Welcome to our first newsletter.
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You have received this newsletter as a member of Westbourne Community Trust. If you do not wish to receive further newsletters you can unsubscribe by following the link in the footer.
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Next steps for affordable housing in Westbourne
We’d like to thank everyone who went to our drop-in sessions in February, to tell the community about plans for new affordable homes in the village. We also give our special thanks to the volunteers who helped facilitate the events.
The events were a great success – over 65 people signed up to become members of the Trust, which has been set up by residents for residents. Since then our membership has continued to grow and we now have 77 members. Membership helps you shape the agenda and get involved in initiatives that benefit Westbourne, plus a vote on decisions at meetings of the Trust. As long as your circumstances show you can't afford to rent or buy locally and you have a close local connection, your membership may also help you secure an affordable home in Westbourne.
The feedback received at the event was very positive overall and gave a useful insight to the local community’s thoughts and concerns about the proposed development at Mill Road, as well as the various ideas for new facilities in the village. This will be used to develop the Trust’s proposals for the housing and to shape ideas which will be consulted on again in the coming months.
Residents expressed their concerns about the following issues;
- car parking on Mill Road,
- the congestion this causes and the impact of additional vehicles using the road,
- concerns about the building process, including the impact of lorries accessing the site,
- the substandard surface of Mill Road, including the need to improve drainage and utilities
- how the affordable homes would be managed and maintained,
- how residents would be selected as tenants,
- whether rents would be kept in line with wages,
- suggestions were made for improvements to the play area and play equipment,
- the improvements should include a sports pitch or court and a youth club for young people,
- opening up the play area to the school and engaging with the school community was seen as an exciting opportunity,
- also providing better facilities for the allotments was supported,
- a car park in the village was seen as desirable to help support local businesses and relieve car parking pressure on the main roads.
If you were unable to attend the drop-in events, there are still lots of opportunities to get involved and have your say. See the full list of comments made by residents during these sessions, along with the Trust’s response, sign up to become a member, and find out more at our website.
www.westbournecommunitytrust.org
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Architects appointed for the Mill Road Affordable Housing Scheme
In February this year we invited local architects to submit bids to prepare the designs for the proposed Mill Road affordable housing and apply for planning permission. The Trust was delighted to receive a very strong response, with 7 architects submitting bids. After carefully evaluating the bids, the best 3 were selected for interview. The Trust based their selection on cost, their experience of similar schemes, their approach to community engagement and their understanding of the project. The Trust also looked at a range of housing projects that these architects had already completed.
The Trust is pleased to announce that following the interviews MH Architects have been appointed to prepare the housing scheme. A typical example of the work of MH Architects can be found at the link below. Many other examples can also be found on their website.
https://www.mharchitects.co.uk/project/alley-groves/
Nat King-Smith, director of MH Architects, said: ‘We’re delighted to be working with Westbourne Community Trust to design much-needed affordable homes for local residents. We’ll be working hard over the next few months to produce a proposal the village can be proud of!’
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MH Architects will now start to prepare their proposals for the Trust and will also be consulting the local community as part of the design process. It is expected that a planning application will be submitted, following consultation with Westbourne residents, in late summer or early autumn this year.
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Mill Road Parking Survey
One of the key issues that residents of Mill Road raised at our drop-in sessions was the parking problems they experience and the congestion this causes. The Trust is very keen to try and find solutions to this problem as part of its approach to the affordable housing development now proposed for part of the park behind Mill Road properties.
The Trust has been carrying out a survey of parking on the road or on the grass verges. Questionnaires have been posted to all residents in Mill Road and the numbers of cars parked on the road or on verges have been counted at different times of the day and in the evening. The results of this survey are being analysed and will be used to consider how parking provision could be improved.
The Trust has also contacted West Sussex County highways department, Hyde Housing Association and Chichester District Council to discuss how the current parking problems could be resolved. A meeting with these organisations is to be held shortly to consider what could be done. We will keep all residents updated on progress through our website or newsletters.
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WCT is looking for people to get involved and join a variety of working groups to support our ongoing efforts. If you would like to get involved please contact us on the email below.
info@westbournecommunitytrust.org
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Your questions answered
Follow the public consultations WCT gathered all the questions from the sessions on the 8th and 9th February and the responses can be found on our web pages.
Read more...
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Westbourne Community Trust Membership
The Trust would like to thank all of the Westbourne community for the support that has been shown for its ideas and objectives. Following the drop-in sessions in February, we now have 77 members who have joined the Trust and paid for at least a £1 share. In some cases people have bought multiple shares or generously made a donation to our funds. The members who have joined come from across the village community and we really appreciate this level of support.
We’re hoping even more local people will get involved in our work or simply join as interested residents who support our principles of providing affordable housing for local people and preparing local projects to improve the quality of life for everyone in the community.
If you or your relatives, friends and neighbours would like to join the Trust or find out more about our work please go to our website.
www.westbournecommunitytrust.org
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