Cooksbridge, Offham & Hamsey

FLEUR DE PARIS: Have you booked your tickets yet from Judith as this is a very popular event. Friday March 24 in the church hall at 7.30pm. Tickets £11 to include light refreshments and a glass of wine. Call Judith on 01273 474356.

ANNUAL JUMBLE SALE: The Community Jumble Sale is on Saturday March 25 at 2pm in the village hall, Beechwood Lane. Tea, coffee and cakes will be on sale. If you need jumble collected, please ring Anita Walker on 01273 472595. Jumble can be taken to the hall on Friday March 24 between 2pm and 4pm, or on Saturday morning between 10am and noon. Offers of help will be greatly appreciated. All profits go towards community events.

DOWNLAND: I am sure that there will be many who were pleased to hear that the Downland near Eastbourne is to stay in public possession. I have the original copy of The Times, dated Wednesday April 27, 1938 which Derek’s father fortunately had kept and has that wonderful picture of the Downs behind Courthouse. It was at the time of the inquiry on Downland preservation held at Lewes and the heading was Safe From the Builder and describes the Downs as the ‘fairest and most famous’ from the boundaries of Eastbourne to those of Brighton and shows Blackcap. The lovely picture was taken from the slopes of Mount Harry by a staff photographer Derek recognised the gentleman walking down the slope towards Courthouse as the late Major Stickland and one of the boys with him was his son Alan, who read my piece in the Sussex Express several years ago. The late Alan Strickland lived in France but kept in touch with me for a number of years. How pleased he would have been to have heard the news that part of the Downland that he loved so much will also be preserved in perpetuity in its natural condition. My poor paper, which I have shown to many people, is getting a bit frayed from old age.

MOTHERING SUNDAY: Family Service at St Peter’s Church on Sunday March 26 at 10.30am. Flowers for mums during the service.

PARISH COUNCIL: When Hamsey Parish Council met recently there were quite a lot of agenda items for discussion. There were several concerns from residents. One re the condition of Whitfield Lane in Hamsey; land clearing in Offham; comments on behaviour of a councillor; resident concerned about road markings and salt bin; resident concerned about telegraph poles in Wickham Lane; concerns about poor phone coverage; Whitfield Lane, state of roads; concern about mud and potholes between Cooksbridge and Offham Garage; concern over necessary tree work in Offham and concern regarding a planning application.

PLANNING MATTERS: LW/17/0126 No 4 Chandlers Mead, Cooksbridge. Construction of a log cabin to rear garden to run a dog grooming business. LW/17/0030 Knights Court, South Road, South Common. Redevelopment of the site with six residential units to replace business units. PC object. SDNP/16/06376 The Old Wheelwrights Shop, The Street, Offham. Retrospective application for replacement of conservatory. PC support. SDNP/17 00397 7/8 Offham Cottages, The Street, Offham. Retention of doorway on ground floor and partial removal of stud partition on first floor. PC no comment. LW/17/0117 Former Hamsey Brickworks, South Road, South Common. Removal of condition 27 attached to planning approval LW/14/0712. Planning decisions by LDC. LW/16/0935 Chatfields Yard, Cooksbridge. Construction of 27 dwellings and landscaping access and parking. Still pending. SDNP/16/03729/PA 16 Telecommunication poles. Offham Road, Offham. Refused. SDNP/16/06376 The Old Wheelwrights Shop, Offham. Replacement of conservatory. Granted.

TRUSTEES REPORT: For the village hall. To note that Parish Cllr Suttie has volunteered as a trustee. The hall trustees have agreed that dogs should be kept on leads when in the recreation ground as the problem with dog mess has become extreme. Also, someone is taking away all the dog waste bags provided by the trustees.

The next meeting of the parish council is on Thursday May 18.

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