Dear Resident,
Communications Policy
The Association are planning a communications policy, which will involve two Newsletters a year in Spring and Autumn, which will be printed and delivered to every house in the catchment area. For those who have signed up for e-mail messages and who wish to be at the cutting edge of life in Westgate, there will be Bulletins issued on the internet only, at more frequent intervals, whenever there is information to impart. This is the first of those Bulletins. It is therefore important that as many residents as possible receive these, so please try and persuade your neighbours to sign up by sending an e-mail to info@westgatera.org.uk or by visiting the website at www.westgatera.org.uk, where there are joining instructions on the front page. In addition, there will be a small number of News-Sheets which will be printed and available for collection at the Crate and Apple Coffee mornings for those without an e-mail facility. They will be a repeat of information which has already been in a Bulletin. Do please come along on the first Saturday of each month from 10.00am to 11.00am.
Website
The Association website is at: http://www.westgatera.org.uk/ where we keep up-to-date, all the latest news as well as publishing many fascinating informative and historical articles.
Traffic
The committee have now met twice for full committee meetings and once for a special meeting about the traffic issues. We have also set up a Traffic Advisory Group which met for the second time recently and will be reporting back on its findings to the main committee meeting in March. We will then consult with the membership, before putting in our conclusions to the relevant councils.
Planning
The Whitehouse Farm planning application is still in the air waiting for input from the Environment Agency about the Waste Water and WSCC Highways about traffic. It will not be coming before the committee earlier than the April meeting. To look for the latest information visit CDC website and enter 14/04301/OUT into the search box.
The operators of the proposed waste water treatment plant have now applied for a licence to the Environment Agency and our analysis and access to the technical documents are now available on http://www.westgatera.org.uk/2016/02/20/whf-and-the-waste-water/.
Our Social Programme
You will remember that the Association is also keen to support suggestions for opportunities for residents to meet together.
Lois and Brian suggested, for example, the Crate and Apple coffee mornings which have become a great success. Do come along any time after 10.00am on the first Saturday in the month and meet your neighbours and make new friends. Over thirty people attended on Feb 6th and Charlotte treated us to free flapjack and chocolate buns. We have been trying to do a “Walls Walk” but the weather has been atrocious. I am afraid it is unlikely we shall manage it this month.
Many residents have spoken of the state of the planters and beds along Westgate. So next, we are setting up a Gardening Group. Colin Hicks and I met with Helen Monckton from the Chichester City Council on Monday 15th Feb. and she was very supportive. If anyone wants to do a quick clean-up of the planters or beds in the street, there is no objection from the CCC or WSCC. The WSCC are responsible for the roundabout, which is sponsored and is a separate problem. However, it would be sensible to co-ordinate our efforts and we are looking at having a dialogue with a view to having an agreement with the WSCC, which would mean that we will hopefully be covered by their indemnity insurance; get some funding for new and replacement plants; we also plan to have a meeting with the CCC gardener who will advise about suitable plants and work, and have access to the CCC vehicle for the removal of major collections of rubbish. If you are interested in helping come along to the Coffee Morning on this Saturday 5th March when we shall have further discussion.
New resident Sally Lowe recently set up a Knitting Group. This meets regularly at 10am every Monday at the Crate and Apple – do pop in for a knit and a natter or just a natter. Charlotte has also set up a loyalty card to make your coffee money go that bit further. Sally would also like to set up a Book Group. If you are interested in being part of this project, please email her at sallylowe10@gmail.com. And of course Sandy Young is responsible for planning our annual Street Party, scheduled this year for midday on Sunday 12th June. Put it in your diary! This year we are very fortunate and have been sponsored, so that a pig roast will be included in the ticket price.
In other social news. we are interested to learn that Charlotte at the Crate and Apple is also hoping to expand her list of events. You will find all the information about these in the porch as you go in.
If you have an idea for a social event, then do please contact us if we can help.
Richard Brownfield, Chairman
2 March 2016