Tel: 07342 166188|parishclerk@easebourne.org
FacebookEmailLoginLogin

Headline items on the home page

Work has started on the eco loo and new roof!

If you’ve visited the Park in the last week you will have seen some activity as you enter from the main car park near the portaloo, with work having now started on the construction of our Eco friendly loos. In addition, work on the brand new cedar shingle roof for the Roundhouse begins today.

The loo tanks are now in and the concrete base ready for the arrival of the building, which is due tomorrow, 18th April. We’ll update this post as the work continues, but all should be completed by the end of April.

The loos will then be open daily and maintained by Wettons.

 

Work has started on the eco loo and new roof!2023-04-17T10:20:31+01:00

Update from Chichester District Council following the Fire in North Street, Midhurst

Residents and visitors urged to support Midhurst businesses following major fire

Local residents and visitors are being encouraged to support businesses as work continues to help Midhurst recover following last month’s hotel fire at The Angel Inn hotel and neighbouring buildings.

People visiting Midhurst this Saturday 15 April could be in with a chance of winning between £5 and £250 worth of vouchers to spend in independent shops in the town. Between 10am and 3pm, the Midhurst Town Team will be handing out over 400 envelopes of ‘Midhurst Pounds’ outside Stockley Trading near the North Street car park. The vouchers will be handed out on a first come, first served basis and can be used until 31 May 2023. For more information, visit: www.facebook.com/MidhurstBusinessNetwork

A multi-agency recovery group, which includes Chichester District Council, West Sussex County Council, West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service, Midhurst Town Council and the South Downs National Park Authority, is working hard to support the town. The partners involved are urging people to support Midhurst by shopping and spending in the town, which boasts an excellent array of local and independent businesses, the vast majority of which are ‘open for business’ and can all be accessed on foot.

In consultation and agreement with the Business Recovery Group, Midhurst Town Team and Midhurst Town Council, following feedback from Midhurst businesses, Chichester District Council has been offering free parking for a period of a month (up until the end of 16 April) in order to help support residents and businesses in the first few weeks following the fire. From Monday 17 April, people can still access periods of free parking in The Grange car park, where they can benefit from two hours free parking per day, or in either the Post Office and North Street car parks, where they will receive an hour free per day. Customers will need to display a ticket or use MiPermit to obtain their stay (even during the free period). People can easily extend their stay by using the parking machines or using MiPermit:  https://secure.mipermit.com/chichester/

Residents and visitors looking to travel into Midhurst by bus, can currently access single bus tickets for £2 on the vast majority of routes in the district as part of the Government’s bus cap scheme, which will run until 30 June 2023. Please note that bus services in Midhurst are currently unable to serve Midhurst Bus Station, and so services 60, 91, 92 & 93 will now depart from a temporary bus stop at The Grange Leisure Centre / Library Car Park. For updates, visit: www.stagecoachbus.com/service-updates/serviceupdatesarticle?SituationId=ID-17/03/2023-15:02:33:525. The ‘traveline’ website — www.traveline.info — shows customers whether a particular bus journey is part of the £2 fare scheme and also provides live updates on the bus services.

To support Midhurst businesses during this difficult time, Chichester District Council has set up a business recovery group, which involves weekly meetings, updates, and plans on how funding should be spent to support the town in its recovery. Chichester District Council has set aside £300,000 to help the town get back on its feet and encourage residents and visitors to support local businesses in Midhurst. Further information about this support can be found here: www.chichester.gov.uk/article/37575/300000-is-set-aside-to-help-Midhurst-recover-following-hotel-fire.

One of the initiatives being developed is a grant scheme for Midhurst businesses and this will be available next week. This scheme is not related to business rates, which are determined by the government and which have separate support schemes available — anyone wishing to know more about this, can visit: www.chichester.gov.uk/businessratesdiscounts and www.gov.uk/apply-for-business-rate-relief

The Midhurst recovery group is committed to doing everything it can to reopen North Street to vehicles as soon as possible and to support those businesses affected by the incident. A firm of structural engineers, working on behalf of the owners, are devising a temporary façade support system that seeks to reopen as much of the road as possible whilst preserving the listed building facades. An update on timings will be issued as soon as possible after a further meeting with the structural engineers, owners, South Downs National Park Authority, Historic England and Chichester District Council next week. Once the building has been made secure, it will be possible to open the road (A286 North Street) to vehicles.

The West Sussex County Council Highways team have organised a diversion around the closed North Street with related signage at key locations. To ease congestion, temporary one-way restrictions have been put in place on the lanes surrounding Midhurst. Both the diversion and one-way restrictions are being monitored and adjusted where needed. Drivers are urged to follow official diversion signage, with more information available on: https://one.network. The team has also been responding to reports of potholes in the area and continue to encourage people to report these at: www.westsussex.gov.uk/roads-and-travel/report-a-pothole-online/ or by calling 01243 642105.

West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service responded to the fire, and they are currently investigating the cause. The investigation is complex and the buildings are not yet safe to enter, which is impacting the timescale for the investigation. It is anticipated that it may take a few months to determine the cause.

All waste and recycling collections are operating as usual after the council put in plans in place to overcome access issues. To keep up to date, the council is encouraging residents to download the Chichester District Council app, which provides personalised notifications on waste and recycling collections: www.chichester.gov.uk/chichesterdcapp

All of the agencies involved would like to thank local residents and businesses for their feedback, which is discussed at a multi-agency group every week. A series of Frequently Asked Questions — covering information about the incident, who is involved in the recovery process and who is responsible for what elements, and how residents and businesses are currently being supported — will be published on Chichester District Council’s website at: www.chichester.gov.uk/latestnews.

Residents are also encouraged to visit this web page and follow the council’s social media channels for the latest updates on the situation.

Update from Chichester District Council following the Fire in North Street, Midhurst2023-04-14T19:47:20+01:00

CDC press release 6th April

Work continues to help Midhurst recover from major fire

A multi-agency recovery group has today (Thursday 6 April) issued a further update following the major hotel fire at The Angel Inn hotel and neighbouring buildings on the A286 North Street in Midhurst.

The group, which includes Chichester District Council, West Sussex County Council, West Sussex Fire and Rescue; Midhurst Town Council and the South Downs National Park Authority, are committed to doing everything they can to reopen the road to vehicles as soon as possible and support those businesses affected by the incident.

The South Downs National Park Authority, as the local planning authority for Midhurst, has asked the owners and their structural engineers to shore up the buildings as quickly as possible. Currently, it is estimated that the work may take six weeks from 3 April, but it is hoped that it can be completed quicker than this. Once the buildings have been made secure, it will be possible to open the road to vehicles.

West Sussex County Council Highways team have organised a diversion with related signage at key locations. To ease congestion, temporary one-way restrictions have been put in place on the lanes surrounding Midhurst and other options are currently being considered. The diversion and one-way restrictions are also being monitored and adjusted where needed. Drivers are urged to follow official diversion signage, with more information available on https://one.network. The county council is also aware that local roads are seeing significantly higher volumes of traffic than usual due to the diversion. They are increasing their targeted inspections and repairs and are also regularly reviewing works in the wider area to reduce disruption as much as possible. The team has also been responding to reports of potholes in the area and are encouraging people to report these at: www.westsussex.gov.uk/roads-and-travel/report-a-pothole-online/ or by calling 01243 642105.

Chichester District Council has been working closely with local businesses through a recovery group, which involves weekly meetings, updates, and plans on how funding should be spent to support the town in its recovery. Chichester District Council has promised to set aside £300,000 to help the town get back on its feet and encourage residents and visitors to support local businesses in Midhurst. A member of the council’s Economic Development team has also been seconded to support businesses in the town for the next two months. The district council is also continuing to offer free parking in its Midhurst car parks until the end of 16 April 2023.

All waste and recycling collections are operating as usual after the council put in plans in place to overcome access issues. The only exception this week, is that changes have had to be made to the collection date for five roads in Midhurst, because the crews are unable to use their access route through Midhurst Rother College on Friday, due to the bank holiday. Instead, the collection date for Lamberts Lane, Orchard Way, Park Crescent, Wyndham Place and Gilbert Hannam Close was moved to Thursday (6 April) morning. Due to unavoidable changes such as this, the council is encouraging residents to download the Chichester District Council app, which provides personalised notifications on waste and recycling collections. Residents are also urged to follow the council’s social media pages and website (www.chichester.gov.uk/latestnews)  where updates are also shared.

Chichester District Council has also arranged two drop-in information sessions for residents and businesses at the South Downs National Park Authority offices. The first one took place on Thursday 6 April and a further one will be held on Wednesday 12 April between 2-4pm. Chichester District Council staff from the Supporting You, Economic Development and Social Prescribing services will be on hand to provide information and help, along with representatives from West Sussex County Council’s Highways team and the South Downs National Park Authority.

All of the agencies involved are committed to doing everything they can to get the road reopened to vehicles as soon as possible and helping Midhurst to recover from this dreadful incident. The agencies would like to thank residents and businesses for their feedback, which is discussed at a multi-agency group every week to be considered and responded to. The partners will continue to keep both residents and businesses closely updated on the situation.

CDC press release 6th April2023-04-07T13:34:35+01:00

Coffee and cake in Easebourne Park!

We’re thrilled that The Goatbox, a brand new local business has agreed to come along to Easebourne Park over the Easter school holidays to provide barista coffees, teas, bake and cold drinks to our visitors.

Tom and Alice will be open from around 9.30 until 3 everyday, possibly longer over the Easter weekend and weather permitting! The forecast is looking good for most of the holidays, and with the addition of the loo in the Park, it really does become an all day destination!

Just in case you’re planning to visit from outside of the Midhurst and Easebourne area, please note that you cannot drive through Midhurst at present and many rural lanes are now operating as 1-way to ease the flow of traffic, so worth checking the route before you head off! No problem coming from Petworth or Haslemere. From Chichester you can go via Ambersham/Selham, or north towards Milland and then through Fernhurst. 

Coffee and cake in Easebourne Park!2023-06-27T11:04:50+01:00

Midhurst update – 3rd April Press Release

Here is the press release issued by CDC today:

Multi-agency recovery group issues update following major fire in Midhurst

A multi-agency recovery group has today (Monday 3 April 2023) issued an update following the major hotel fire at The Angel Inn hotel and neighbouring buildings on the A286 North Street in Midhurst.

The group, which includes Chichester District Council, West Sussex County Council, West Sussex Fire and Rescue; Midhurst Town Council and the South Downs National Park Authority, are committed to doing everything they can to reopen the road to vehicles as soon as possible and support those businesses and residents affected by the incident. They have stressed that the vast majority of businesses on North Street are ‘open for business’ and can all be accessed on foot from nearby car parks.

South Downs National Park Authority and Historic England, who need to approve work on listed buildings, have been urgently assessing the report from the building owner’s Structural Engineer to develop a clear plan of action.

Although there has been major damage to the buildings, at this stage it is believed it may be possible to save some parts of the buildings, which are listed and have historical significance. There is a legal requirement to save what we can of these buildings.

South Downs National Park Authority has asked the owners to temporarily shore up the buildings and has given permission to remove the chimneys from the Angel Inn, which are at risk of collapse. This is supported by Historic England.

The Structural Engineers working on behalf of the owners of the buildings affected has advised that this work is likely to take around six weeks from now. However, South Downs National Park Authority is urging the owners and insurers to move this forward as quickly as possible, with the hope that it could be completed sooner. It is thought that the timeline will become clearer over the next week and further updates will be provided.

Once the building has been made secure, it will be possible to open the road to vehicles.

Chichester District Council has arranged two drop-in information sessions for residents and businesses in Midhurst. These will take place on Thursday 6 April (10am–12pm) and Wednesday 12 April (2pm–4pm) and will be held at the South Downs National Park Authority offices. Chichester District Council staff from the Supporting You, Economic Development and Social Prescribing services will be on hand to provide information and help.

Chichester District Council has also set up a recovery group with local businesses, which involves meetings, updates, and funding for marketing and promotional purposes to support the town. They are also offering free parking in Chichester District Council car parks in Midhurst until the end of 16 April 2023 and are currently working on other forms of support.

Parking restrictions on-street still apply. People are also being urged not to park in front of the section of North Street that is currently closed, because this is needed for emergency vehicle access.

All of the agencies involved are committed to doing everything they can to get the road reopened to vehicles as soon as possible and helping Midhurst to recover from this dreadful incident. The partners will continue to keep both residents and businesses closely updated on the situation.

Midhurst update – 3rd April Press Release2023-06-27T11:05:10+01:00

Yellow Loo!

Pending the construction of our new permanent toilet, we have hired a yellow loo for the Easter school holidays – top of the park in the corner – you really can’t miss it!

Yellow Loo!2023-04-02T08:18:16+01:00

Ever wanted to get into Advertising?

As you may already know, our village magazine has a new Editor and Designer, but they are in need of someone to manage the advertising. We’re told this is not an onerous task. It involves contacting the regular advertisers each year to renew their adverts and handle any new ones that might come in with each issue.

At most, it’s a couple of hours work in an eight-week cycle.

If anyone can help please could you email: easebourneeditor@btinternet.com

Ever wanted to get into Advertising?2023-03-31T17:52:40+01:00

Goat Box Coffee comes to Easebourne Park

Exciting news!

We’ve arranged with local Mobile Coffee bar The Goat Box to visit us in Easebourne Park over the Easter Holidays to provide barista coffees, cakes, bakes and cold drinks to visitors!

Tom will be with us from the 3rd April, most days and all over the long Easter weekend. The following week also on Monday to Wednesday and then again the weekend of the 15th and 16th.

We hope that it will be busy enough so that we can tempt Tom back again for selected dates throughout the summer!

The Goat Box will be serving from mid morning to mid afternoon – subject to change depending a little on weather and visitors of course. Don’t forget there will also be a temporary loo in the Park over the same period as we shortly begin the build of the permanent eco loos and the brand new roof for The Roundhouse.

Lots going on in Easebourne Park in the coming month!

Goat Box Coffee comes to Easebourne Park2023-06-27T11:05:26+01:00

Midhurst Highways Update – 29th March 2023

The Structural Report has been sent to the Historic England, Chichester District Council and the South Downs National Park Authority. They are reviewing the findings and are developing a plan of action for the building.  This is likely to take the rest of the week due to the very complex nature of the situation so we have been told they will be able to give us a further, more detailed, update at the beginning of next week.
We recognise that strong feeling around the road closure but can only open the road when it is safe to do so.
With regard to wider highway matters, the find and fix gang is still in the area and working on the lanes surrounding Midhurst.  We are introducing further one way plugs at Selham Road and Oaklands Lane to try and reduce the volume of traffic travelling east from Midhurst along the narrow lanes.  We will be reviewing these measures on a daily basis and may put in place more formal one way systems as we expect to see increases in larger vehicles from the polo events.
The team will be reviewing all of the diversion signage to remove any unnecessary signage and ensure there is no confusion from multiple diversion routes in the area i.e. Pook Lane, Lavant.
The Variable Message Signs have been generally well received but there are concerns that the public believe the whole of Midhurst may be closed. Chichester District Council (lead organisation for comms) will be issuing a press release to try and address this and reiterate the town is still open for business as usual.
Midhurst Highways Update – 29th March 20232023-03-29T20:41:16+01:00
Go to Top