Council leader missed my point over need for jobs

Councillors John Penfold and Tony Dixon clearly understood it, and so did a great many other people who have contacted me about it.

So is the leader of West Sussex County Council deliberately trying to mislead us in his letter to the Observer last week, or is he genuinely unable to understand plain English?

I was trying to point out that to reduce Bognor's massive out-commuting problem needs at least 9,000 quality jobs, or maybe some 60 hectares of commercial land allocation in the Bognor area and major highway works to eliminate congestion points.

This needs to be addressed now, and it is wholly down to the councils to deal with it.

He responds by ignoring the issue altogether, instead of claiming council credit for seven very welcome projects, five of which are private enterprise and the only council involvement is as a regulatory-landowning body.

And all of them together will provide little more than 90 extra jobs '“ let alone 9,000 '“ mostly low-waged and some seasonal, as Cllr Dixon ably highlights. Please get a grip on reality Mr Smith!

As for the 309,453 Bognor highway improvements he claims, while this is welcome it is, nevertheless, peanuts.

WSCC's programme shows none of it is to do with easing congestion, being mostly routine maintenance such as carriageway resurfacing and footway reconstruction to various side roads, plus repairs because the job was badly done in the first place.

If a man in Mr Smith's position has failed to understand the vital importance and necessary scale of quality jobs, inward investment and ease of access to Bognor's regeneration, we are heading for an expensive dead end.

Mr Smith, if you are serious about regenerating Bognor, highways is an issue that needs your attention right now.

We call on you to direct your council towards immediate action.

And as you say you are 'working exceptionally closely' with Arun District Council, perhaps you might give them some energetic encouragement to deal promptly with the land allocation matter.

Hugh Coster, Deputy Chairman,

Bognor Regis Civic Society,

East Avenue, Middleton-on-sea.

He AND I may differ in the solution we offer for the local economy, but I have no difficulty in accepting the main thrust of Hugh Coster's assessment of provision for worthwhile jobs in Bognor as '˜tinkering' with the problem.

Undoubtedly more land must be allocated to attract investment which provides well-paid employment.

Between us, local and central government have failed to create conditions attractive to major investment in well-paid careers in Arun.

The planning process has changed dramatically but we need a similar change in the political outlook on development to seize new opportunities, one of which is unique to Arun and significant enough to attract long-term business development of the calibre we seek '“ the creation of a new settlement at Ford.

The Enterprise Hub proposals provide for 30 hectares devoted to job creation, three times the provision Hugh Coster advocates.

It provides for a link road between the A259 and A27 bridging the railway at a new Parkway station, where provision is made to integrate travel by car, bus or train to the north, east and west.

It can provide for at least 70 per cent of new housing required between 2011 and 2026 and include a large contribution to the need for affordable homes.

This '˜one site' approach to meeting economic, social and environmental needs would attract more than 16m private investment in infrastructure, allocating 18 hectares to education, 24 hectares for road and rail and 58 hectares of open space.

With the drive of a single development corporation behind it, the Ford Enterprise Hub will be phased to meet Arun's needs largely on a disused airfield midway between the two major towns and at an important point along the south-coast corridor.

It is now for Arun district councillors to give their assessment of the Ford proposals and to endorse them, or to bring forward proposals which themselves meet all the key objectives for sustainable development.

Harold Hall, Warningcamp, Arundel