Legio Secunda Augusta, one of Europe’s leading Roman re-enactment groups will be taking over The Novium Museum, offering a series of interactive talks and demonstrations throughout the day between 10am and 4pm. For booking information and more information on Roman Week, please visit:www.thenovium.org/romanweek or call 01243 816525.

I’m also pleased to tell you that the museum has also upgraded its lighting to help reduce its carbon footprint thanks to a £4,000 grant from South East Museum Development.

In 2022, the museum was audited to look at possible carbon reduction methods, with LED light installation identified as the most beneficial, impactful and feasible.

The 'Going Green' grant has allowed over a third of the museum's lighting to be upgraded, focusing on areas where lights are used most frequently and in closest proximity to museum collections, which will significantly reduce the museum's energy consumption and help to safeguard the collection.

Sustainability is one of The Novium Museum's core values. We are committed to reducing our carbon footprint and making our building and activities more environmentally sustainable. This is a great step in the right direction, reducing our energy consumption and making a considerable financial saving each year.

To find out more about the museum and the other exhibitions it is running, please visit:www.thenovium.org.uk

Best Wishes

Cllr Jess Brown-Fuller

Cabinet Member for Culture and Events at Chichester District Council

Priority Services Register

Please see attachment below.

Please see file attached.

news release

13 February 2024

Road safety improvement scheme starts soon in Goodwood

A £110,000 highway scheme starts in Goodwood on Monday as part of West Sussex County Council's ongoing commitment to improve road safety.

The measures, at Kennel Hill and Town Lane, are intended to help road users navigate the area particularly at night and in bad weather. They include:

• Installation of new ‘cat’s eye’ reflectors from the Goodwood House entrance (north of New Road roundabout) to the Racecourse Road junction
• Replacing old cat’s eyes from the Racecourse Road junction to Singleton
• Re-applying road markings from the Racecourse Road junction to St Roche’s Gate (junction of Kennel Hill and Town Lane)
• Replacing old/missing road traffic signs
• Replacing old reflective marker posts on bends to the west of The Trundle car park
• Cutting back vegetation to improve visibility for pedestrians/other road users, and available road width.

The work is scheduled to take from Monday (19 February) to 28 March, subject to unforeseen factors, such as severe weather. Most of it will be off-peak, 9.30am to 4pm, Monday to Friday, with temporary traffic lights in place. Please allow extra time for journeys involving this area.

Overnight, temporary road closures will be required between 21 March and 28 March. Through traffic will be diverted via Claypit Lane, Madgwick Lane, Westhampnett Road, Spitalfield Lane, Northgate gyratory, Broyle Road, Lavant Road, and Midhurst Road (and vice-versa). The overnight works will be carried out in four phases:

• New Road to Pook Lane
• Pook Lane to Racecourse Road
• Racecourse Road to St Roche’s Gate
• St Roche’s Gate to A286 Singleton

Access will be maintained to local attractions at Kennel Hill, with signage to indicate how each of these can be accessed during the temporary road closures.

Date of Release: 29 January 2024 Ref: 4321

Water regulator agrees to partnership working following criticisms in relation to Southern Water

The watchdog responsible for regulating the water and sewerage industry, Ofwat, has pledged to work more closely with local authorities across the south coast to hold Southern Water to account.

Ofwat — the Water Services Regulation Authority — pledged to better partnership working with local authorities at a meeting organised by the Southern Water Stakeholder Group on 19 January 2024.

The Southern Water Stakeholder group was set up to put pressure on Southern Water — which is responsible for wastewater across the region and for drinking water in other parts of the southeast —in light of pollution and flooding concerns.

Ofwat’s pledge follows criticisms by councils that the watchdog has not been effective in holding Southern Water to account.

During the meeting, which was attended by Southern Water, council officials said responses from the organisation have been continuously slow and unacceptable and the company failed to deliver promised upgrades. They asked Ofwat what local authorities could do to expedite complaints about Southern Water and how Ofwat carried out compliance checks against the company.

There were also criticisms that Ofwat is not monitoring Southern Water closely enough or ensuring that the water company is working efficiently. Council representatives explained that a much clearer understanding was needed of how councils can work with Ofwat to resolve problems and called on the water regulator to proactively help local authorities. They also asked for reassurance from Ofwat that water companies, such as Southern Water, are delivering on their promises to invest in infrastructure improvements.

Chichester District Council’s Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for the Environment, Cllr Jonathan Brown, and Cabinet Member for Planning, Cllr Bill Brisbane, also attended the meeting.

“Chichester District Council is one of 24 councils across the south east that have joined together to hold Southern Water to account over pollution and infrastructure failings,” says Cllr Brisbane.

“We have been challenging Southern Water in relation to their engagement with both the planning process and the environmental impacts of discharging sewage into Chichester Harbour for some time. This includes previously filing an official complaint about the company to the Ofwat.

“By joining forces with other local councils, we have been able to apply significant pressure on Southern Water. The Southern Water Stakeholder Groupwas set up in response to issues including flooding; sewage backing up into people’s homes, gardens and roads; the ongoing problem of discharges into rivers and waterways; and the inability to deal with additional development.

“These include the recent flooding and associated drain surcharging; sewage and subsequent discharges into the harbour and water courses affecting the water quality of Chichester Harbour; delays in upgrades to the sewerage network; and slow responses to planning applications.”

Cllr Brown adds: “Unfortunately, as a district council, we do not have the direct power to regulate Southern Water or require it to address its failings. But as local authorities working together, we can do more to apply pressure and seek the required action needed to resolve these issues.Our residents deserve better and we will continue to work in partnership with other stakeholders to hold Southern Water to account.

“We are also involved in a Three Harbours Summit, whichinvolves Southern Water and representatives from the council and other local authorities, along with relevant agencies such as Natural England, the Environment Agency, Chichester Harbour Conservancy, Langstone Harbour Board and Sussex Wildlife Trust. This is a positive step towards working together to help improve the harbour for future years to come. The aim is that this group will have a positive impact on Southern Water’s five-year investment plan.”

In the meeting on 19 January, Ofwat’s representative explained that the body’s fundamental duty is to ensure that customer and environment interests are met but that it was keen as a growing organisation to have evidence in advance of concerns so it could hear from the water companies how those issues could be addressed.

Chair of the Southern Water Stakeholder group, Wealden Councillor Rachel Millward, said: “It was once again very useful for all the local authorities across the southeast to express their concerns and raise the local issues their residents face.

“However, the disappointing reality is that Ofwat effectively allows Southern Water to mark its own homework, with no monitoring to ensure that promised improvements are made. Ofwat issues permits with conditions of upgrades to the system, but then fails to check that those happen. Ofwat effectively waits until the system breaks down and sewage pollution is a major problem, instead of taking preventative action of checking that required works are done. This clearly isn’t good enough for the national regulatory body.”

Councils have called for greater accountability and much clearer routes to improving the situation for residents.The next meeting of the Southern Water Stakeholder Group will be held in the spring.

Singleton & Charlton Community Highways Scheme – update on progress

Our original proposal back in July 2022 was a ‘wish-list’ of improvements for the roads in Singleton and Charlton, ranging from crossings to school-parking and lower speed limits. We were up against numerous other communities applying for the same funding, so we were very lucky to be selected. However, due to budget constraints, what was on offer was a slimmed down version of our proposal. Then came the feasibility and road safety checks, which knocked a few more things out.

What we’ve been promised is a huge step in the right direction:

· 20mph speed limit throughout Singleton: on the A286 from near the cricket pitch, right through to the village gateways on the Midhurst side, then on all minor roads to the east of this, out to include Bankside.

· Changes to the bus stop: improved access and paving on the northbound side, narrowing the road slightly to slow the traffic, with a courtesy crossing between northbound and southbound.

· Changes to the Town Lane junction to slow traffic down as it takes the corner heading south.

· A courtesy crossing by the cricket pitch and another outside Little Drove Mews on Budd’s Hill. The crossings will consist of a dropped kerb either side with tactile paving and bollards. The cricket pitch crossing will link on both sides via new sections of footpath.

· Replacement of the crash-barrier at Cobblers Corner with a wood-clad version, to improve the appearance.

· Reinstatement of the red road markings on the A286 each side of the village.

· Improvements to the crossing outside the museum.

In addition to all this, we already have the requested 30mph limit up Town Lane as far as the museum entrance.

What we didn’t get and why:

· Removal of centre lines: Highways feel that these are needed until the traffic gets used to the new road layout – we’ve been promised that once we’ve got evidence of slower speeds, this will be reviewed.

· School parking: while this would – and will yet – improve safety outside the school, the costs would have pushed the total budget above the amount that could be allocated for the Community Highways Scheme. The Parish Council is therefore pursuing other sources of funding for this.

· Charlton proposals: These consisted of village gateways and a 20mph limit throughout the village. However, in order to focus on the essential improvements to the A286 – and so increase our chances of being selected for funding – we were advised to withdraw these from the CHS application and pursue them separately. We currently have a TRO application under way for the speed limit reduction and the gateways are at the design and funding stage.

· Changes to Cobblers Corner: The proposals here depended on removing most of the white lines and requiring drivers to slow down and work out for themselves how to get round the bend. We’d also like to get rid of the big yellow chevron signs by the former café. However, all this is currently a step too far for Highways, who fear that it would cause accidents – so the plan is to keep traffic speeds under review and revisit this when we apply (later) to have the white centre lines removed.

All in all, we are very pleased with what’s on offer. Construction is scheduled for 2024/25, so we expect to see activity later this year.

Please see attachment below.

See PDF Below

Emergency Plan Contact List - December 2023

Singleton and Charlton Parish Council

Singleton and Charlton Parish Council

Meeting Dates for 2024

All Meetings are held in Singleton Village Hall at 7pm

Full Parish Council Meeting Wednesday 17^th January 2024

Full Parish Council Meeting Monday 18th March 2024

Full Annual Parish Council Meeting Monday 20th May 2024

And Annual Parish Meeting

Full Parish Council Meeting Wednesday 17th July 2024

Full Parish Council Meeting Monday 16th September 2024

Full Parish Council Meeting Monday 18^th November 2024

Please see attachment below. Submitted to SDNP on 7/11/23.

Please see attached information.

Please see attached document.

Please see attached various documents relating to the Chichester Local Plan.