OCTOBER 2024 REPORT FROM HENRY POTTER CDC Member

District Councillors Report

Recent meetings of the Council have focused on a rather old ‘chestnut’ the Southern Gateway Project, which was first considered back in 2017. It is an ambitious project and there are many constraints in progressing this development. Initially it involved re-locating the Bus Station and the Garage / workshop, inclusion of the Basin Road Car Park, the Post Office sorting Depot, the Police Station Playing field off Kingsham Road, the Boys High School Site and The Law Courts. Only the first two sites are owned by CDC, the others are owned by the County Constabulary, WSCC And HM Justices. These independent Authorities have since withdrawn from the original scheme and propose do their own thing! And an appointed Developer, Henry Boot Ltd chose to leave the project when The Ministry of Justice re-opened the Law Courts. This has led to the whole project being reconstituted only involving the CDC owned land. Currently the bus garage is likely to relocate to a CDC owned site in Terminus Road and since a public consultation, Stagecoach propose to introduce bus pick up and drop off stops relocated to kerbsides in the Avenue de Chartres and South Street. There has been great concern regarding the loss of the current Terminal, but one must remember the time when there was no Bus Station as such. Most Southdown Services terminated in West Street where many of the Stagecoach services still do.
However, the proposal to forge ahead with this reduce overall scheme was approved by full Council on 1st October. Also included in the scheme is the possibility of relocating the Council Offices from East Pallant to somewhere in this new scheme and to dispose of the current, since the Covid epidemic, underused Offices and the EP Car Park! Losing the car parking facility to my mind is a ridiculous idea when in the same breath we want to encourage more businesses and visitors into the City.
At the same meeting it was also decided to implement a Regeneration Programme for the City Centre. This is to improve the experience for residents and visitors alike with greater encouragement for businesses and valued entertainment to come to Chichester, improvements to the Street Scene are also envisaged. Certain sums of money to fund these ambitions have been allocated from the Councils reserves.
On a local note, a few days ago whilst driving into Chichester from Strettington I was almost confronted by, not a huge truck, but it was a 6 wheeled HGV, turning out of the RRMC construction site and it had to drive onto the south (my) side of Stane Street to make the turn to go east. I saw this as being most unsatisfactory. Imagine a 13+ metre long articulated HGV doing the same! However, I attended Sue Nel’s ‘Brew with Sue’ coffee morning on 3rd of this month and on the way. I stopped and spoke with the roadworks project manager and he informed me that the truck driver was at fault. He should have engaged with a ‘banksman/marshal who would have directed him to use “the wrong side of the egress” in order to make a left turn safely. There is a banksman on duty at this location all the while there are traffic movements. I understand from the meeting with Sue that concerns regarding the newly laid footpaths have been addressed so her position as a Public Liaison Officer is valued and the meetings I’m sure will be appreciated. I’m sorry that there appears to be no progress in resolving the ridiculous situation of the management of the sports facilities which are a condition of the Madgwick Park Development but I must congratulate those who are trying to seek a resolution to this issue, it isn’t easy.
Henry Potter, CDC Member for the Goodwood Ward