County Council Elections – Thursday 7th May
All Parishioners should be aware of the upcoming local elections. Please follow this link to the West Sussex County Council website for more information Local elections – West Sussex County Council
Next Steps for the site of the former Angel Inn, North Street, Midhurst
Three years ago today, we all awoke to the news of the devastating fire on North Street, Midhurst. In one terrible night, we lost several businesses and residences. The four months that followed were a nightmare for everyone in the area, with North Street completely closed to traffic and daily gridlock on the alternative local routes. Eventually, the scaffolding was erected and the road re-opened, albeit minus a pavement on that side.
Since then there has been very little progress at the site, other than the occasional Surveyor and the erection of the display on the hoardings.
Easebourne Parish Council has written to the SDNPA and Historic England today to express support for the position taken by Midhurst Vision Partnership, Midhurst Business Partnership and local traders – that the remains of the site should now be delisted, demolished and redeveloped. However, this must be carefully managed to ensure that there is no disruption to traffic flow through Midhurst. You can read the letter here.
The Council is hopeful that this will be the final push to reach a resolution that all parties are satisfied with.
Grant Applications Open for 26/27 Financial Year
The next Finance Committee meeting is due to take place on Wednesday 1st April and grant applications will be on the agenda.
If you are an organisation which provides a service/benefit to the residents of Easebourne then please take a look at our Grants and Donations Policy to see whether you are eligible to apply.
APPLICATION FORMS AND ALL SUPPORTING PAPERS MUST BE RECEIVED BY 25TH MARCH 2026 IN ORDER TO BE CONSIDERED. Any received later than this will be invited to re-apply at the October round. Only applications with a completed form will be considered – a standalone letter will not.
Road Closure – Woolbeding Lane
The National Trust have let us know that they are undertaking essential works on the buildings at Woolbeding Gardens over the next 14 weeks. This will unfortunately require a full closure of the road from the junction with Hollist Lane beginning on the 2nd March, meaning no access to the A272 along this route. Additional signage will be placed at the Easebourne end of Hollist Lane, to minimise the number of vehicles heading down there and having to turn around. Access will be maintained for emergency services at all times.
Roundhouse Repairs Completed
As many will already know, the Roundhouse at Easebourne Park was significantly damaged by vandals last Autumn, causing damage which ran to thousands of pounds. The race was on to get the repairs done before the Carols in the Park event, due to be held in mid-December. Thanks to the hard work of the team of Councillors responsible for management of the park and various contractors, the work was completed in time and the event was a huge success.
Special thanks go to Artizans of Wood for making time in their busy schedule to prioritise the repair and to S Chandler Contracting for a very kind donation of wood.
Could you be a Parish Councillor?
The Parish Council currently has 2 vacancies for new Councillors.
You don’t need to have been involved in local Council before and you don’t need any specific experience. It’s more important to have a willingness to be part of your community and want to make a difference.
As a Parish Council we get involved in a variety of areas, including local planning applications and longer term strategy, highways improvements and of course budget setting. We also look after Easebourne Park and as you might have heard are now working on an exciting project to create a Community Hub.
If you’d like to find out more about what’s involved and how you could help, please get in touch to arrange an informal chat.
Email parishclerk@easebourne.org or mike@easebourne.org
Easebourne Community Hub Update
Easebourne Parish Council are progressing this community initiative after the Christmas break.
- The Planning Application has been submitted.
- A project manager (PM) has been appointed by EPC, post a competitive tendering process, and the PM is in the process of refining costings by consultation with relevant trade experts.
- The funding process is going to take longer that we had hoped but we are now finalising a plan and will issue updates on this as soon as we have them. In the meantime if anyone in the Parish has fundraising experience please get in touch!
- Further essential consultation with parishioners is being prepared, this next phase to be a series of meetings where the EPC will have displays of what is proposed and will be eager to listen to what our community has to say about these detailed plans. These open meetings will also be used to launch an Easebourne Community Hub “go fund me” type of initiative where interested parishioners will be given the opportunity to donate towards this important community facility.
Greenheal Fruit Tree Scheme Opens for Orders
Following a successful pilot last year, local charity Greenheal are now taking orders for their fruit tree scheme.
The project has been expanded this year, with more trees to choose from – peach, plum, pear, cherry and apple – at a subsidised price of £21.50 each.
Trees can be ordered via the Greenheal website (link below), with a final delivery date to be confirmed, but expected to be during March.
Another Success Story from a Parish Council Grant Recipient
Easebourne Parish Council awarded a grant of £250 to Home-Start Chichester & District in October 2025 and has received a lovely report from them on how the funds have been put to use directly supporting families in Easebourne.
This Charity matches trained volunteers with families in need of practical and emotional support, who then visit them at home weekly. They also run a support group in Midhurst for the families that they assist and organise tea parties, picnics and day trips. As a direct result of their work, these families are less isolated, parents and children have improved wellbeing and parents have improved parenting and family management skills.
Well done to everyone at Home-Start for making a difference in our community!