The next Commonwealth War Graves Tours at St Mary’s Easebourne are taking place on Saturday 1st August at 11am. Tours are free but tickets should be booked in advance via the link – CWGC Tours 2026 – Easebourne (St. Mary) Churchyard Tickets, Multiple dates | Eventbrite
Many Parishioners have been in touch with the Parish Council regarding the licensing application for The Tile House (what was the Cook Shop). You can view details of the application here – 26/00894/LAPRE | New Premises Licence | Open for Consultation | Cook The Tile House Easebourne Lane Easebourne Midhurst West Sussex GU29 9AZ
The Council has listened to concerns, discussed and submitted an objection as a result. You can read the submission below. If you would like to let Chichester District Council know what you think, the consultation is open until 23rd July, just follow the above link, go to the comments tab and click on “Make a comment”.
Easebourne Parish Council strongly objects to this licensing application for several reasons. Multiple concerns have been raised by Parishioners, which the Council shares.
There is no requirement for an additional alcohol or tobacco products/vapes retailer in this rural village. The M&S food store at the BP garage directly opposite sells these items and is open from 6.30am until 10pm daily. The Village Shop on Easebourne Street also sells the same items and there are several retailers a short walk away in Midhurst. The applicant has not demonstrated why additional vape, tobacco product and alcohol availability is necessary in a village that is already served by two outlets within a five minute walk and more within ten minutes.
The Parish Council believes that the four statutory objectives of the Licensing Act 2003 have not been met by this application.
On this basis, the Parish Council strongly objects to this application and urges the District Council to reject this and any future similar applications for this unsuitable location.
The Regulation 19 Consultation on the South Downs Local Plan Proposed Submission has now closed.
Over the last few weeks, the Parish Council has spoken to many residents on the matter, at our public meeting at the beginning of the month, over email and in person. We then took all of those views and used them to form the basis for our comments, which we submitted to SDNPA earlier this week. You can download and read the final piece by clicking here.
Thank you to all of those who have shared their opinions and comments with us, we’ve seen really high community engagement, which has been absolutely amazing!
The Fete is back for 2026, with the exciting addition of a new partner…
St Mary’s Church have now joined us and Easebourne School PTA to bring you a bigger and better day out!
Classes for this year’s dog show are as follows –
12.30pm – Walking to heel
1pm – Dog the judge would most like to take home
1.30pm – Hide and seek
2pm – Dog agility challenge
2.30pm – Best in show
£2 per entry – entrants to arrive with owners and entry fee 5 minutes before the class begins.
The Parish Council along with the Primary School have been trying to improve safety by reducing the speed of vehicles using Wheelbarrow Castle. Unfortunately this has proved to be quite a challenge however we would like to make one more attempt at submitting a Traffic Regulation Order to the local authority.
Part of the submission needs to be the results of a short consultation with local residents, road users and parents of children at the school. There are just 7 questions so we’d really appreciate just a minute of your time to help us submit this application.
Please share this with your friends, family and neighbours. The more responses we receive the better informed we will be.
A further consultation has now been launched to help decide the future of Local Government in West Sussex.
Following feedback from the previous consultation, which opened in November, the Government is now seeking views on two additional options. These are based on modifications to proposals previously submitted by local authorities in Sussex.
The consultation will run until 23.59 on 15 June and can be accessed at: https://consult.communities.gov.uk/local-government-reorganisation/west-sussex-two-unitary-proposal-modification/
In West Sussex, the additional proposal involves the creation of two unitary authorities. One authority would bring together Chichester District, Crawley Borough, Horsham District and Mid Sussex District, serving a population of approximately 566,000. The second would combine Arun District, Adur District and Worthing Borough, with an estimated population of 349,000.
A further option has also been proposed for East Sussex and Brighton & Hove, again based on two unitary authorities. Under this model, Brighton & Hove would be combined with parts of Lewes District, including the wards of East Saltdean and Telscombe Cliffs, Peacehaven West, Peacehaven East, Peacehaven North, and Falmer Parish, creating an authority serving around 308,000 residents. A second authority would include Eastbourne Borough, Hastings Borough, Rother District, Wealden District and the remaining areas of Lewes District, with a population of approximately 537,000.
As part of the consultation, respondents will be asked whether these modified options would deliver more effective unitary local government arrangements than those previously proposed.
All earlier proposals that were previously consulted on remain under consideration. These include the two options put forward by all eight West Sussex councils. One was for a single unitary authority covering the whole of West Sussex, which was supported by West Sussex County Council. The other was for two unitary authorities in West Sussex – one which would include Chichester District, Arun District, Worthing Borough and Adur District and the other covering Horsham District, Mid Sussex District and Crawley Borough. This option was supported by all of the district and borough councils in West Sussex.
Other proposals included a single unitary authority for the East Sussex area, developed collaboratively and supported by most East Sussex councils, as well as a separate proposal from Brighton & Hove City Council suggesting the creation of five unitary authorities across Sussex. This included placing Chichester District with Horsham District and Crawley Borough; Brighton & Hove with parts of Lewes; Eastbourne with Hastings, Rother plus parts of Lewes and Wealden; Mid Sussex District with parts of Wealden and Lewes; and finally, Arun District with Adur District and Worthing Borough.
Responses to both consultations will be reviewed by Ministers ahead of a final decision which is expected in the summer.
Hard copies of the consultation are available at council offices for those who are unable to respond online. They will also be available at libraries across West Sussex from 19 May.
Further information about local government reorganisation, including more information about the West Sussex Business case can be found at www.chichester.gov.uk/devolution and www.shapingwestsussex.org
Chichester District Council are currently reviewing rules for dogs in open spaces and are seeking views on proposals to extend and amend the existing Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) for dog control, which is due to expire in October 2026.
Under the current PSPO, the requirement to immediately remove dog mess applies only to public land, such as footpaths, verges, parks and the foreshore. They are now proposing to extend this requirement so that it applies to all publicly accessible land across the district, including privately owned land that is open to the public and free to enter, excluding Forestry Commission land. This would mean that dog fouling measures would apply to the same areas as the current requirement to keep dogs on leads when directed by an authorised officer.
Dogs are welcome in most public spaces, but it is generally recognised that having some designated areas where people can exercise or spend leisure time without dogs can be beneficial — for example, fenced children’s play areas.
A copy of the draft PSPO and answers to frequently asked questions about how the order works and why it is used can be found on the council’s consultation web hub: https://letstalk.chichester.gov.uk/dogsinpublicspaces. People can share their views in the survey by visiting: https://letstalk.chichester.gov.uk/dogsinpublicspaces/participate before 5pm on Friday 5 June 2026. A paper copy of the survey can be requested by emailing: letstalk@chichester.gov.uk.
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.
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.
