In this issue:
It's quite a while since our last Newsletter, so there's some catching up to do. First and foremost, the Village Society has a new Chairman, so we put out the “Welcome Mat”, if not the red carpet, for Andy Wilson; we note the composition of the Management Committee, look back at the topics discussed at our Quarterly Meetings and report on other matters which came to our attention during the past year. Housing and waste management get a mention and, finally, we ask what is that area, so frequently referred to by planners and headline writers, the “South East?”
It's no secret that, for the past 18 months, the Village Society has been looking for a new Chairman to take over from Chris Hipwell, who has come to the end of his allotted term at the helm of the Society. So it's a big, big welcome to Andy Wilson who has agreed to head up the Society at least until the AGM in July 2002.
Andy and his wife Hillary and their two daughters moved to Newick in 1988. Andy works in the fast-moving field of Information Technology and has also been involved in the Twinning Association for several years. Members of the Village Society's management committee were unanimous in applauding Andy Wilson's appointment; “He is active and will bring new thinking to the Society” said former Chairman, Chris Hipwell, “He might even manage to get members of the committee to adopt email!”
From the new Chairman:
Welcome to the first edition of the Newsletter since I took over the mantle of Chairman from Chris Hipwell. At the risk of repeating what I say in my letter to all members, I must pay tribute to Chris for all the hard work he has done in the past five years, to establish the Society as an important and respected body within the village.
Our most important asset as a society is you, our members. I look forward to seeing you at our various meetings in the future, to discuss local issues and exchange ideas.
Andy Wilson
Our first talk in 2000 was given by Inspector Neil Moscrop who spoke about community policing and crime in the countryside. Newick, it seems, is a law-abiding community by police standards, with only 7 reported assaults during 1999, 28 burglaries or attempted break-ins and a low incidence of car crime with 21 cars being broken into and 6 stolen. Public nostalgia for the Bobby on the beat was acknowledged but politely dismissed. However, those who wanted to contact a “local” policeman were invited to call in, at the Community Centre on Thursday mornings when a representative of this endangered species makes a weekly visit.
In April an excellent presentation by Prof Kelvin MacDonald, Director of Room, the National Council for Housing and Planning, provided a balanced view of housing in the South East. While accepting that more houses were necessary, Prof MacDonald also supported the need for a greater say by local authorities in the number of houses which should be built in their own areas.
Postponed in October because of flooding in Lewes, a talk on Village Appraisals by Trevor Watson of Lewes District Council was eventually given on 20 November. It was worth the wait; the speaker, a great enthusiast for village appraisals, explained the concept and described how it had been implemented in Barcombe. There is a general need for better information about what people expect and hope for in village life. This goes beyond the vital question of housing, taking in such issues as employment, public transport, the needs of the young, access to a Post Office and shops, and the effectiveness of medical and social services. Mr Watson emphasised that a village appraisal is a community undertaking and although the parish council might be expected to play a leading role in running the project, its success would depend on the active participation of all sections of the community.
These three talks demonstrate the range of issues addressed by the Society and its commitment to keeping members informed about planning issues, the state of local services and developments which could have an impact on village life.
Be honest. You probably thought that the South East was that corner of England, south of London and the Thames and comprising the counties of Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex and Surrey, didn't you? Wrong, that is if you accept the government's definition of the South East. It then becomes a much bigger area which currently includes Essex, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire (although these three counties will eventually be included in a new East of England regional planning body), Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.
From Bexhill to Banbury, Hampshire to Harwich. The Government’s definition of the South-East
Does this matter? Yes, it does, because official attitudes to a region of England are conditioned by the contribution which it makes to the national economy. And the South East, even if London is excluded, is still the driver of economic growth for the country as a whole. In the past, problems posed by economic deprivation and also economic strength were dealt with largely by local authorities, and solutions tended to be local in scope. Now with moves towards regional government gathering momentum, we are moving towards a planning culture in which local problems will be seen in the context of, and perhaps subordinated to, wider strategic issues. The 1998 Regional Development Agencies Act created eight regions plus London. In the South East two new bodies, SEERA - the South East England Regional Assembly and SEEDA - the South East England Development Agency, were established in time for the official launch of the new regional structure in April 1999.
Early portents have not been encouraging. SEEDA sprang into action with a strategy consultation document in two parts, the first of which included a “Framework for Change”, replete with feel-good statements couched in an indigestible mix of business-school and IT jargon. The South East is seen as “A global communications and business gateway” which could bring with it enormous opportunities. “Businesses such as tourism, air transport and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) will lead the way.” It is also seen as “A centre of excellence for leading edge innovation - critical in the transition from established manufacturing into a knowledge-based, high-technology future”. And there's more. The South East will be “A leader in developing tomorrow's businesses - biotechnology, environmental and land-based businesses, marine technology and multi-media. All this will be made possible by a network of 25-30 Enterprise Hubs which will provide inter-firm networking, supply-chain development, company start-up and expansion.” In aggregate, the Enterprise Hubs will constitute a Wired Region, which will have 500-1000 internet/intranet access points and “provide benefits to all people and all places in the region.”
At this point you might well ask “What's all this got to do with Newick?” Good question. Despite the dire business-babble in which it is written, the “Framework for Change” does have relevance for some parts of the South-East.. the M11 corridor between Harlow and Stansted, the Milton Keynes area, Oxford, the M4 corridor between Heathrow and Reading, the Crawley/Gatwick area and the fast-developing area around Ashford all come within the ambit of SEEDA's prescriptions for future business growth. But Newick? Or, come to that, East Sussex? Here SEEDA's ambition to transform the South East into a “World Class Region” and its “one-size-fits-all” approach to achieving this aim have little relevance. Employment opportunities, housing needs and scope for business start-ups differ widely across the Region. Milton Keynes and Mayfield are a world apart in terms of their potential for economic development. East Sussex is quite remarkably unsuited to playing even a minor role in the pursuit of cutting-edge growth. The population is dispersed, with 64 per cent living in rural districts. Communications and public transport are poor. No less than 63 per cent of the county lies within designated areas of outstanding natural beauty (AONB). Between Gatwick in the west and Ashford in the east there is little but beautiful, unspoilt countryside from the Ashdown Forest to Burwash Weald and the area around Battle; great for tourism, but hardly the stuff of world-class economic development. Let's keep it that way.
The preposterous proposal to build two four-bedroomed dwellings on the site of the former Barclays Bank has, quite rightly, been turned down. The Parish Council opposed the plan from the outset. Now Lewes District Council has refused the planning application on the grounds that the proposed houses would be detrimental to the character and appearance of the Conservation Area, that they would amount to an over-development of the site and would have a detrimental impact on the adjoining occupier.
What will the developer, Shire Barns Ltd, do next? Presumably, a proposal for a single dwelling house of more modest proportions is in the pipeline.
The fate of Acerlands, another sensitive site in the centre of the village, is even more distressing. There the landscaped gardens planted with colourful acers and other ornamental trees and shrubs are now (January 2001) a scene of total devastation. Plans by Berkeley Homes to build four “executive homes” on the site were opposed by the Village Society and the Parish Council and, here too, planning consent was refused by Lewes District Council. However, the developer appealed against this decision and the appeal was upheld, paving the way for the current despoilation of the site.
Look what they’ve done to Acerlands
The houses, priced at around £425,000, have all been sold before a brick has been laid. When they move in, the new owners will not benefit from a vestige of the landscaped gardens, except for a few designated trees. By then Acerlands will be no more than a memory. Hardwick Place with its four executive homes, garages, parking spaces and service roads will have wiped it off the map.
The outcome of the proposed construction of 10 houses in the field behind Bullsfield is still unclear, despite planning permission having been granted in principle as far back as May of last year. The developer, Hastoe Housing Association has put out a tender for the building works and the road widening and other improvements which are required in Cricketfield, the only access road to the new development.
At the end of the day, it will boil down to who pays for what, and whether the project is economically viable from the Housing Association’s point of view.
At last year's AGM it was agreed that the Management Committee should be enlarged to bring in new members with specific know-how and experience. As well as Andy Wilson, our new Chairman, this also paved the way for the appointment of Chris Armitage who has taken over the post of Hon Treasurer from Dick Starling, and Paddy Cumberledge whose local knowledge and longstanding experience of village affairs is proving to be extremely valuable.
We have had two resignations: Tony Rennick, and also Geoff Ellsworth, a founder member of the Society and long-time Committee member, who has resigned for personal reasons. This leaves us with a Committee of 11 members whose names are listed here.