Village is on the move with its approach to planning issues

A SIX-STRONG committee of councillors is steering Felpham towards the future.

The parish council members have the job of collating its work on producing its first neighbourhood plan.

A progress report on the efforts to give residents more control of the planning process was given by the council’s chairman, Paul English, at the latest annual electors’ meeting.

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Cllr English said: “This committee was only started recently by the determination of a few to ensure we and the parish have a plan to move forward on.

“The work has been hard and difficult but, with much help from the clerk and the determination of all involved, it is making progress.”

The committee comprises its chairman, Cllr Terry Phillips, and Barbara Peidot, Reg Geary, Geoff Farrell, Graham Matthews and Glenn Powell.

As reported, three drop-in days were held in March. About 100 residents attended and made comments on subjects such as the seafront, education, parks and open spaces, roads and transport and tree planting.

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“Each remark was transcribed verbatim on to a spread sheet and grouped into their respective headings,” said Cllr English.

“This information, although supplied by a small percentage of the Felpham population, will act as a source which will eventually form some of the subject matter of the initial questionnaire.”

A focus group will be formed to fine-tune the subjects for that survey before it is sent out in the coming months.

Cllr English also spoke about the parish council’s work during the past 12 months in matters such as projects like the Larksfield skatepark, public footpaths, allotments and its contribution towards keeping public toilets and car parks open and free to use.

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He also defended the 7.6 per cent increase in the amount residents are paying the parish council this year compared to 2010/11. This was due to the cost of last May’s elections and a cut in the number of properties used to calculate the payment.

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