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What next for Valley Ponds?
Saturday 10th June 2017 - 10am-2pm at the Ponds
Come and meet the people who look after Valley Ponds and find out how they are managed for local wildlife and local people
Find out what has been done to help reduce surface water flooding in nearby streets
Let us know what you think we should do with the grassed area at the Lee Way end of the Ponds
Save our Crown Post Office
Local Resident Jenifer Jones has organised a meeting for all Newhaven residents and businesses to a Town Meeting to be held on Saturday 17th June 2017 from 10.00am to 12 noon at the Hillcrest Centre, Bay View Road.
Defibrillators for Newhaven
Last year's Town Mayor, Councillor Steve Saunders raised over £6,600 through tea dances, quizzes and a Gala Dinner to enable him to purchase five defibrillators to be installed in sites across Newhaven to help save lives.
The defibrillators have been presented to Sainsburys, Tates Garden Paradise, the Hillcrest Community Centre, the RNLI Station and Newhaven Fort.
A defibrillator is a device that gives a high energy electric shock to the heart through the chest wall to someone who is in cardiac arrest. The ones in Newhaven are public access defibrillators and are in public locations where lots of people gather so that anyone can use them in an emergency. The machine gives clear spoken instructions and you don't need training to use one. The defibrillator detects the heart's rhythm and it won't deliver a shock unless one is needed.
A short film showing how a defibrillator works can be viewed on the British Heart Foundation website www.bhf.org.uk/heart-health
Newhaven Post Office
What can the Citizens Advice do for you?
Lewes District Citizens Advice is an independent charity providing free, confidential and impartial advice to anyone living or working within the Lewes District area. We value diversity, promote equality and challenge discrimination.
We help people to resolve their problems by providing information and advice on a wide range of topics including debt, benefits, employment, consumer, relationships and housing. We are also involved in campaigning, both locally and nationally to make sure that local people have their voices heard so that collectively we can influence policy makers and affect change.
The most recent example is Citizens Advice calling for money advice to be offered at key life moments as consumer borrowing rises
"The Bank of England's figures for March 2017 show consumer credit increased by 10.2% in the year to March, to £197.4 billion." (Gillian Guys CECA)
Changing life circumstances e.g. the loss of a job, getting married or starting a family can put pressure on people's finances and mean they should think differently about their income and outgoings.
Need some information about budgeting and the effect of changes you may be experiencing? Contact the Citizens Advice on 03444111444
Post Office Limited are currently carrying out a public consultation on their proposal to move Newhaven Post Office to newly refurbished premises at 1-2 Newhaven Square. If the move goes ahead, the branch will be run by Mr Selvia Muttiah. The move is part of plans to make changes to some of the branches currently directly managed by Post Office Limited to ensure that they provide services that will meet customer needs, both now and into the future, to secure the long-term viability of Post Office services.
For full details of the consultation please click here.
The 2017 Newhaven Community Awards for Young People were presented at the Annual Town Meeting, which took place on Tuesday 2nd May at the Hillcrest Community Centre, organised by Newhaven Town Council.
About 60 people watched the awards being presented and heard presentations from local organisations about the work they do in the community.
The winner of the Young Achiever Award was George Taylor. George volunteered at Newhaven Fort for two years and helped out with events held by Art Techniques at Easter and Halloween as well as with a special project for the 100th anniversary of World War 1. He is now producing short videos, taking photos and assisting with many of the community events in the town. George was presented with his award by Mike Shorer of the Newhaven Chamber of Commerce, who sponsored this award.
The winner of the Young Sportsperson Award was Katie Eagle. Katie is the only girl in the Newhaven Cricket Club under 12 team and also the only girl in Seahaven Academy's team. Due to her success at school and club level she was picked to represent Sussex in their girls under 12 team and captained the side. She will be playing for the Sussex girls under 13 team in the coming season and is a major driver in the team's success with her ability, attitude and determination. Katie was presented with her award by Paul Daniels of the James Daniels Memorial Fund, which sponsored this award.
The winner of the Young Carer Award was Shamara Holt, who with the help of her sister cares for her Dad who is battling cancer. Sadly, Shamara was unable to attend the ceremony as her father had been rushed into hospital. Her award was collected for her by Katie Hartfield and was presented by Liz Allsobrook of Wave Leisure, who sponsored this award.
Seb Zuddas was chosen from all the nominees for all the awards to receive the overall Newhaven Community Award for Young People 2017. Seb is a student at UTC@newhaven and was the first to volunteer when the school was challenged to build something from nothing, working together as a single team, identifying initiatives and delivering them – with zero funding and little resources. He has got eleven other students on board with him and now has three projects on the go and is delivering them all. Seb was presented with his award by Simon Smyth of Computer-Eyez who sponsored this award.
Notification of Formal Consultation on the Draft Newhaven Neighbourhood Plan (Regulation 14 consultation)
The Draft Neighbourhood Plan has been published for consultation. This is your chance to see what is being proposed and to tell us what you think of it! Go to the Neighbourhood Plan page of this website to find out more!
Annual Town Meeting
All local residents are invited to the annual town meeting and presentation of the Newhaven Community Awards 2017. 7pm at the Hillcrest Centre, Bay Vue Road, Newhaven. There will be an opportunity to talk to local groups and organisations before and after the meeting. Light refreshments provided. Click here for the agenda.
CHANGES TO BUS FARES ON SATURDAYS WITHIN NEWHAVEN from Saturday 29th April
New fare structure now includes the Valley!
From Saturday 29th April Newhaven town buses 145 and also 123 (between Valley Road, the Town Centre and Sainsburys) will be subsidised for everyone all day every Saturday!
With new bargain fares of just £1 adult single or £1.50p adult return (children aged 5-15 yrs half price) and an hourly service on the 145 there's never been a better time to go by bus. If you hold an English National Concessionary Bus Pass you will travel free!
It is the ideal way for young and old, individuals and families to pop into town to pick up some shopping, have a coffee with friends, visit local attractions or stroll along the quayside.
The more frequent service on 145 and the reduced fares on both 145 and 123 have been made possible by funding from Newhaven Town Council working in partnership with East Sussex County Council, Compass Bus and CTLA. The service will be reviewed again in 6 months' time so if you want to see it continue please use it!
ESCC Elections 4th May 2017
These are the candidates who are standing for election to East Sussex County Council on 4th May in Newhaven.
The county council ward boundaries have changed since the last elections. South Heighton, Denton and East Side, together with most of the area of the town west of the river and south of the A259 are now in the Newhaven and Bishopstone ward; the Valley area and a small sliver of the town west of the river and immediately to the south of the A259 are in the Ouse Valley West and Downs ward. If you are not sure which ward you are in, please check your polling card.
Help prevent sewer flooding
Update from the Environment Agency on works in Newhaven
As part of the Newhaven flood alleviation scheme to reduce flooding in Newhaven work has started on the Denton Island approach. Environment Agency contractors JacksonHyder will be constructing a flood wall either side of the bridge. This will be done one side at a time starting with the east, keeping one footpath access open to Denton Island at all times. A diversion will be clearly signposted around the closed footpaths. Please use these diversions - whilst they may be longer, they are in place for everybody's safety. These works are due to be complete by July 2017. If you require further information please contact the Project Manager, Oliver Sykes on 0203 025 7201 or email us at email@example.com
Girls night in and employer links address science and tech education gap
As a national report reveals what science and technology workers thought of their schooling and on the eve of British Science Week (10-19 March), UTC@harbourside is working with employers and organisations to prepare Sussex students for the world of work.
A report published last Tuesday (28 February) by the Baker Dearing Trust reveals that many workers in science, technology, engineering, maths and computing (STEM) jobs would have liked more technical skills training and employer involvement in their education (1).
UTC@harbourside in Newhaven specialises in STEM education for 14-18 year olds from across Sussex. This year it has liaised with the University of Brighton, Lewes and Eastbourne councils, STEM Sussex, Sussex Engineering Skills, Sussex Heritage Trust and Newhaven Enterprise Zone to develop its strategy to equip students to become the highly qualified workforce Sussex's hi-tech growth industries need.
Employers who have pledged to provide work experience and input to the curriculum include Rampion Offshore Wind Farm, Brightwells and Newhaven Port.
Activities this term include a STEM Girls Night In last Friday (3 March) with STEM Sussex and GCSE science and maths revision sessions - all open to students from other schools. Work experience and challenge projects from local employers are in the pipeline and the UTC is hosting an employers event with STEM Sussex at the end of March.
Principal Adanma Umunna says, "Employers in region have more than 90,000 jobs in science and technology roles and industries such as low carbon and environmental, advanced engineering and digital and IT are all forecast to grow. One in four year 10 students across Sussex will need to study for STEM qualifications if this demand is to be met.(2, 3, 4).
"We can see just how exciting the future could be for young people so we are giving them the best possible chance to be part of the planned regeneration of this region. The Greater Brighton Deal and the new Enterprise Zone in Newhaven bring great employment and commercial opportunities for people with the right education and training. With £15m invested in UTC so far, our state of the art STEM specialist facilities ensure we are well placed to support regeneration across Sussex and beyond. Also, as we build on partnerships with employers in the local community we hear time and time again that they have been waiting for this opportunity for years; this is great news for our students."
"UTC@harbourside is a pioneering provision, targeting science and engineering and working closely with employers and organisations to make sure that the next generation of scientists, mathematicians and engineers leave school with the qualifications, attitudes and mindset needed to take on the challenges of regeneration, in Sussex and across the country. Alongside the other schools in this area, we are committed to closing this skills gap and transforming the life chances for the next generation"
Danielle Vences, Head Girl of UTC@harbourside, says the school is preparing her for a future career in engineering or technology.
"Through being a part of UTC, I have learnt and continue to learn countless expertise, I have developed transferable skills to the industry I will succeed in. I look forward to the future and all the prosperity it holds for not only myself but the fantastic students that stand beside me. Call me biased but there is no academic institution I would choose over UTC@ harbourside. We are family."
One employer committed to providing learning opportunities for UTC@harbourside students is the Rampion Offshore Wind Farm, being built off the Sussex coast. Pete Andrews, Plant Manager there said: "The ability to solve technological and operational problems are key skills for young people looking to work in the offshore wind industry. Having the opportunity at college to build technical aptitude and to experience hands on engineering is of great benefit to young people interested in pursuing this type of career."
Activities coming up at UTC@harbourside include:
16 March, 5.30pm - trial exam night and parents' exam prep evening to share advice on the best way to get ready for exams.
Sat 25 March 10-2pm GCSE science revision
Tues 28 March open evening for potential students and their parents, 6-7pm.
Sat 22 Apr, 10am-2pm GCSE maths revision
Sat 20 May, 10am-2pm GCSE science revision
Thur 15 June, 6-8pm - engineering pizza and pi night for new students
Thur 6 July new student induction night.
To find out about any of these events visit http://www.utc-harbourside.org/events/ or call 01273 916170.
Heroes Wanted to Clean up our Town
We are looking for volunteers and really hope that you will be able to come along and help clean up our town. For dates, times and information click here
Newhaven Community Awards
Do you know a young hero who deserves an award? For more information click here
For a nomination form click here
The Environment Agency is warning that the river is likely to overtop flood defences at the midnight tide tonight (Friday 13th January). Areas that could be affected include East Side Recreation Ground, North Quay, Railway Quay and Newhaven Town Railway Station.
The area most likely to be affected is the east side of Newhaven. There is a chance that flood water may enter some properties in and around the following areas of Newhaven:
- Railway Road
- Beach Road
- Norton Road
- Clifton Road
The level of flooding is predicted to be limited and not very deep.
Information and advice if you live in one of the affected areas of Newhaven
- Sandbags have been placed at low lying locations along the river bank to try and reduce the possibility of overtopping.
- LDC is providing sandbags to residents in the affected areas to assist in protecting their properties. Please be aware that sandbags may still let some water through. The sandbags are on the corner of Beach Road and Transit Road
- You may wish to avoid leaving valuables on the floor by lifting them off the ground or taking them up stairs.
LDC is working with the Environment Agency and the emergency services to prepare for this evening.
There will be a rest centre at Hillcrest CommunityCentre, in Bay Vue Road from 9pm. You will be able to get a warm drink and stay warm in company.
If you have any questions please call 01273 471600, Monday to Friday 8.30am to 5pm, or outside of these hours please call 01323 644422.
Grants Available for Local Organisations
Are you a local group or organisation working for the benefit of Newhaven residents? Newhaven Town Council has a small annual grants budget and is now inviting local groups to apply for funding. For more information click here For an application form click here If you were to need any further assistance then please call our offices on 01273 516100
Flood Alleviation Scheme work begins
Contractors working for the Environment Agency arrived on Huggett's Green (West Quay lawns) this week to commence work on improving the flood defences for the town.
The green area is fenced off, but access along the Riverside walkway is unaffected. When the work is complete, the green area will be re-opened to the public.
The town council offices will be closed from 1pm on Friday 23rd December and will re-open at 8.30am on Tuesday 3rd January. Wishing everyone a very happy Christmas and a peaceful and prosperous New Year!
It was a busy weekend for Christmas Festivities in Newhaven 17th-18th December. On Saturday Santa came to town in a horse and carriage for a lovely town centre festive event; and on Sunday the Hillcrest Community Centre held a family fun day.
Earlier in the month, the RNLI held their Christmas Fair, also at the Hillcrest Community Centre.
Meanwhile, Santa also came to Newhaven on three separate evenings and toured the streets with Disney princesses and other characters to raise money for CTLA. Videos of all these events were specially made for the town council by George Taylor - many thanks George!
New dog bag dispenser at Riverside Park
The Friends of Riverside Park have purchased and installed a dog poop bag dispenser with the help of grant aid from Newhaven Town Council and a donation from Meridian Pets in Peacehaven. The Friends have volunteered to manage the refilling of the dispenser and ensure it is maintained for the safety of the community using Riverside Park. A notice on the dispenser gives contact details if it is empty.
The Friends plan to buy another dispenser in the new year together with a litter bin and some new litter picking equipment.
New table tennis club
Free GCSE science and maths revision sessions
UTC@harbourside is offering free GCSE science and maths revision sessions to all Brighton and Sussex students.
The school for 14-18 year olds specialises in STEM subjects - science, technology, engineering, maths and computing - and has excellent engineering and science facilities.
The Principal, Adanma Umunna says, "We want to help students perfect their knowledge in STEM. We have award-winning science facilities so wherever you are based we invite you to join us for excellent GCSE preparation".
The sessions are backed by the University of Brighton, one of the school's sponsors.
They are on Saturday, 10am – 12pm on:
28 January 2017, GCSE Science Revision
25 February 2017, GCSE Maths Revision
25March 2017, GCSE Science and Computer Science
The school is also holding some Harbourside Open Doors events for young people and their parents who want to find out what studying there is really like. Meet the Principal and teachers and have a tour of the award-winning building.
The Open Doors Events are 6-7pm on:
Tuesday 31 January
Tuesday 2 March
Tuesday 28 March
All sessions will be held at UTC@harbourside at Railway Quay, Newhaven BN9 0ER. Book now at http://www.utc-harbourside.org/events/ or call 01273 916170 to arrange a visit.
Mayor's Charity Quiz Night
A date for your diaries in the new year - click here
New Year Resolution Run
Kick start you resolutions and show support of the proposed Peacehaven parkrun - 2nd January 2017 at Big Park, Peacehaven
For more information click here
There was a huge turn out for Remembrance Day, Sunday 13th November 2016 on a lovely sunny day.
Results of Meeching By-Election
For the results of our recent by-election click here
Mayor's Charity Tea Dance - 16th October 2016
Newhaven's town councillors are angry that a huge illegal advertising hoarding is still in place on one of the town's A259 roundabouts five months after it first appeared.
Advertising company Directional Media erected the billboard in May on land belonging to East Sussex County Council without either seeking permission from the land owners or applying for planning consent.
Five months later, the company has still made no attempt to apply for planning permission and has refused to comply with requests from the County Council to remove it.
The Chair of the town council's Planning & Development Committee, Councillor Darren Grover says "This hoarding is a huge eye sore in a prominent location in the town. It is a major distraction for drivers at a busy junction. It has been erected illegally on County Council land without permission. We find it extraordinary that this company can be allowed to get away with this for so long and that five months later, the County Council has still not taken action to remove the hoarding from their property themselves".
The Town Mayor, Councillor Steve Saunders, handed out the awards to Newhaven in Bloom winners at Paradise Park, Newhaven on Sunday 18th September.
Many congratulations to all the winners and many thanks to Paradise Park for sponsoring the awards.
Grants Available for Local Organisations
Funding is now available from the town council's annual small grants scheme Local voluntary organisations are invited to apply for funding for any project or scheme which will benefit Newhaven people.
Applications forms and further details can be seen by clicking here
Battle of Britain Day at Newhaven Fort
Newhaven Fort held a 1940s nostalgia day on Sunday 18th September 2016 to commemorate Battle of Britain Day.
Dieppe Raid Commemoration 2016
The commemoration of the 74th Anniversary of the Dieppe Raid took place on Sunday 14th August 2016 at the Memorial Green in South Way. The service was preceded by a reception at Newhaven Fort and a parade from Denton Island. We apologise for the failure of the PA system at the Green on this occasion and hope this did not spoil the occasion for people.
Vacancy for Councillor in Meeching Ward
Notice is hereby given that
A vacancy has occurred in the Newhaven Meeching Ward for a member to serve on the Newhaven Town Council for the period expiring May 2019.
If ten local government electors for the Newhaven Meeching Ward of the town of Newhaven give notice in writing on or before the 9th day of September 2016 to the CHIEF EXECUTIVE, LEWES DISTRICT COUNCIL, SOUTHOVER HOUSE, SOUTHOVER ROAD, LEWES, EAST USSEX, BN7 1AB, that they wish an election to be held to fill the vacancy, then a by-election will be held.
If notice is not given and received as mentioned above the Newhaven Town Council will proceed to fill the before mentioned vacancy by co-option at its meeting to be held on Tuesday the 8th day of November 2016.
Dated this 19th day of August 2016
Jacky Main
Clerk to the Council
Road repairs will be carried out in The Rose Walk on Monday 1st August from 7am - 5pm. During this time, the road will be closed from the A259 to the end of the road, although East Sussex Highways say that they will do their best to give residents access to their homes.
The developers proposing to build on the former Bevan Funnell site at Beach Close, East Side are holding a public meeting on Wednesday 27th July at East Side Social Centre from 7.30pm. All residents are welcome to attend.
Newhaven Town Council has been working hard behind the scenes to try and build better relationships with the French directors of Newhaven Port and Properties.
A video in French made by the town council to explain the feelings of local people about the closure of the beach was sent to Rouen by courier in August last year and since then there have been a number of emails and letters between the town council and Rouen.
The Mayor has had face to face meetings with the Chairman of NPP's Board of Directors, M Alain Bazille both in Rouen and the UK.
The latest of these meetings took place recently in Seaford. Following a re-showing of the town council's video, a frank discussion took place regarding the possibility of re-opening the beach.
Unfortunately it was made clear at the meeting that NPP's directors feel that it remains impossible to re-open the beach. The main reasons given were:
- That they believe it would not be possible to continue to dredge the shipping channel inside the port if the beach was open because the dredging would contaminate the bathing water
- NPP does not currently have the financial means to carry out the expensive repairs needed to the sea-wall to make the beach safe. (The Town Council could help with the costs of the steps, but does not have enough money to cover the other repairs)
- Although it is possible to take out public liability insurance to protect against compensation claims by members of the public in the event of an accident, NPP believes it is not possible to protect its personnel against possible prosecution under the Corporate Manslaughter Act if something were to go wrong.
The Mayor of Newhaven, Councillor Steve Saunders said "I am disappointed at NPP's decision not to reopen the beach at this time and not being able to give the good news that everyone was hoping for. The people of the Town are naturally angry and frustrated at its continued closure and I completely sympathise and share in these understandable views. I have tried hard with officers and colleagues at Newhaven Town Council to reach a compromise solution with the Port Authority, which would see this well-loved facility available for everyone to enjoy again.
"I will continue to try and find a way forward and do not wish to capitulate on this particular issue, despite not being able to negotiate a way forward at this time. The relationship that the Council has with NPP outside this one issue, remains good and we continue to support each other in areas of much-needed regeneration in the Town."
Lewes to Newhaven Raft Race 2016
2016 RNLI Fete
The 2016 RNLI Fete took place on Huggetts Green on Saturday 2nd July.
Here is a video of it produced by Tom Bonnor.
Newhaven Fish Festival 2016
The 2016 annual Fish Festival took place on Saturday 18th June.
Here is a lovely video produced for the town council by Tom Bonnor.
The 2016 Denton Community Challenge took place on Saturday 11th June.
Once again the weather was kind to organisers and participants, so everyone enjoyed an almost cloudless sky and this enabled a huger turn-out of nearly a thousand local people to get thoroughly involved with all the many activities.
The theme this year was Summer of Sport, to reflect the forthcoming Olympics and all the other high profile sporting activities, such as Euro 2016, the Rugby Internationals, Open Championship of Golf etc. This year 45 local sports and social groups were represented and a dozen of them ran sporting challenges around the arena, all of which could be enjoyed by the younger attendees for a nominal charge.
The 145 bus around Newhaven is now FREE to everyone every Saturday!
The Saturday service now operates hourly to bring local residents, young and old, individuals and families, children and grownups from near to their homes into the town centre – and back home again – and all for free!
Come and support your local town centre shops and businesses, enjoy a coffee break with friends or walk by the quayside!
The new free service has been made possible by funding from Newhaven Town Council working in partnership with Compass Buses, CTLA and East Sussex County Council.
The service is a trial and will be reviewed after six months – so if you want to see it continue, please use it!
The Mayor of Newhaven, Councillor Steve Saunders is cycling from London to Paris via the Newhaven-Dieppe ferry to raise funds for charity and to promote the ferry crossing.
He set out from London on Wednesday 11th May and crossed the Channel the following day Thursday 12th May to Dieppe, where he and his fellow cyclists were welcomed by the Mayor of Dieppe and local cycling groups. The remainder of the route to Paris will be completed over three days with the group expected to arrive at the Eiffel Tower in Paris at around midday on Sunday 15th May.
The Mayor is accompanied by some of his friends and by a group of cyclists from Blind Veterans UK, which will include 3 blind veterans riding on tandems with sighted riders. The cyclists will be raising funds for Blind Veterans UK and for the Mayors charities which are the RNLI and Seahaven Responders.
Councillor Saunders said "I am looking forward to this challenging ride which will raise money for my charities and for Blind Veterans UK and will promote the historic links between Newhaven and Dieppe, especially the ferry service which is so important to both towns."
13th May 2016
Many congratulations to the winner of our word search competition in the Spring edition of the town council's magazine Newhaven Matters.
Karen Ricketts was the lucky person whose correct entry was drawn out of the hat. She won a lovely gardening spade and fork kindly donated by Paradise Park – just in time for doing some gardening in the lovely weather this weekend!
Newhaven's First World War Day
To Celebrate HM The Queen's 90th Birthday
A beacon was lit on the ramparts of Newhaven Fort on 21st April 2016 to celebrate HM The Queen's 90th birthday. For more information click here
The Best of Newhaven - Competition for Local Photographers
For more information click here
Newhaven Community Awards - HEROES WANTED! Closing Date 20th March 2016
For more information on how to make a nomination then click here
Newhaven's First World War Day
Free tickets for Newhaven residents to this great event at the Fort!
To keep our open spaces safe and look after them for local residents the Town Council has agreed to take over ownership of many of them in a process called devolution. This means that you may see advertisements in the local press this week and next saying that LDC intends to "dispose" of open spaces in the town. This is a legal process that LDC must go through – please do not be alarmed by it!
The open spaces being advertised at present are:
Valley Road play area and parkour
Denton Cricket ground (LDC call this Denton Rec)
Drove Park
Avis Way Rec
Riverside Park including Lewes Road Rec
East Side Rec
All of these areas are to be devolved to the town council and this is why they are being advertised in this way.
We expect more green spaces to be devolved to us next year.
Mayor's Charity Quiz Night
All are welcome to come along to the Mayor's next Charity Quiz Night on 11th March
On 9 February 2016 an excited crowd watched as the Town Mayor of Newhaven, Councillor Steve Saunders, cut the ribbon that officially opened the new Age UK East Sussex Donation Centre and Furniture Warehouse.
This spacious new Donation Centre based at Units D1 and E Ranalah Trade Park, New Road, Newhaven, BN9 0EH is handily placed right next door to Newhaven Refuse and Recycling site. Rather than tip your unwanted household items you can now donate your furniture, white goods, electricals and household items and Age UK East Sussex will recycle them to raise funds to support local older people.
The expanded site sees the bringing together of their previous two sites in Newhaven under one roof. With ample free parking there is no place like it in the area. Plus, if you are unable to drop off your items they even offer a free House Clearance and De-Clutter collection service. Please call 01273 646800 today to arrange a free collection.
As Emma Head the Warehouse Manager says: "We are so grateful to the local community for their generous donations. Our aim is to re-sell and recycle as many items as we can which helps raise funds and stops so many items going to landfill at the same time. We are open from Monday to Sunday 10am to 5pm, the team and I look forward to welcoming you."
All the money raised through this new Donation Centre will help fund the vital services that Age UK East Sussex, formerly Age Concern, provide to support those in later life in the local community.
Mayor's Charity Tea Dance
All are welcome to come along to the Mayor's next event to raise funds for his chosen charities: Newhaven Lifeboat and the Seahaven Responders.
Newhaven Neighbourhood Plan
Check the Neighbourhood Plan section of this website to access the online questionnaire regarding possible sites for development in Newhaven.
Declaration of Result of Poll
Here is the result of the by-election held yesterday to elect a town councillor in the Valley Ward. To see the results click here
Newhaven Community Awards - HEROES WANTED!
Do you know a local hero? Someone who works tirelessly for their community? Who always goes the extra mile? Who has achieved something amazing? Who really deserves an award?
Newhaven Town Council wants to recognise these often unsung heroes living in our town. We are looking for nominations for three special awards which will be presented at the annual Town Meeting at the Hillcrest Centre on 19th April.
Volunteer – this award is for someone who has done outstanding voluntary work in the community
Unsung Hero – this award is for someone who has gone above and beyond the call of duty whether in a professional or voluntary role.
Achiever – this award is for someone who has achieved something outstanding through hard work or talent.
In addition to these three awards, there will be an overall Newhaven Community Award – the winner of this award will be chosen from the nominees for any of the three categories.
Nomination forms are available from the town council offices at 18 Fort Road, Newhaven, tel:01273 516100 or you can click here for one.
The deadline for nominations is 20th March 2016
Grants Available for Local Organisations
Funding is now available from the town council's annual small grants scheme. Local voluntary organisations are invited to apply for funding for any project or scheme which will benefit Newhaven people. Typically sums awarded under the scheme range from about £50 to about £300.
To download a leaflet giving further information about the grants scheme please click here. To download an application form please click here.
Application forms should be returned to the town council offices, 18 Fort Road, Newhaven BN9 9QE by Tuesday 1st March 2016.
The town council offices will close for Christmas at 1pm on Christmas Eve and re-open on Monday 4th January at 8.30am. We would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a peaceful and happy New Year.
We are carrying out a public consultation to find out what people would like to happen with regard to a community hall in the town.
The largest community building that the town council owns is Meeching Hall in Fort Road which can take 110 people. However, it is an old building and there are issues regarding ongoing maintenance, disabled access and other aspects that do not meet modern standards. The town council could carry out internal improvements to the hall to bring it up to standard, but the constraints of the site mean it cannot practicably be made much larger.
The town council's Business Plan states that one of the aims of the town council is to provide a new multi-function purpose built community hall to seat 300-400 people. This could be used for events such as wedding receptions, by activity groups, for sports, concerts and other social activities.
Building a new community hall would be expensive and in order to deliver such a venue, the town council would need to sell Meeching Hall, rather than make any improvements to it. The money from the sale of the building would be put towards building a new community hall.
What do you think the town council should do?
Please let us know your views by filling in the questionnaire in your copy of Newhaven Matters, or by completing it online here
To download a list of the candidates nominated for the by-election in the Valley Ward taking place on 21st January 2016, please click here
Hillcrest Christmas Extravaganza
Come along to this fabulous free event at the Hillcrest Centre on Saturday 19th December.
East Sussex Businesses invited to take part in a Cross-Channel Initiative to Promote themselves on Newhaven-Dieppe Ferry.
East Sussex businesses are invited to take part in a cross-Channel initiative to promote themselves to passengers on the Newhaven-Dieppe ferry.
French association ASDTE (Association Développement Touristique et Economique) is looking for English businesses to join its existing French members offering discounts or other promotional inducements to ferry passengers on production of their tickets. The association will promote businesses taking part at ferry terminals and on the ferries themselves.
French businesses taking part include hotels, souvenir shops, producers of regional specialities, restaurants and bars, bakers, chocolate makers, tourist attractions and tour operators. The association is looking for their counterparts on this side of the Channel to form an international marketing partnership.
Further information can be found on the ASDTE website www.asdte.fr
New Homes public consultation event
Please be aware, the Lewes District Council 'New Homes' public consultation event planned for Tuesday 8 December at the Hillcrest Centre at will now be rescheduled for early 2016. This is in response to requests for further studies from businesses and residents. For further information see www.lewes.gov.uk/newhomes
Newhaven Flood Alleviation Scheme
Come along to the HIllcrest Centre to view the plans for Newhaven's Flood Alleviation Scheme.
Haven Towns Show Solidarity and Respect
Other than show our respect and solidarity with the French people at this sad time, there is little more we could have done. Our thoughts and prayers are with the French people and we all wanted to show in some small way, that they have our support. Thank you to The Mayors of Newhaven, Peacehaven and Seaford who braved the rain to show their respect.
Mayor's Charity Quiz Night
Come and support the Mayor's Charity Quiz Night, in aid of Newhaven Lifeboat and Seahaven Responders:
Draft East Sussex, South Downs and Brighton & Hove Waste and Minerals Sites plan
East Sussex County Council are consulting on their Waste and Minerals Site Plan which includes sites in Newhaven at Beach/Railway Road and North Quay. The Consultation runs from 28th October to 23rd December and more information can be found through the following links click here
Remembrance Day
A large crowd gathered to watch wreaths being laid at the Memorial Green in South Way, Newhaven on Sunday. At the end of the ceremony, young people from Seahaven Academy read out the names of the Newhaven World War One casualties who died 100 years ago in 1915 and children from Harbour and Denton Schools planted a cross by the Town Memorial for each one.
New Homes in Newhaven
Come along to our drop-in consultation, Wednesday 4 November from 4.30pm - 7.30pm at The Hillcrest Centre, Bay Vue Road, Newhaven, BN9 9LH For more information click here
Steve Saunders Mayor of Newhaven and Alain Bazille Chairman of Newhaven Port & Properties met today in Newhaven. Mr Bazille confirmed the commitment of Conseil Départemental de Seine Maritime to continue the ferry route Newhaven/Dieppe. Thus CDSM has commissioned DFDS to ensure the reservations for 2016.
Both Mayor of Newhaven and Chairman of NPP agree that ferry route is vital for the port and the town of Newhaven, and will contribute to the regeneration of Newhaven.
The increase of traffic this year has proved that Newhaven is an attractive place.
In addition Alain Bazille and Steve Saunders welcome the arrival of E.ON at the port, and the opening of the UTC, these new activities will improve the image of the port and the town and will create new jobs opportunities in Newhaven.
22nd September 2015
Newhaven Town Council Grant Aid
Are you a local group or organisation working for the benefit of Newhaven residents? Newhaven Town Council has a small annual grants budget and is now inviting local groups to apply for funding.
If you would like to apply, please click here for more information
For an application form click here
The report by the Inspector at the Public Inquiry into the town council's right of way application for West Beach has been received today.
The result is a partial victory for the town council – the Inspector agrees that the full width of the promenade is a right of way, but does not accept that the steps down to the sandy beach should also be a right of way. Unfortunately of course local people would need to use the steps to gain access to the sand.
Michael Lowe, the Inspector, found that the promenade is similar in nature to a private road where the presumption is that the full width of the way has been dedicated and there is no indication that the public have been restricted to any particular part of the promenade. Mr Lowe also concludes that parking is permitted on the northern and southern edges of the promenade.
On the issue of the steps, however, Mr Lowe decided that use of the steps was purely ancillary to the use of the beach for recreational purposes, which the Supreme Court in the village green case decided was by permission of the landowner as a result of the bye-laws. For the public to be using either the beach or the steps "as of right" they would have to have been doing so without permission.
As the decision is to amend the Order proposed by East Sussex County Council (by deleting the steps) the modified Order will have to be advertised and there will then be an opportunity for comments to be made. The town council will be considering the report carefully with the advice of its legal team before deciding what comments to make.
The Town Mayor of Newhaven, Councillor Steve Saunders, said "Although this is a partial victory, the decision of the Inspector is obviously very disappointing for both the town council and the people of Newhaven because it does not establish public access to the sand. As well as considering the town council's reaction to the decision, we are continuing to work behind the scenes and still very much hope to meet face-to-face with the French directors of NPP".
The full report from the Inspector can be found here.
7th September 2015
Mayor's Charity Blues Brothers Event
Come to the Mayor of Newhaven's Charity Blues Brothers event - all welcome. Licensed bar and easy parking. Tables can be reserved for groups.
Official opening of the new library
A video showing the official opening of the new library in Newhaven and also giving a quick tour of the new facilities
Egrets Way Cycle Path
An interesting video about the Egrets Way cycle path from Lewes to Newhaven:
The annual Newhaven Lifeboat Fete took place on Saturday 4th July at Huggetts Green in lovely hot sunny weather.
WEST BEACH PUBLIC INQUIRY - FINAL DAY - 6th July 2015
The Public Inquiry into the town council's application to establish a right of way to the sandy beach resumed yesterday to hear the final summing up by the three legal teams involved for NPP, the town council and ESCC.
What actually happened was that NPP's QC went first, giving his summary and argument about the legal issues involved in the case, followed by the town council's barrister and then ESCC's barrister. There was a final opportunity at the end for NPP's QC to respond to some of the things said by the other two lawyers; and the Inspector asked a few questions as things went along.
I think it might be easiest for people to follow the arguments however if instead of providing separate summaries of what each lawyer said, I try and deal with the main issues one at a time, giving both sides of the argument. The actual arguments made are all about very complicated points of law and involved references to various previous legal cases – please bear in mind that I am not a lawyer!
So firstly, a recap – the town council has applied for amendments to be made to the Definitive Map and Statement (official record of rights of way) to show a right of way covering the full width of the promenade from where it meets the bottom of Fort Road westwards to the shingle beach and also extending down the steps to the sandy beach. The current Definitive Map shows a right of way along the back edge of the promenade only. The first ever Definitive Map from 1956 showed the full width of the promenade coloured in purple (but not the steps); the first revision of it in 1963 showed just a thin line along the back edge exactly as it is shown today. The differences between the 1956 Definitive Map and the 1963/today versions came to light during the research that was carried out for the village green application when it went to Public Inquiry.
So – the Town Council is arguing that some sort of mistake occurred between the 1956 and 1963 versions of the Definitive Map which has led to the original intention about the right of way being lost. We say that the fact that the full width of the promenade is shown coloured in on the 1956 version proves that it was originally intended that the full width of the promenade was intended to be a right of way. Moreover, correspondence found at the County Records office relating to the process gone through in the run up to the 1956 Map shows that at the time it was agreed that there was ample evidence of use of the promenade to access both the shingle and the sandy beaches. Some of the larger scale draft drawings at the County Records office appear to show shading on the steps to the sandy beach too and so we say that it seems likely that the steps were also intended to be included, but that this is not shown on the original Map because of the difficulties of delineating this at such a small scale by hand.
NPP argues that there has to be a discovery of new evidence for an amendment to be made to the Definitive Map on the basis that a mistake was made. The evidence from 1956 would have been readily available to ESCC officers in 1963 when it reviewed the map and so NPP says it cannot now be said to be newly discovered. It feels that the differences between the 1956 map and the 1963 one should have been picked up in 1963 and challenged then. It says that the definition of the width of the right of way should have been included in the Statement and not by colouring on the map and that the existence of the drawings showing the steps in the file at the County Records office is inconclusive.
The County Council agrees with the town council's argument and feels that it is justification for agreeing the town council's application. It says that the mistake occurred as part of the review process for the 1963 map and that there is no evidence that the change of width shown on the Map at this stage was deliberate. There is no reference to this footpath on the list of changes made on this version of the map. It was in the 1960s that the convention was agreed that the width of rights of way should be described in the Statement, rather than by colouring on the Map – and the mistake was that this didn't happen.
The correspondence (and presumably the accompanying draft drawings) at the County Records office are records of discussions between the County Council, the British Transport Commission (who owned the port at the time) and the War Office (who owned the land nearer to the cliffs). These documents show that another route was originally discussed before the final one along the promenade was agreed by everyone concerned. The Town Council says that a letter from the British Transport Commission (BTC) dated 1954 agreeing to the route along the promenade amounts to an Express Dedication of the right of way – and that (in view of the colouring on the map produced in 1956) this must have included the full width of the promenade. ESCC agrees with this view. NPP argues that the letter does not amount to an express dedication and says that there is no evidence that the BTC agreed to the full width of the promenade. It argues that if, as seems likely, car parking was already taking place on the promenade before 1954 the BTC would not have agreed to the full width of the promenade because the cars would obstruct the right of way. ESCC responded to say that the use of the promenade for parking could be seen as an argument for the full width of the promenade being classified as a right of way because it would make it much harder for the parked cars to completely obstruct the right of way – pedestrians would always be able to walk around them (as in fact has always happened).
An additional argument in favour of our right of way application put forward by the town council relates to more modern evidence of actual use of the full width of the promenade and the steps by members of the public over a twenty year period up to the closure of the steps which we say was "as of right" – which in legal terms means that it must have been without force, without secrecy and without permission.
NPP argues that the provision of amusements and the existence of the bye-laws both have the effect of conferring permission on people to use the promenade, meaning that their use of it is not "as of right" (which it has to be to prove a right of way). It referred to a recent village green case at the Supreme Court which found that a piece of land provided by a local authority as a recreation ground and held by it under the Housing Act could not be classified as a village green because it had been deliberately laid out for recreational purposes and this meant that people had been given permission to use it. Newhaven town council's own village green case at the Supreme Court found that the existence of the bye-laws (even though they were not displayed or made known to people) had the effect of conferring permission on people to use the beach – and NPP says this would also apply to the steps down to the beach.
Both the town council and ESCC point out that village green legislation is not identical to that relating to rights of way (which involves the Highways Act, rather than the Commons Act) and so these cases should not necessarily apply. Moreover, NPP is not contesting that there is an existing right of way along the promenade – it is not therefore possible for it to try and retrospectively apply arguments about conferring permission via bye-laws or the provision of amusements to the use of the full width of it. The bye-laws must be subservient to the rights of the public to use the right of way and can only be read as regulatory conditions about how these rights are to be exercised. NPP does not have a statutory duty to provide highways or recreational facilities (unlike the local authority in the case mentioned in the previous paragraph) which means that this case is very different from that one.
Just in case the Inspector feels that the bye-laws need to be drawn to people's attention in order to count as giving them permission, NPP say that a notice was displayed at the entrance to the car park from 1991 which mentions the bye-laws. NTC says that there is no evidence that this was there then – the evidence at the village green public inquiry was that the bye-laws were not mentioned on any notices during the 20 year period 1986-2006. ESCC says that even if the notice was there in 1991, there is still plenty of evidence of people using the promenade for 20 years prior to that; moreover the notice only related to vehicle drivers and not to pedestrians using the right of way.
NPP argues that there is a statutory incompatibility between the use of the promenade as a right of way and the operations of the port and its use as a car park and points out that the issue of statutory incompatibility was another reason why the town council's village green application failed at the Supreme Court. The promenade has been used from time to time for the mooring of jack-up barges, or for the construction of bonios or the decommissioning of fishing vessels and this use is incompatible with the use of the full width as a right of way.
The town council and ESCC make the same argument about village green legislation not being the same as rights of way legislation. Additionally we say that the use of the promenade has not interfered with the occasional use of it as described by NPP. Because it is dry land the incompatibility issue is much less applicable. The port's operational use of the promenade has only been very occasional, sporadic and temporary. The cars parked on the promenade are also temporary and do not permanently or fully obstruct the right of way. The promenade can be regarded as a shared space in the same way as other rights of way are - for instance canal tow paths, or farmyards, or streets where markets take place.
Moreover, ESCC pointed out that there are existing measures in place to deal with situations where the use of a right of way becomes incompatible with its use by the landowner – temporary or permanent stopping up orders or diversions can be obtained. This, it claims, is another reason why the Supreme Court decision about our village green application should not apply here. No such measures exist with regard to village greens so any future issue of incompatibility could not have been dealt with in this way. So far as this right of way is concerned, there has been no issue of incompatibility so far, and if one occurred in the future then it could be dealt with using the existing measures. Finally, it was suggested that a "limitation" could be placed upon the order creating the right of way across the full width of the promenade to specifically permit the car parking and occasional car use.
So far as the steps are concerned, NPP argues that a right of way must have a destination – and that as the beach is closed and is somewhere that the Supreme Court found that people did not have a right to go, the steps cannot be a right of way. NTC and ESCC say that a right of way can be a cul de sac – for instance to a viewpoint, or leading to private land - and there is nothing preventing a right of way being granted to somewhere that people need permission to go to.
In case all its arguments so far fail, the town council also made a fourth argument – that a common law right to use the promenade arose before the current bye-laws came into force in 1931. Evidence provided by local elderly residents testified to the use of the promenade and beach by local inhabitants between the re-opening of the area (by force by local people re-establishing their rights, as reported in a local paper) in 1921 following the end of the First World War and 1931. The overt use of the area during this period (the owners allowed the gate to be broken down and did not attempt to re-instate it) can be seen as the owner's intention to dedicate a right of way – and in this case a 20 year qualifying period is not required. NPP pointed out that there had been a previous set of bye-laws passed in 1895. NTC and ESCC say that these bye-laws were more limited in nature than those of 1931. Moreover, the legal standing of the process undertaken in 1956 to produce the first Definitive Map was that this was a recording of existing rights of way which had been established by long use of the public – so it can be argued that the common law right of way has always existed.
A final argument raised by the town council relates to a suggestion made by the Supreme Court in its decision about our village green case that there might be a possible common law right in general for people to use the foreshore – the town council invited the Inspector to make a finding about this (he is perhaps unlikely to accept this invitation – the Supreme Court itself was reluctant to make a decision about this because it is exceedingly complicated!)
The Inspector has now gone away to write his report. He commented that the case had brought up almost the full gamut of legislation relating to rights of way and that no-one should hold their breath whilst he was writing it as it would take him some time! So we will now just have to wait
The town's annual Fish Festival took place on Saturday 13th June at Huggett's Green in lovely sunny, if a little windy weather.
This year saw the 4th Denton Community Challenge. The first event was called the Jubliympics and took place in June 2012 to celebrate the Queen's Jubilee and the Olympics and was so successful that it has been repeated each year. This year the weather was brilliant and the theme was 'Howzat?' to reflect the forthcoming Ashes cricket series. This year nearly sixty local sports and social groups were represented and many ran 'sporting challenges' around the arena, all of which could be enjoyed for a nominal charge. On completion of the challenges the younger participants claimed their 'Howzat?' rosette before enjoying a free burger from the Denton Scouts BBQ. Certificates were also issued courtesy of Gina Rogers from Active Sussex, who once again supported everyone's effort this year.
DAY ONE - 2nd June 2015
The first day of the Public Inquiry took place today at Shakespeare Hall in the rather cold and echoey surroundings of the sports hall.
The town council made this application during the long battle to try and get village green status for the beach when it was found that the current definitive map (official record of rights of way) does not include a right of way down the steps to the sandy beach. It was also discovered that the original Definitive Map from 1956 showed a right of way extending the full width of the promenade, but that the current Definitive Map only shows a thin line. The town council accordingly applied for amendments to be made to the current Definitive Map reinstating the right of way to the full width of the promenade and extending it down the steps to the sand.
After introductory statements from all parties, participants at the Inquiry looked closely at the original Definitive Map from 1956, which shows the full width of the promenade coloured mauve, and the revised Definitive Map of 1963 which shows a thin line only. We also looked at the background documents to both maps including various drafts. There was some discussion about whether the steps were also coloured in some of the earlier drafts but this was very hard to see due to the exceedingly small scale of the maps.
During the afternoon Matthew Harper, Senior Rights of Way officer appeared as a witness for ESCC explaining why ESCC had agreed to make the order amending the Definitive Map as requested by the town council. The reasons included the evidence of the original Definitive Map, the ample evidence of use submitted by the town council and the lack of any evidence of incompatibility between the use of the promenade or steps with port operations.
Later in the afternoon Mr Harper was extensively cross examined by NPP's QC. He was taken through the correspondence from the 1950s when the original map was being drawn up. From this correspondence it was clear that there was an early proposal to define the right of way as being along the foot of the cliffs but it was felt that this would be dangerous because of the risk of cliff falls. The eventual route along the promenade was agreed by British Rail, the Urban District Council and the War Department as being the best solution in 1954.
NPP's QC appeared to be suggesting that this might mean that the promenade was not in fact the route generally used by people at the time. Mr Harper however disputed this suggestion saying that on the contrary there appeared to have been plenty of user evidence at the time.
NPP's QC drew attention to the fact that none of the correspondence from the 1950s mentions the width of the path. Mr Harper suggested that this might indicate that no-one had any intention of limiting the width in any way and that everyone assumed that it would take up the full width of the promenade. Mr Harper also pointed out that there were draft plans in the same correspondence file which clearly showed the full width of the promenade coloured in.
The Inquiry resumes tomorrow. Mr Harper will continue to be cross examined by NPP's QC, probably for the whole morning. Our witnesses should appear after lunch. Spare a thought for Matthew Harper who has to spend his evening and night in purdah because he is in the middle of being cross examined.
DAY TWO - 3rd June 2015
98 year old Newhaven resident, Peter Bailey, appeared as a witness for the town council this morning, giving evidence about his use of the beach and how he got there as a child in the 1920s and as a young man in the 1930s and after the war.
Once Peter had finished his evidence, the Inquiry adjourned in order to move to Meeching Hall - everyone had been finding the echoey acoustics at Shakespeare Hall very hard going yesterday.
When the Inquiry reconvened at midday, NPP's QC continued his cross examination of Matthew Harper, the Senior Rights of Way officer from ESCC. Following some further discussions about the correspondence surrounding the creation of the original Definitive Map in the 1950s, Mr Harper was asked about bye law notices and also about car parking on the promenade. NPP's QC was making the point that parked cars would obstruct the public's use of the full width of the promenade. Mr Harper had already given evidence that he felt that this obstruction was sporadic in nature because the cars only parked there for short periods of time.
After lunch we continued with NPP's QC's cross examination of Mr Harper regarding parked cars and other potential obstructions on the promenade such as cranes - all of which Mr Harper felt were only temporary obstructions which did not materially affect the public's ability to access the promenade.
Following this the Inspector spoke about some of the issues he was particularly interested about with regard to the evidence he had heard so far. Some of these ideas seemed promising for the town council's application - for instance he felt that it might be possible for a right of way to be a cul-de-sac (for instance the steps leading to a closed beach); and others seemed less promising - for instance he talked of the possibility of the full width of the promenade having been coloured in on the original Definitive Map by a lowly employee whose job it was to draw things and colour them in, and who did not understand the importance of what they were doing.
Most of the town council's witnesses had turned up to give their evidence this afternoon and some of them could not return tomorrow despite the fact that the Inquiry was running rather behind schedule. Accordingly, Mr Harper's evidence was abandoned for the time being (he will have to remain in purdah overnight again and will return to be re-examined by ESCC's barrister and the town council's barrister tomorrow morning). Three of the town council's witnesses were then heard and gave evidence about their use of the promenade to access the sandy beach, the breakwater, the amusements and the shingle beach. They were also taken through questions about byelaw notices, cars parked on the promenade and other potential obstructions to their use of it.
The Inquiry resumes tomorrow at 10am at Meeching Hall. It is anticipated that all the remaining witnesses, both for the town council and for NPP will be heard tomorrow. Following that the Inquiry is likely to adjourn and reconvene on another date within six weeks for a day of legal arguments - the lawyers on all sides have asked for more time to draw up their closing arguments in the light of the evidence that has emerged so far.
DAY THREE - 4th June 2015
The re-examination of Matthew Harper, Senior Rights of Way Officer for ESCC, by his own barrister was completed first this morning - Mr Harper was taken back over some points relating to the original plans and correspondence relating to the original Definitive Map in 1956 in order to clarify one or two issues.
Following a brief mid morning break it was the turn of the remaining four of the town council's witnesses to give their evidence. All four spoke of their use of the promenade to access the sandy and shingle beaches, the breakwater and the amusements; all four were also asked about notices, car parking and about various incidents when there were things going on around the promenade area, such as the construction of the "bonios" placed around the lighthouse in the early 1990s, or another occasion when a couple of fishing vessels were winched out of the sea onto the promenade to be broken up.
After lunch it was the turn of NPP's witnesses. The Port Manager spoke about the possible need to use the promenade for the berthing of jack up barges and other vessels relating to the wind farm. He also produced photos and car park receipts proving the extent of the use of the promenade for parking. During cross examination, ESCC's barrister pointed out that there was no specific mention of any development proposals for the promenade or the West Beach in the Port Masterplan. NPP's own barrister asked whether the port would be agreeable to allowing regulated recreational use of the area by agreement with the town council - the Port Manager said that this was a decision for the Board of Directors of NPP and he could not comment.
The Harbourmaster gave evidence about the use of the promenade by jack up barges a couple of years ago and also about some of the other activities already mentioned (winching out of fishing vessels etc). He was asked how far west along the promenade it would be at all practical to berth jack up barges and explained that it was the draft of the tug towing the barge which would limit its ability to use shallow water - he estimated that it would be possible for such a tug to get up to about half way along the promenade from the eastern end at high tide. ESCC's barrister asked where the photos of the fishing vessels and the bonios being winched by crane came from. The Harbourmaster said they were private photos taken by port employees. ESCC's barrister remarked that this indicated that these events were unusual and this was why port employees thought it worth taking photos.
NPP's last witness was called largely to give evidence about a particular sign to the east of the kiosk at the entrance to the car park. There was considerable discussion about this sign (which was also the main one all the town council's witnesses were asked about.) The sign mentions the harbour bye laws and the debate centred around when this sign might have been first erected, and whether it had always referred to the bye laws, or whether the reference to the bye laws might have been added at some point. Just to complicate the issue, it emerged that some of the sign is thought to have been hand painted, and some of it to have been printed - and each line of the sign is in a different style of font, leading to a possible interpretation that different parts of the sign had been created at different times.
All the evidence has now been heard. What remains is for the summing up by the three lawyers to be delivered and responded to. As mentioned yesterday, the lawyers have asked for more time to reflect and consider what they are going to say in the light of the evidence heard. Accordingly, the Inquiry has adjourned; it will not continue tomorrow, but instead will reconvene on Monday 6th July at 12 noon - once again at Meeching Hall.
It is clear that this issue, like the village green one, will be decided on complicated and difficult legal arguments. NPP does not dispute that the full width of the promenade has been used by thousands of people over the years visiting the sandy beach, the shingle beach, the breakwater and the amusements; or that thousands of people have descended the steps to the sandy beach. Whether the full width of the promenade plus the steps can be registered as a right of way will, however, hinge on things like whether the cars parked on the promenade materially prevent the use of the right of way; whether the bye-laws were advertised by the car park entrance during the 20 year period being argued about (because they can be argued to be giving people permission to use the promenade); whether the occasional use of the promenade for port related purposes materially obstructed the public's use of the promenade; and what exactly can be inferred from the fact that the original 1956 Definitive Map shows the whole of the promenade coloured in mauve.
Incidentally, in case anyone is wondering, the main reason the town council applied to have the full width of the promenade reinstated on the Definitive Map as a right of way is quite simply to provide access to the top of the steps. If the right of way remains a thin line along the landward side of the promenade it is difficult to connect this to a right of way down the steps because people using the steps clearly approached them from lots of different directions along and over the promenade, rather than all using one narrow approach.
At Tuesday's Annual Meeting of Newhaven Town Council, we said goodbye to long serving town councillor, Judith Ost, who has been Town Mayor for the past year. Judith's year as Mayor was the crowning moment of her 16 year career as a town councillor; before being elected to the town council she had served for some years as a district councillor for Newhaven too. For ten of her years as town councillor Judith was Leader of the Council.
Before taking nominations for the new Mayor, Judith presented Sarah Jarvis of Home-Start with a cheque. Home-Start has been the Mayor's charity for 2014-15.
Councillor Steve Saunders was elected as the new Town Mayor for 2015-16 and Councillor Paul Boswell was elected as the Deputy Mayor.
Quite a number of town councillors left the town council at the recent elections, some of whom had served for four years and some of whom had served for very much longer. We would like to thank them all very much for their hard work on behalf of the community.
Eleven of the 18 councillors elected on 7th May are new to the town council and the political balance of the council has changed slightly with the election of 2 UKIP members and 1 Conservative in addition to the 15 Liberal Democrats. We look forward to working with all our new councillors for the next four years.
Results of Town Council Elections
The results of the town council elections held on Thursday 7th May can be downloaded by clicking on the links below:
We will update the councillors contact details section of our website as soon as we have the necessary information to enable us to do so
Newhaven Fort Living History Weekend - Free Tickets
For more information click here
Competition to design a statue/monument about Ho Chi Minh
A new competition has been launched to design a monument to Vietnam's former leader Ho Chi Minh, who worked on the Newhaven-Dieppe ferry after the First World War.
The competition is open to all residents of Newhaven as well as to students, staff and alumni of both Sussex University and West Dean College and members of the Vietnamese Society of Brighton and Hove.
The artist who submits the winning design will win a trip to Vietnam, including a visit to the factory where the monument will be created.
The winning design will then be installed on the West Quay promontory later in 2015 – 125 years after Ho Chi Minh's birth.
For more details about the competition, please visit this web page: http://www.sussex.ac.uk/doctoralschool/international/vietnamcompetition
Lewes District citizens Advice Bureau
For more information on contacting the adviceline click here
Volunteer Recruitment Event
For more information click here
Newhaven in Bloom
Entries are now being taken for this year's Newhaven in Bloom competition. For an entry form, please click here
Please hand your completed entry form in to the info centre at Paradise Park.
Newhaven Neighbourhood Plan 2030 - Residents Town Centre Survey
Newhaven Town Council is carrying out a Residents Town Centre Survey to find out what local people think about the old Town Centre. The questionnaire has been delivered to every household within the Newhaven Matters magazine but can also be filled out online through the following link.
Has anyone got any really old (1920s) family photos showing people on the sandy West Beach??
We are looking for evidence of people using the beach between the breaking down of the gates in 1921 (see newspaper cutting) and the making of the harbour bye-laws in 1931.
If your family was living in Newhaven then - have you got any old photos which might help us?
This evidence is to support our right of way claim - and we need it as soon as possible!
Please either email copies to firstname.lastname@example.com, or post/bring the original photos into our office so that we can scan them and return them to you.
Newhaven Historical Society
Aspects of Sussex during the Great War - for more information click here
Newhaven's outstanding young people received awards yesterday evening at a special ceremony at the Hillcrest Community Centre. The awards were held as part of the annual Town Meeting hosted by Newhaven Town Council.
There were three categories – Young Person of Courage, Young Sportsperson and Young Carer – and an additional overall award, the Newhaven Community Award, the winner of which was chosen out of all the categories.
The winner of the Young Person of Courage award is George Dawes. George has been involved in a project called "Keeping it Real" which aims to break down stigma attached to mental health issues. He has been talking to other young people about mental health and running stalls at local events. He has attended every meeting of Newhaven Young People's Forum including meetings with other organisations that might seem scary. George received his trophy and cheque from Annie Lorys, President of the Newhaven Chamber of Commerce which sponsored the award.
The winner of the Young Sportsperson award is Callum Peploe. A member of the Hillcrest amateur boxing club for 2 years, he is the most outstanding young person the club has had in its 10 year history (there have been hundreds). He has already caught the eye of a former Team GB coach.
Next year he is entering the National ABA championships which will be a platform from where he will work towards being a future Olympian. Callum is presently studying 11 GCSE's but still finds time to spend two hours each week cleaning at the gym. This award was sponsored by Wave Leisure and Callum received his trophy and cheque from Duncan Kerr, their Chief Executive.
The winner of the Young Carer award is Tommy Cole. Tommy's Mum suffers from seizures and has mobility issues which mean that she cannot be left alone. Tommy helps around the house and allows other family members to have more time for themselves. Tommy knows how to keeps his Mum safe which is a great responsibility for him. Tommy was presented with his trophy and cheque by James Batchelor of Computer Eyez who sponsored this award.
The overall winner of the Newhaven Community Award for young people is Aaron Winser. Aaron was nominated for the Young Person of Courage Award. Aaron lost his Mum last summer to breast cancer. Aged just 13, he organised a fundraising event with two friends, where they shaved their heads. Aaron is a good all-round sportsman, playing both football and cricket. As well as playing for the Under 13s, he played every game for the Newhaven men's 3rd eleven, despite his Mum dying during the season. His focus and passion were inspiring; he is trying so hard to make some positives come out of such a sad situation. Aaron received his award from Roxanne Haid of the Newhaven Enterprise Centre which sponsored this award.
Very many congratulations to all the winners and to all the other young people who were nominated. Newhaven should be very proud of its young people!
A letter (in French) has been sent today to the Chairman of NPP's Board of Directors in France regarding the West Beach. The town council is asking for another meeting with the Board in the changed situation. We have met before with M Jeanne (who is an elected member of the Conseil General de Seine Maritime) and M Jean-Pierre Lucas, a high ranking employee of the Conseil back in May last year. This time we are asking to talk to the whole Board of Directors. This is a translation of what the letter says:
Dear M Jeanne,
The English Supreme Court has now announced the final result of the legal case about the sandy beach in Newhaven, and NPP has won. The beach cannot be registered as a village green.
So, the beach remains closed – but this is not a good solution to the problem for either NPP or for the people of Newhaven.
In this new situation, I would like to arrange a meeting with you and with all the other members of the Board of Directors of NPP to discuss this problem once again with a view to finding a solution which will suit both NPP and the people of Newhaven.
We can come to Rouen to meet with the Board, or alternatively we would be happy to welcome the Board to Newhaven (you could then see the beach?). I will await your suggestions and look forward to meeting you again.
In the hope of a favourable response, I remain,
Yours sincerely
Jacky Cole
Clerk to the Council
To see the original letter click here
The Supreme Court has handed down its judgement this morning in the case for the registration of the sandy West Beach in Newhaven as a village green – and it is very sad news for local residents who used the beach for generations prior to its closure by port owners NPP in 2006. The five judges have agreed to allow NPP's appeal and decided that the beach cannot be registered as a village green.
The grounds given for the judgement are that the existence of the port byelaws, even though they were not drawn to the attention of the public, had the effect of conferring permission on the public to use the beach and that if village green status was granted this would create an incompatibility between the statutory power of the port authority to operate the port and the statutory rights of the users of the village green.
The Town Mayor of Newhaven, Councillor Judith Ost said "This is very disappointing news for the residents of Newhaven, who we know have been hoping and praying that our application to safeguard the beach for their use would succeed.
"The Town Council has done everything in its power to try and get the beach re-opened. When we asked local people in 2008 whether we should apply for village green status we received an overwhelming response with more than 1,000 people filling in forms pledging their support for the idea and saying how much they wanted the beach open. We have followed the wishes of local people and taken this to the highest court in the land.
"As well as pursuing the case through the courts, we have repeatedly tried to reach agreement with NPP outside the court. We have held private talks with them throughout the process asking them to allow the public to use the beach and discussing practical solutions to health and safety concerns. The Supreme Court has today found that the beach has been used by local people for generations by permission of the port authority – and we see no reason why local people cannot continue to do so.
"We still hope to persuade the port authority to grant permission again and call upon them to re-open talks with us immediately. NPP has the power to turn disappointment into joy by letting people back on to the beach this summer.
"Although we always knew we might lose the legal case, we thought we had a good chance of winning. The very fact that the case has gone all the way to the Supreme Court and that it has taken the judges so long to consider their verdict proves that we were right to think this – this was not a cut and dried issue, but one which has been the subject of intense debate amongst the finest legal experts in village green law in this country. If we had won we would have secured the rights of local people to use the beach in perpetuity.
"We have taken care to minimise the cost to Newhaven council tax payers by agreeing with NPP prior to this hearing that neither side would seek costs from the other. We have always said that we would very much have preferred to spend the money spent on legal costs on practical things like the repair of the steps to the beach. We only wish NPP had allowed us to do this."
For a full timeline of what happened and when, please click here. Further information on the case can also be found by clicking on West Beach Village green on the left of this page. And for some light bedtime reading, the full judgement can be found here.
Household Energy Efficiency Course
Keeping everything crossed for a decision next Wednesday. Please click here for more details.
Home Fires Open Day at Newhaven Fort
Newhaven Flood Alleviation exhibitions
The UTC @ Harbourside - Opendays
Do you have children entering Year 10 or Year 12 in September 2015
For more information click here
Funding is now available from the town council's annual small grants scheme. Local voluntary organisations are invited to apply for funding for any project or scheme which will benefit Newhaven people. Typically sums awarded under the scheme range from about £50 to about £200.
To download a leaflet giving further information about the grants scheme please click here. To download an application form please click here.
Application forms should be returned to the town council offices, 18 Fort Road, Newhaven BN9 9QE by Sunday 22nd February 2015.
New trees at The Rose Walk
Town Mayor, Councillor Judith Ost, planted three trees in the road island at The Rose Walk this morning (14th January) to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the First World War. The trees – a whitebeam and two ornamental cherry trees - will form a beautiful, living reminder of the lives lost 100 years ago. An anodised aluminium plaque records the planting.
Local resident Paul Farley approached the town council to ask whether it would be possible for trees to be planted at this location. Two trees had been planted there in 1953 to celebrate the Queen's coronation, but had been removed in recent years after they became damaged. Paul felt that it was important that the trees should be replaced and that they would form a lasting legacy for the town.
There have been a lot of trees planted in Newhaven recently by East Sussex County Council as mitigation for the incinerator – but are there any other locations which might benefit from a tree or two? The town council has limited funds, but is always willing to consider suggestions from local residents – so if, like Paul, you have a good idea, please do let us know.
Newhaven Community Awards
We are looking for young Heroes. Do you know a young hero who deserves an award? We are looking for nomninations for the following awards, which will be presented in a ceremony to be held on 3rd March 2015.
Young Carer (someone who cares for their parent(s) or other family member)
Young Sportsperson (for outstanding sporting achievement)
Young Person of Courage (someone who has achieve something against the odds: for instance whilst battling bravely against illness or disability; or someone who has done something especially brave)
Each individual winner will receive a cash prize of £50 and a commemorative trophy which will be engraved with their name. There will be one overall winner of the Newhaven Community Award, chosen from all three categories, who will win £100. All young people who live, work/volunteer or go to school in Newhaven are eligible to be nominated. They must be aged 17 years or under on 1st March 2015.
If you would like to nominate someone for one of these awards, click here to get a copy of the nomination form All entries nust be received by 6th February 2015.
Christmas in the First World War
As part of our Heritage Lottery funded project "Newhaven's First World War" we will be sharing stories about Newhaven during the First World War through an electronic newsletter which will come out 6 times a year.
The first edition is now available and offers a fascinating glimpse of Christmas for Newhaven families and their loved ones in the trenches in 1914. You can read it by clicking here. We hope you will all enjoy reading it. If you would like to have future copies emailed to you, please let us have your email address at firstname.lastname@example.com and we will add you to the e-mailing list for next time.
Latest News on Neighbourhood Plan
In the summer we consulted with residents to find out how they would like their town to grow and change over the next 15 years. We also ran a number of exhibitions on the Neighbourhood Plan, so that people could come along to find out more and tell us what they think.
We are going to be consulting again with the community over the Christmas period and have included a questionnaire in the Town Council's quarterly magazine 'Newhaven Matters', that will be delivered to all homes in Newhaven over the next couple of weeks. We would really appreciate people views on a number of additional sites that have been suggested for development by landowners.
We are asking that completed questionnaires be returned by 19th January, as views of the community are really important to the Town Council and are essential if we are to deliver a Neighbourhood Plan that sets out what the community would like to see. Questionnaires can be returned to a number of locations throughout the town and these are set out in the magazine.
This is an exciting time for the local community as they have an opportunity to have a real voice, as to how they would like to see their town develop and change over the coming years.
Shaping the future of our Countryside Access
We are asking people to complete a survey which asks how and why they do or don't use our RoW and countryside sites. The survey can be found on the East Sussex consultation hub at www.eastsussex.gov.uk/haveyoursay. It will be open from 1st December to 20th February and is called 'Shaping the future of our countryside access'. Hardcopies can be collected from libraries and tourist information centres if required.
Remembrance Sunday 9th November 2014
To everyone's great relief, the heavy rain of the previous day and night had stopped by Sunday morning and the sun came out for the annual wreath laying and service at the Memorial Green, Newhaven. A large crowd of local people gathered to watch and to participate in the service and pay their respects to those who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country in time of war.
As this year marks the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of the First World War, local school children read the names of the six Newhaven soldiers who died between August and December 1914 and planted crosses by the town memorial for each one. This addition to the ceremony will continue over the next few years so that each Remembrance Day those who died 100 years earlier will be especially remembered.
The long running legal battle over village green status for the sandy West Beach in Newhaven reached its final stage earlier this week when the case was heard by the Supreme Court. The owners of the beach, Newhaven Port and Properties were appealing against the decision in 2013 by the Court of Appeal that the beach could be registered as a village green.
Five justices - Lord Neuberger, Lady Hale, Lord Sumption, Lord Carnwath and Lord Hodge – spent two days listening to arguments both for and against registration of the beach. They will now go away and consider what they have heard before writing their judgements.
The Town Mayor of Newhaven, Councillor Judith Ost, says "We know how passionately the people of Newhaven feel about the beach and how much they want to see it reopened. The issues surrounding this have now been considered by the highest court in the land and we hope very much that the judgement will be in our favour. If we win, the town council looks forward to working with the Port Authority to get the beach opened as soon as possible in a way that is safe for the public. If we lose, we will continue to try and work with the Port Authority in a co-operative way to get the beach open, as we always have."
The judgement is expected to be received in the New Year.
7th November 2014
Come and find out more about the Neighbourhood Plan
Two meetings have been arranged at the Hillcrest Centre, so that the residents and businesses of Newhaven can find out what people said in the Neighbourhood Plan questionnaire that was sent to every household in the summer and how the Neighbourhood Plan is moving forward. The meeting dates are as follows:
- Tuesday 11th November at 7.30pm
- Tuesday 18th November at 3.30pm
Everyone is welcome and we hope to see you there!
Newhaven Town Council wins Heritage Lottery Fund support for First World War project
Newhaven Town Council has received £23,900 from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) for an exciting new project, "Newhaven's First World War".
Over the next eighteen months this project will result in seven information boards forming a "Poppy Trail" around the town to tell the story of Newhaven's role during the war. The project will also involve guided and informative walks alongside workshops and talks for local schools, community groups and the general public. Family history workshops will also take place to allow people to learn more about their own family story
Newhaven was one of the major supply ports during the First World War, helping to keep the troops on the Western Front equipped with everything from food, to horses and munitions and much more besides. The harbour was busy 24 hours a day with transport ships arriving, being loaded up and leaving again. Four thousand soldiers were garrisoned in the town to defend it; the Hillcrest Centre was a hospital and from 1917 there was a seaplane base on the eastern side of the harbour to help protect the shipping from submarine attack.
This project will help local people to uncover this rich heritage and give visitors a glimpse of Newhaven's past. The Poppy Trail, as well as dedicated website pages, will provide a lasting legacy to help future generations understand the vital role Newhaven played during 1914-18.
Councillor Judith Ost, Town Mayor of Newhaven, said "I am delighted that we have secured the funding for this project which will uncover and display for all to see another part of the rich and varied history of our town. It is fascinating to learn how familiar landmarks like the Hillcrest Centre were utilised a hundred years ago. I look forward to attending some of the activities and hope that many local people will join in and be part of the project."
Stuart McLeod, Head of Heritage Lottery Fund South East, said: "The First World War had a significant impact on Newhaven, which saw its coastal community become a major supply port for the Western Front and home to thousands of British and overseas troops. We're pleased to support this project which will create a lasting legacy of Newhaven's memory of the conflict and help young people in particular to broaden their understanding of how it has shaped our modern world."
Students at the Seahaven Academy have voted for a new Young Mayor for Newhaven this week. This morning, Town Mayor Councillor Judith Ost went up to the school to announce the winner and present her with her Young Mayor's badge. There were four candidates - Tamsin Pendrey, Katie Strick, Brooke Murtagh and Janki Pillai. The vote was very close and was won by 12 year old Janki, who is a year 8 pupil. Many congratulations to her!
Janki's first official engagement will be to lay a wreath on behalf of the town council at the annual Remembrance Day ceremony on Sunday, 9th November.
The long running legal battle over village green status for the sandy West Beach in Newhaven will reach its final stage on Monday 3rd and Tuesday 4th November when the case will be heard by the Supreme Court. The owners of the beach, Newhaven Port and Properties are appealing against the decision made by the Appeal Court in March 2013 that the beach can be registered as a village green.
Both Newhaven Town Council, which made the original application for village green status, and East Sussex County Council, which is the Village Green registration authority, will be represented in Court.
The Town Mayor of Newhaven, Councillor Judith Ost, says "At last this issue, which is so close to the hearts of the residents of Newhaven, will be considered at the very highest level and a final decision made. We know that the people of Newhaven will be keeping their fingers firmly crossed that we can get the beach re-opened."
NPP's legal team will be making their case for an appeal on Monday; on Tuesday it will be the turn of ESCC and NTC's legal teams to argue that the appeal should not be allowed.
The Supreme Court is situated in Parliament Square, London SW1P 3BD and members of the public are very welcome to attend the case. The hearing is due to start at 11am on Monday 3rd November, and the building opens to the public from 9.30am. The nearest underground station is Westminster.
If you are unable to get to London, why not watch it live online? The case is expected to be streamed live by Sky News and available on the Supreme Court website at www.supremecourt.uk
Newhaven Station Interchange Scheme
East Sussex County Council would like to hear your views on their proposal to introduce a new public transport facility near Newhaven Town Railway Station. Your views must be in by Friday 31st October 2014.
To take part in their online survey please click here.
The results of the Tour of Britain Photographic Competition held by Newhaven Town Council have just been announced – and the winner is Newhaven resident Simon Hepworth. "Highly Commended" awards have also been announced for runners up Ivan Tallboys and David Astell.
The panel of judges – Norman Baker MP, local artist Carol Havard and Rod Lambert of Mr Cycles, Seaford – found it a difficult job to choose the winner as the standard of photos submitted for the competition was so high. They assessed the photos on composition, how instantly recognisable as Newhaven the location was and on the interest of the image. Simon's wonderful picture of cyclists, motorcyclists and accompanying vehicles crossing the swing bridge scored highly in all three categories.
Simon will receive a £50 voucher kindly donated by Mr Cycles, the cycling shop in Clinton Place (opposite the Railway Station) in Seaford.
The competition was open to adults and children, local residents and visitors to the town and was for the best photograph taken in Newhaven on the day of the Tour of Britain – Saturday 13th September 2014.
Valley Ponds Moth Night
Free Electric Blanket Testing
To find out more click here
The Photographer's Eye
The Photographer's Eye
22 August to 7 September 2014, Newhaven, East Sussex
Large photographic images are being put up on billboards across Newhaven this week as part of an outdoor Artwave exhibition entitled 'The Photographer's Eye' supported by Lewes District Council. The works show different aspects of the town taken by three photographers: Carlotta Luke, Alexis Maryon and Kai Crick.
As part of her Photo@Harbourside project, Carlotta Luke documents the Marine and Carpenters' Workshops on Railway Quay as they change into a new college opening in September 2015. Alexis Maryon uses black and white images to focus in on the people and places of this port town. Kai Crick's work explores light and colour, and challenges people's assumptions of ruin and neglect by showing the town's industrial heritage in a new light.
Meet The Photographers
5 September, 6pm-8pm RNLI Building on West Quay
This event gives visitors and residents the opportunity to see the works and find out more about the photographers themselves and why they were inspired to photograph the port town of Newhaven. Entry is free with donations to the RNLI. Places are limited so pre-booking is essential on 01323 897426.
The Photographer's Eye
22 August to 7 September
Outdoor locations across Newhaven. See www.artwavefestival.org for a map
Web: www.photo-harbourside.org
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Tel: 01273 484002
Newhaven Town Council Grant Aid
Funding is now available from the town council's annual small grants scheme. Local voluntary organisations are invited to apply for funding for any project or scheme which will benefit Newhaven people. Typically sums awarded under the scheme range from about £50 to about £200.
For further information about the scheme please click here. For an application form, please click here
Alan Saunders (aged 92) Zip Wire Challenge
To find out more about this fundraising challenge click here
Photographic Competition
On how to enter click here
72nd Anniversary of the Dieppe Raid
The commemoration of the 72nd anniversary of the Dieppe Raid took place in Newhaven on Sunday in blustery, but thankfully dry conditions. Earlier in the day ex-Hurricane Bertha had passed over the town, bringing driving rain, but by 3pm when the service took place, the sun had reappeared in the sky and the parade was able to take place as usual from Denton Island to the Memorial Green.
Despite the atrocious weather earlier in the day, a good crowd of local residents came out to support the event and to applaud the veterans after they had laid their wreaths.
Once again this year the service was attended by two British veterans of the Raid, Bill Mellow, who was the coxswain of a landing craft dropping Canadian troops on Dieppe beach in 1942, and Alan Saunders, a now blind member of 40 Commando, Royal Marines. Both men laid wreaths during the service in memory of their lost comrades. In addition, wreaths were laid by dignitaries including a Deputy Lieutenant on behalf of HM The Queen, the High Sheriff, the Mayor of Newhaven, representatives of the Mayor of Dieppe, the Canadian High Commissioner and the United States Ambassador, the Chairmen of ESCC and LDC and representatives from the Royal British Legion and other veterans' organisations.
Neighbourhood Plan questionnaire
Please submit your Neighbourhood Plan questionnaire to the Town Council Offices by the new date of 31st August. We are already looking at the views submitted so far and will let you know at meetings at the end of October what people think of the proposed vision and objectives for the Neighbourhood Plan and which sites residents favour for development.
We know that some residents did not receive a questionnaire when they were distributed at the beginning of July. Please let us know if your household did not receive one and we will put one in the post or deliver it by hand.
Lewes to Newhaven Raft Race
This year's raft race was set to take place on Sunday 10th August but has been postponed by a month due to a low number of entries. The organisers are now appealing for more entries ready for the revised date of 7th September in a bid to allow organisations more time to assemble their crews and rafts. They hope that by moving the race outside of the school holidays, more entrants will now be able to enter, ensuring this important and iconic fund raising event can go ahead and continue to be the visual and entertaining spectacle that it has come to be known for, over its 38 year history. For more information or to enter a raft, contact Matt Craig on 01273 813093 or email email@example.com
Proposed closure of HSBC Bank
The town council has today sent the following letter to the Rt Hon Danny Alexander MP at HM Treasury:
Dear Mr Alexander
Closure of HSBC Bank, Newhaven
Newhaven Town Council has been bitterly disappointed at the recent announcement by HSBC Bank that its Newhaven branch is to close. This is the last bank left in Newhaven and when it has closed Newhaven will have no banking facilities left at all except for the very limited ones provided by the Post Office. This will cause hardship for vulnerable local residents such as the elderly, disabled or those who have limited means. Newhaven has a high level of social deprivation and low levels of car ownership and it is not easy for those sections of the community to travel to neighbouring towns to access banking facilities.
The town council feels that the current Government policy of laissez-faire which is encouraging banks to close any branches with low foot fall, regardless of the social and economic effects on less well-off communities such as Newhaven, is very short-sighted and should be rethought.
Yours sincerely
Jacky Cole, Clerk to the Council
Proposed Changes to Local Bus Services
We need your views by taking our brief questionnaire, please click here
Newhaven Fort Living History Weekend
There are free tickets for Newhaven residents to visit the Fort's Living HIstory Weekend on 26th and 27th July.This is a multi-period living history event showcasing military life from Napoleonic times to WW2. This year's event has a WW1 focus and there will be opportunities to get hands on with replica uniforms and kit of the period. Phone 01273 517622 for more information. Tickets available from the Town Council offices at 18 Fort Road or at the Fort.
100th BIRTHDAY OF A HEROINE OF THE DIEPPE RAID
Newhaven Town Councillor Steve Saunders attended the 100th birthday celebration of Sister Agnes-Marie Valois in Dieppe over the weekend as representative of the Mayor of Newhaven.
This remarkable woman was a 28 year-old nurse in France at the time of the raid. She earned a nickname on the beach, among the wounded. She became known as the "Angel of Dieppe" as she walked through the battlefield, checking the corpses for unconscious and injured soldiers.
It is said that on the day of the battle, Sister Agnes stood defiantly in front of a wounded Canadian soldier who was about to be shot again by a German soldier. Sister Agnes told the German soldier that if he was going to shoot the Canadian soldier, he was going to have to shoot her first. "It wasn't war" she said, "It was a massacre."
At the Hotel Dieu in Rouen after the battle, Sister Agnes-Marie Valois cared for the wounded who were taken as prisoners of war. She worked tirelessly, despite the ongoing risk of reprisal from the German authorities, who posed a threat to her and her nursing colleagues.
For Canadians taken prisoner, Sister Valois was seen as a true angel of mercy. Young, hurt, and frightened, they were touched by the tender caring that she gave with grace, humanity and compassion. On several occasions, she courageously confronted the Germans to ensure that the wounded received the medical attention that they needed.
The Sister has received the Legion of Honour, is a Knight of the Order of Merit (France), has the Meritorious Service Medal (Canada) and received the keys to the city of Windsor in Canada.
The celebrations at the weekend began with a ceremony at Canada Square on the Dieppe seafront. Wreaths were laid by the Mayor of Dieppe, mayors of adjoining towns, veterans, a representative of the Canadian High Commission and Sister Agnes-Marie herself.
This was followed by a reception at the Hotel de Ville (The Town Hall), where speeches were made to honour her life. Sister Agnes-Marie listened intently to each and every one and often interrupted to make comments and thank everyone.
Councillor Saunders presented Sister Agnes-Marie with a gift of a painting of Newhaven Harbour by local artist Kristina Stedman together with goodwill messages from the Mayor of Newhaven, from the Lord Lieutenant and from the Royal British Legion.
Councillor Saunders said "I was honoured to represent the people of Newhaven at the celebrations of the 100th birthday of Sister Agnes-Marie Valois. She is a remarkable woman who is admired by so many people around the world. Her courage and compassion during the Dieppe Raid, was beyond compare and we all owe her a debt of thanks that can never be repaid. She is an inspiration to us all."
RNLI Newhaven - Fundraising at Driftwood Garden
Driftwood Garden, 4 Marine Drive, Bishopstone, Seaford, BN25 2RS is opening it's garden gate for the very first garden evening opening, in aid of the RNLI Newhaven Lifeboat, on FRIDAY 11th JULY 2014, BETWEEN 5PM AND 9PM. To be opened by Mayor of Newhaven, Cllr Judith Ost, Entry £5 including a glass of wine or £3 without. Tea, coffee, cake, savoury items for sale, all served on vintage china on trays in the garden with all proceeds to RNLI. Plant supports and garden sculpture for sale with 10% of sales going to RNLI
For more information visit www.driftwoodbysea.co.uk or to see a poster click here
NEWHAVEN MARKS THE 100th ANNIVERSARY OF THE OUTBREAK OF WORLD WAR ONE
This Saturday, 28th June is the 100th anniversary of one of the most far reaching incidents in history. On 28th June 1914 in Sarajevo, Bosnia, the heir to the Austrian throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife were shot dead by a young Bosnian Serb. No-one realised at the time that these were the first shots in a conflict that would spread across Europe, cost around 16 million lives and become known firstly as the War to end all Wars, and then (when that proved to be unrealistic) the First World War.
The anniversary of this terrible day will be marked by all vessels in Newhaven harbour sounding their sirens at 5pm. All vessels have also been asked to fly their flags at half-mast all day.
Further events to commemorate the anniversary are planned as follows:
- 10th August 11.30am Commemoration Service at St Michael's Church
- 21st-23rd August – Newhaven Fort – recreation of an original World War 1 play "The Better 'Ole" (or the Romance of Old Bill)
- Two giant poppies have been installed at Newhaven Fort, one facing the sea, one facing the town
150th Anniversary of the Lewes to Seaford Railway Line
Over the weekend of 7th and 8th June two steam trains came to Newhaven and Seaford as part of the celebrations of the 150th anniversary of the Lewes to Seaford Railway line.
Below is a video of the weekend made by Tom Bonnor of Newhaven Museum.
Fish Festival
The annual Newhaven Fish Festival took place on Saturday, 14th June 2014. The Mayor, Councillor Judith Ost, led the Children's Parade in a fishy dress she had made especially for the occasion. She was also wearing a mortar board with fishy facts hanging from it as a reference to her many years as a teacher at Tideway School. Councillor Steve Saunders joined the Parade as Sponge Bob Squarepants and Councillor Graham Amy was Neptune.
Stalls from the Dieppe Market joined local commercial and community stalls on Huggett's Green together with fairground rides. The weather was mainly dry with just a few minutes of rain in the afternoon, and the occasion was a great success.
Lewes District Citizens Advice Bureau launches access online
For more information click here
Yesterday saw the first completely new Biosphere site in the UK established for almost forty years and the first ever in south-east England. The Brighton & Lewes Downs Biosphere was awarded this designation by UNESCO's International Coordinating Council (ICC) of the 'Man and the Biosphere' (MAB) programme, which met in Sweden earlier today (Wednesday 11th June). It joins a global network of more than 600 "world-class environments" in over 100 countries, and is one of only a handful worldwide to include a city.
Achieving the status of a new World Biosphere site follows six years' work by the Brighton & Lewes Downs Biosphere partnership to develop its bid. The partnership of some forty organisations, with Brighton & Hove City Council as a lead partner, includes Newhaven Town Council.
Martin Price, Chair of theUK National Committee for UNESCO's Man & the Biosphere (MAB) Programme, reports from the UNESCO meeting in Sweden: "I am very glad to say that the decision was taken today to approve the Brighton & Lewes Downs as a new Biosphere for the UK, so it is now a globally-recognised site of excellence where many individuals and organisations work in partnership to foster all aspects of sustainable development across the region."
Chair of the Brighton & Lewes Downs Biosphere partnership, Chris Todd says: "This is world recognition for the fantastic environment we have here and for all the hard work that local people put into looking after it. Now we have this accolade, we aim to build on the partnership to do even greater things. This is not about telling people what to do but creating a vision for the future. More and more people are living in cities and we need to find ways of making them more pleasant places to live. We need to make sure that we build nature into the equation while raising awareness of how the natural environment contributes to our wealth and well-being."
Jeremy Burgess, Eastern Downs Area Manager for the South Downs National Park and Vice Chair of the Biosphere partnership said: "Getting Biosphere status for this part of the South Downs and surrounding area is a great achievement. It means that an area already protected nationally for its special landscapes has been recognised internationally for the importance of its wildlife and the role it can play in improving quality of life and boosting a greener economy for the millions of people who live around it. The National Park isn't an island and we hope that Biosphere status will help us reach out and encourage more visits, research and investment across the area."
The Brighton & Lewes Downs Biosphere area covers all of the land and near-shore coastal waters between the two rivers of the Adur in the west and the Ouse in the east. The northern boundary of the South Downs National Park marks its northern limits, while it also includes the city of Brighton & Hove and neighbouring towns of Lewes, Newhaven, Peacehaven, Shoreham, Telscombe, Southwick and Shoreham Beach. Extending two nautical miles out to sea, it also includes part of one of the first 'Marine Conservation Zones' designated by the Government last year.
Newhaven Town Council has signed a friendship and co-operation agreement with Vinh City, the city in Vietnam where Ho Chi Minh was born.
This has come about as a result of the historical link the Sussex port has with Ho Chi Minh, who is believed to have worked as a pastry chef on the Newhaven-Dieppe ferry as a young man in the 1910s.
The Town Council erected 10 banners on West Quay, Newhaven last year with colourful and quirky historical "sound bites" on them – one of which was about Ho Chi Minh's link with the town. This resulted in a visit to the town by the Vietnamese Ambassador and led to talks with Vietnam about closer ties of friendship.
It is hoped that the friendship between Vinh City and Newhaven will lead to opportunities for tourism, educational and cultural exchange as well as business links which will benefit the residents of both communities.
Councillor Julie Carr, Chair of the Town Council's Community Engagement and Promotion Committee said "I am delighted that Newhaven Town Council has signed a friendship and co-operation agreement with Vinh City. I think it will be of mutual benefit to both areas, the priority areas that have been identified and agreed are: education; Economic development; business links; tourism and culture. We have already held preliminary talks with representatives from Vinh City as to how we can move things forward. I look forward to working with colleagues from Vietnam and from Newhaven and the surrounding area to make this relationship a long lasting and fruitful one."
The friendship and co-operation agreement was signed by the Mayor of Newhaven, Councillor Judith Ost and the Chairman of the Vinh People's Committee, Mr Nguyen Xuan Singh at a ceremony which took place in Newhaven on Sunday 25th May. The Vietnamese Ambassador, Mr Vu Quang Minh also attended the ceremony, together with invited guests from both Britain and Vietnam.
Newhaven Neighbourhood Plan
Call for Sites
Background - A Neighbourhood Plan is a mechanism for enabling communities, including both local residents and businesses, to influence the planning of the area in which they live and work. It can be used to:
Develop a shared vision for the neighbourhood.
Propose where new homes, shops, offices and other development should be built.
Identify new and protect important local green spaces.
Influence what new buildings should look like.
Newhaven Town Council is preparing a Neighbourhood Development Plan, under the provisions of the Localism Act 2012. In preparing the plan the Town Council will need to ensure that the Plan has regard to national legislation and be in general conformity with existing or emerging local planning policy. In this case Lewes District Council's modified Proposed Submission Core Strategy.
As part of its work in collecting evidence and information for the Newhaven Neighbourhood Plan, a 'Call for Sites' is being carried out from 17th May 2014 till 2nd June 2014, so that landowners and agents of land can submit sites to be considered for development. Proposals can relate to a wide range of development types. Application forms for the submission of sites are available under the Neighbourhood Planning link Click Here
A 'Call for Sites' application form is also available from the Town Council Offices at 18 Fort Road, Newhaven BN9 9QE, telephone 01273 516100.
Why are we calling for sites? - This is an informal opportunity for landowners and developers to propose sites within the parish area of Newhaven for development.
This exercise will not in itself decide whether a site would be allocated for development by the neighbourhood plan, nor will it commit the proposer(s) to apply for planning consent, but it will enable the Town Council to become aware of sites that area available for development in the neighbourhood plan area.
What next? - The site suggestions received by us, will be consulted upon with the local community in the first instance, within a consultation period in June and July this year. There will also be a number of consultation events taking place around the town and the dates for these will be on our website and advertised around the town very soon.
New Mayor for Newhaven
At last night's Annual Meeting of Newhaven Town Council, Councillor Judith Ost was elected Town Mayor for 2014-15. Judith has been a town councillor for 15 years and was Leader of the Council from 2003 to 2012. She was a teacher at Tideway School for many years prior to her retirement and has lived in the town with her husband for 43 years, raising two children here.
Judith has chosen Home-Start as the Mayor's charity for her year of office. Home-Start helps families with your children deal with whatever life throws at them. They support parents as they learn to cope, improve their confidence and help them to build better lives for their children.
The newly elected Mayor said "I am looking forward to meeting many of the wonderful people who make this town tick and helping to promote and support their work, especially their volunteering and fund raising."
Newhaven Community Awards
The 2014 Newhaven Community Awards were presented to their worthy winners during the annual Town Meeting held at the Hillcrest Community Centre last week. Around eighty people gathered in the hall to see the awards presented, meet representatives from local organisations and find out about what the Town Council had been up to over the past year.
There were three award categories, plus an overall winner chosen from all the nominations.
The Volunteer Award is for someone who has done outstanding voluntary work in the community and was won by Bob Evans. Bob is the Group Scout Leader for the 3rd Newhaven troop and has been a dedicated officer for the last 15 years as well as a volunteer driver for Community Transport for the Lewes Area. The award was sponsored by Newhaven Chamber of Commerce and Bob is pictured receiving it from Roxanne Haid from the Chamber.
The Unsung Hero Award is for someone who has gone beyond and above the call of duty whether in a professional or voluntary role. This award was won by Maureen Hannington, a volunteer at the Senior Citizens Lunch Club who always goes the extra mile, for instance by checking when people don't turn up at the lunch club to make sure they are well and helping to care for people in their own homes. Maureen is pictured receiving her award from Stuart Still of East Web who sponsored the award.
The Achiever Award is for someone who has achieved something outstanding through hard work or talent. Jim Skinner, who formed the Friends of Tide Mills and has led the group enthusiastically for 8 years, was the winner of this Award. The efforts of the group have made the area much more attractive and a popular place for visitors. Jim is pictured receiving his award from Neil Cameron of Wave Leisure who sponsored the award.
The overall winner of the 2014 Newhaven Community Award was Marilyn Nolan, described as a "serial volunteer for a wide range of organisations and charities in the local areas". These include Denton & South Heighton Junior Football Club, the Barn Theatre in Seaford, the RNIB and the Meridian Mature Citizens Forum. Marilyn was presented with her award by Roxanne Haid of the Newhaven Enterprise Centre, who sponsored the award.
The Mayor of Newhaven, Councillor Julie Carr, said "It was really hard for the panel to choose the winners, because there were so many wonderful nominations of people who put so much into the local community. We wished they could all win. It has been a huge honour for me, as Mayor, to meet representatives of Newhaven's vibrant voluntary sector during the past year and I was delighted to be able to finish my mayoral year with this lovely ceremony to recognise some of the people involved."
Relaunch of Profitnet in Newhaven
The University of Brighton is about to relaunch Profitnet in Newhaven, this is a business networking group subsidised by the Regional Growth Fund. To find out more click here
Newhaven University plans go on show
Click here to read more about the new University Technical College in Newhaven.
No Cold Calling Zone for Newhaven?
Would you like to see Newhaven become a "No Cold Calling Zone"? Seaford has been one for the past two years and has seen an 80% reduction in doorstep callers and traders. Seaford has seen a drop in distraction burglaries too. Peacehaven and Telscombe have also just become "No Cold Calling Zones" – so if Newhaven did the same there would be one big coastal "No Cold Calling Zone" from Seaford to Telscombe.
A "No Cold Calling Zone" would enable residents, particularly the more elderly, to turn away unwanted and intrusive doorstep callers and traders. This in turn would help to reduce the number of distraction burglaries in the area and enable the Police to identify who the cold callers are and the locations they target in town. Religious and political groups are exempt from the scheme.
If the scheme goes ahead, residents will receive a sticker/door notice that can be placed inside their house close to the front door. It provides information on what to do if you have uninvited cold callers on your doorstep. In addition signs would be erected at the town's boundaries warning visitors that they are entering a "No Cold Calling Zone".
However, to introduce the scheme there needs to be good support from local residents. Please let us know how you feel about the proposal by taking part in our online survey
Raising Money for Newhaven RNLI
Claire Etherington is running the London Marathon on Sunday 13th April to raise money for the Newhaven RNLI. She has been inspired to run following the recent rescue attempt of local teenager Dylan Alkins in the extreme bad weather last year. We think she is marvellous for undertaking such a challenge. Claire would appreciate as much support as possible and has set up a web page for donations. Please visit www.virginmoneygiving.com/claireetherington to donate and follow her training progress.
Newhaven Community Awards
We are looking for nominations for these awards, which will be presented in a ceremony to be held on 29th April 2014.
The Newhaven Community Awards will include awards in the following categories:
- Volunteer
- Achiever
- Unsung Hero
Each individual winner will receive a cash prize of £50 and a commemorative trophy which will be engraved with their name.
Anyone who lives and works/volunteers in Newhaven is eligible to be nominated.
If you would like to nominate someone for one of these awards, please complete the form overleaf and send it to the address below by Friday 28th March 2014. We would also welcome additional material in support of nominations, such as photographs or videos, which will be treated as confidential unless you tell us otherwise
Please Click Here for further details and to download our entry form
Grants Available for Local Organisations
Newhaven Town Council has just launched its annual small grants scheme. Every year the Council invites local groups and organisations who work for the benefit of Newhaven residents to apply for funding. Grants awarded last year went to support all sorts of activities, including lunches and outings for the elderly and vulnerable, the purchase of play equipment for pre-school groups and the hire of a skip to enable local residents to clean up their area.
If you would like to apply for a grant please click here to download an application form and click here for some general information about how the scheme works.
The deadline for applications is Sunday 16th February
Newhaven Town Council Christmas Closure
Newhaven Town Council Offices will be Closed from
12.00 Noon on Tuesday 24th December 2013
and will re-open at
8.30am on 2nd January 2014
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year
The Supreme Court has now granted permission for the application by NPP to appeal against the decision made by the Court of Appeal on 27th March 2013.
Nothing further will be known (such as the date for the hearing) until NPP has confirmed that it wishes to continue with its appeal. NPP is required to formally notify the Court later this month.
There was some significant tidal flooding in Newhaven last night, with the port authority indicating a water height of 7.79 m. This is the highest for many years and is believed to have exceeded the Environment Agency forecast. (Just after 4pm yesterday the EA had issued a flood alert asking people to "be aware").
East Sussex Fire and Rescue crews attended and report that between 50 and 100 residential properties were affected in the Railway Road area of the town , with variable water depths , but in excess of 300mm /I foot in places ( Streets affected were Transit Road , Railway Road , Norton Road Norton Terrace, Eastbridge Road and Clifton Road ).
There was no evacuation of residents, but they were advised to move valuables upstairs and isolate electrics.
Additionally, we have reports of flooding of industrial and commercial property in Avis Way , Robinson Road and The Drove, and a recreation ground and sports pavilion at Fort Road .
Following liaison with Police and ESFRS, Lewes District Council officers are now "door knocking" in the affected residential areas to find out extent of flooding, any damage caused and the level of help required.
We are also bringing supplies of sand bags into the area for any residents who need them in advance of the next high tide at 1313 this afternoon .We are collating and sharing information from residents with other emergency responders and seek assistance where necessary , so that appropriate action can be taken before the next high tide .
The Lewes > Newhaven> Seaford railway service is currently suspended because of flooding in the vicinity of Newhaven Harbour station.
There is still surface water "ponding" at various locations in the town , left over after the early morning tidal surge receded. East Sussex County Council Highways are cleaning flood debris from roads and checking gulleys on main roads in the area.
Lewes District Council officers are also liaising with the port owners (NPP) to get information on the impact on port operations and flood pathways across port land.
We have a dedicated phone number of 01273 484354 for anyone who has been affected and who needs to speak to us. (As LDC officers are already in the area they are able to deal with enquiries face to face).
We are introducing a new management plan to make Valley Ponds a better place for both people and wildlife
Over the next couple of months you will see work taking place to:
- Remove dead and decaying tree branches, both for the health of the trees and to allow more light and air to reach the ponds
- Plant new trees and replace trees planted in the Spring which have not survived the Summer
- Clear brambles and nettles from around the third pond
- Clear reed growth from the culverts to ensure water can flow freely from one pond to another and from the ponds under the road towards the river
The management plan has been drawn up for five years. Included in it are plans for:
- Continuing to allow the grass to grow long in some areas to protect baby toads as they emerge from the Ponds in the early summer. It is hoped to sow wildflower seed into the longer grass to make this look attractive. Paths through the grass will be cut to allow people access through these areas.
- Carrying out a survey of the wildlife and plants found at the Ponds
- Monitoring water levels and water quality
- Installing an interpretation board giving information about the wildlife and ecology of the Ponds
- Creating a bank shelf in one of the ponds which can be planted with native marginal plants
Would you like to join a "Friends of Valley Ponds" group to help look after the Ponds? If so please email Newhaven Town Council email@example.com or phone 01273 516100
East Sussex County Council is proposing to close Seaford's Household Waste and Recycling site at Cradle Hill, Seaford and is expecting Seaford residents to use the Newhaven tip instead. Newhaven Town Council objects to this proposal, which it feels will result in long queues at Newhaven, especially at weekends, creating a hazard on the A26, and will have a negative effect on air quality in the town as a result of traffic fumes from queueing vehicles.
Seaford Town Council is holding a public meeting to discuss this proposal tomorrow - Friday 15th November at 7pm at the Baptist Church, Belgrave Road, Seaford.
There is an online petition against the closure of Seaford tip here:
You can also respond to the online consultation by East Sussex County Council. Fill in the "any other comments" box to have your say on the proposed closure of Seaford tip.
After a very, very wet Saturday, the weather relented on Sunday 10th November for the Remembrance Day Service and Parade in Newhaven – the sun came out and the air turned crisp and cold. As a result a good sized crowd came out to watch the wreaths being laid.
At the church service held before the parade the tragic loss of 14 year old Dylan Alkins was remembered and the congregation gave a round of applause for the members of HM Coastguard and the crew of the lifeboat, who were present in the church.
The laying of the wreaths was led by the High Sheriff of East Sussex, the Royal British Legion and the Mayor of Newhaven. Newhaven's new Young Mayor, Connor Dartnell laid a wreath on the Transport Memorial on behalf of Newhaven Town Council. It was lovely to see so many children and young people involved in the wreath laying this year – from the cadet forces, scouts and girl guides, from all three primary schools and from Tideway.
HM The Queen's Visit to Newhaven
Despite the rainy weather a large, excited crowd gathered on West Quay to greet the Queen. The lifeboat came up the river to hover alongside Bickerstaff's. It was decked out with flags and the crew were all on board - they attracted lots of applause, cheers and waves from the crowd. Excitement mounted when the Queen's helicoper flew overhead in the direction of the Fort Road Rec.
A few minutes later the first police outrider arrived, followed shortly by the Royal Bentley.
Although it had been raining quite hard on and off, the rain held off during the actual period of the visit. The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh got out of the car and went inside the shop where they looked at the fish and met with members of staff, fishermen and a small group of invited guests, which included Paul Legendre, Coxswain of the Lifeboat and Trevor Cutler, Newhaven Station Officer of the Coastguard.
On emerging from the shop, the Queen walked over to some of the crowd and also spoke to a number of young children who had been brought out of the crowd to meet her.
After the Queen had left, the Mayor hosted a small reception on board HMS Ranger, which was moored alongside the Lifeboat Station. The guests were people who the Mayor felt had contributed a lot to Newhaven, but who had not been lucky enough to meet the Queen.
Her Majesty The Queen, accompanied by His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh, will visit East Sussex on Thursday 31st October.
The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh will start their visit to East Sussex by visiting West Quay Fisheries, Newhaven Fish Market. They will meet staff and tour the facilities meeting local fishermen and customers.
If you would like to come down to West Quay and help to give her a right royal welcome to Newhaven, we understand that 10.15am would be a good time to get there.
Come along and support Newhaven's street market which operates on Thursdays and Saturdays - lots of new stalls.
Please support this on-line petition launched by South Heighton Parish council to try and prevent Veolia from getting permission "via the back door" to run lorries to the incinerator on Bank Holidays.
After much objection by local people Veolia withdrew two planning applications to permanently increase lorry movements to the incinerator in Newhaven East Sussex on bank holidays. Instead they are using the back door by requesting the planning officer use his delegated powers to "relax" condition 28 of the original planning application for the incinerator. Condition 28 was set down to protect local residents amenities and restricted lorry movements to the incinerator particularly on Bank Holidays. We can stop Veolia using this back door by submitting a petition to insist that any application for relaxation of condition 28 submitted to East Sussex County Council be considered by the full planning committee and not decided by an individual officer.
By doing this we would at least have the opportunity to raise objections to applications and allow the proper democratic process to take it's course.
Possibly the most exciting role offered by a Town Council on the South Coast this year!
HEAD of STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT
Reporting direct to the Council and free of the day to day routine you will be responsible for effective engagement with leaders in the community and beyond; working with others to attract economic investment; promoting Newhaven in a positive way; and the development and implementation of the Council's Business Plan and its Economic Strategy.
We are looking for someone with a flair for managing successful partnerships, the ability to develop the potential of our town and a record of success in an appropriate walk of life.
In return we will be flexible with the way in which you work the 20 hours each week, we will provide a Research Assistant/PA and offer a salary of £36,676 - £41,148 pro rata.
If this role excites you please apply for an information pack and application form to:
For an informal discussion about the post please contact Trevor Leggo, Chief Executive, Sussex and Surrey Associations of Local Councils (SSALC) who has been retained to assist the Council with this appointment, Tel: 07825506649
Closing date for receipt of applications: Friday 25th October 2013. Completed application forms should be returned to email@example.com
Interviews will be held on Tuesday 12th November 2013
The people of Newhaven are a small step closer to having the right to use their sandy beach today as East Sussex County Council has now formally made an Order creating a right of way to it.
Newhaven Town Council applied for the new right of way some time ago in connection with the on-going process to have the beach registered as a Village Green.
The current East Sussex Definitive Map (which is the legal register of all rights of way) includes a right of way which is shown as a thin line passing along the promenade behind the sandy beach from the end of Fort Road to the shingle beach on the west of the harbour arm. The first ever Definitive Map, produced in the 1950s, showed the same right of way as a much thicker line, covering the full width of the promenade, but for some unknown reason the width of the right of way seems to have got lost over time.
The new Order modifies the Definitive Map and accompanying Statement by restoring the right of way to the full width of the promenade and by adding a public footpath connecting the promenade and the steps to the sandy beach and over the steps to the beach.
The Town Mayor of Newhaven, Councillor Julie Carr said "I am absolutely delighted at this latest victory for common sense and for the rights of the people of Newhaven. Once again, I would like to invite Newhaven Port and Properties to sit down and talk to the Town Council so that we can work together to find the best way to get the beach open for local people as soon as possible and in a way that is both safe and doesn't get in the way of port operations".
The Town Council is still waiting for a decision from the Supreme Court as to whether it will give the beach's owners, Newhaven Port and Properties, permission to appeal against the Appeal Court's decision to allow the beach to be registered as a Village Green.
The public notice advertising the Order will be in the local paper tomorrow, 13th September. There is a 42 day objection/representation period until 28th October 2013, after which the Order will either be confirmed as made or referred to the Secretary of State for a determination to be made.
A copy of the Order and Public Notice is available for the public to view at the Town Council offices, 18 Fort Road, Newhaven.
Memorial Benches
Would you like to commemorate a loved one by buying a bench in their memory and having it placed in a spot somewhere in the town or its environs which was of special significance to them?
Newhaven Town Council is now offering this facility to local residents and would be pleased to hear from anyone who would be interest.
Suggested locations include West Quay, Castle Hill, Ouse Estuary Nature Reserve, parks and recreation grounds-but street locations can also be considered-please feel free to ask.
The Coundil has chosen this style of bench, which it feels is attractive, modern and hardwearing and apppropriate for a maritime, parkland or urban setting.
The bench comes with or without arm rests and your personal dedication to your loved one can be added to the wooden top rail of the seat.
If you would like to find out more about this facility, please ring the Town Council offices on 01273 516100 or email: firstname.lastname@example.com
71st ANNIVERSARY OF THE DIEPPE RAID
Despite the gloomy, rainy conditions during the morning, the sun came out from behind the clouds and shone on the commemoration of the 71st anniversary of the Dieppe Raid, which took place on Sunday in Newhaven.
A good sized crowd gathered at the Memorial Gardens in South Way to see the parade arrive from Denton Island and the wreath laying ceremony. Two British veterans of the actual Raid laid wreaths this year – Perky Mellow, the coxswain of one of the craft landing troops on the beach – and Alan Saunders, a now blind veteran who was in the Royal Marines.
Lt Col Peter Kouri, representing the Canadian High Commissioner, said afterwards how honoured he felt that so many people had made the effort to come to the service and remember his fellow countrymen who had died during the Raid.
Other dignitaries attending the service and laying wreaths included the Mayor of Newhaven, the Deputy Mayor of Dieppe, a representative from the US Embassy and the Chairs of East Sussex County Council and Lewes District Council.
The Court of Appeal has handed down its latest judgement this morning in the long running legal battle to get the sandy West Beach in Newhaven re-opened to the public by registering it as a village green. Newhaven Port and Properties (NPP), the owners of the beach, had argued that the village green legislation contained in the Commons Act 2006 was incompatible with the European Convention on Human Rights. The judge at the judicial review held in November 2011 dismissed this argument. NPP appealed against his judgement.
The Court of Appeal has upheld the original decision and NPP has lost its case.
This argument was heard separately from the other arguments which were heard in February because this was a case between NPP and the Government and did not directly involve East Sussex County Council or Newhaven Town Council.
The Mayor of Newhaven, Councillor Julie Carr, said "We are delighted with this victory for common sense, which confirms the decision handed down in February. It is a great shame that NPP are continuing to spend money on fighting this through the courts instead of on the repairs that are needed to re-open the beach. Another summer is now here, and the people of Newhaven still cannot enjoy the use of their beach. I appeal to NPP to accept the ruling of the court now and sit down and talk to the town council about how we can get the beach open for this summer without compromising port operations or the safety of the public".
14th June 2013
A painting competition which anyone can enter is being held in Dieppe on 20th July. Competitors of all ages and abilities will be asked to produce a piece of work on the day, onsite, in public, on the subject of the Colbert Bridge. The winners will be chosen by a public vote. The compeition is to raise funds for the conservation of the bridge.
If you would like to take part, please click here for further details and an application form.
The Vietnamese Ambassador, His Excellency Mr Vu Quang Minh, visited Newhaven on Sunday 19th May to celebrate the 123rd birthday of Ho Chi Minh, and the great leader's links with the town. As a young man, Ho Chi Minh worked for a while as a pastry chef on the Newhaven-Dieppe ferry.
To mark the historic link, the Ambassador presented a bronze statue of Ho Chi Minh and two framed photographs to Newhaven Museum. The Ambassador also visited West Quay, where he unveiled a banner recently placed there by the Town Council and a special foundation stone commemorating the arrival of Ho Chi Minh in Britain in 1913.
Following this a reception was held in Meeching Hall, where guests enjoyed Vietnamese food and entertainment. Guests at the reception included the High Sheriff of East Sussex, Norman Baker MP and Annie Lorys, the President of the Newhaven Chamber of Commerce. The Mayor of Newhaven presented the Ambassador with a framed photograph of the port in 1910 and some silver cufflinks made by local seventh-generation goldsmith Mike Shorer. Mr Tony Helyar, Curator of Newhaven Museum presented the Ambassador with a framed photograph of the ferry on which Ho Chi Minh once worked.
The Mayor of Newhaven, Councillor Julie Carr said "This lovely, enjoyable event marked the beginning of what we hope will be a long and fruitful friendship between Newhaven and Vietnam, resulting in exciting business, tourism, educational and cultural opportunities for the town. This could significantly contribute to the regeneration of Newhaven".
Newhaven Town Council is to discuss the new plans for the Harbour Primary School and Nursery site in Church Hill, Newhaven at a meeting of its Planning Applications Committee next Tuesday, 14th May at Meeching Hall, Fort Road, Newhaven at 7.30pm.
The plans involve the removal of the external amphitheatre and the construction of a two storey building to the northern corner of the school site. The new building is to accommodate the Nursery on the lower floor with two classrooms above. The existing conservatory to the rear of the school will also be removed and replaced by a two storey extension to accommodate a further two classrooms. The plans also include a new car park layout and associated landscaping.
It will be East Sussex County Council which makes the decision on the planning application, but Newhaven Town Council is able to comment on the plans on behalf of the town. There will be an opportunity at the meeting for members of the public to speak, so if you have an opinion about the plans, why not come along?
The plans can be viewed online at http://www.lewes.gov.uk/planning/1139.asp (reference LW/13/0302) or in person at the town council offices, 18 Fort Road, Newhaven.
Coastal Futures Group Newsletter
Coastal Futures Group has produced its latest newsletter. The group represents Lewes, Seaford, Newhaven and the surrounding villages in Coastal Communities 2150, an innovative European partnership project led by the Environment Agency. The newsletter is a great way to stay up to date with the events that Coastal Communities 2150 have planned for 2013. Each quarterly edition reports on the activities of the Coastal Futures Group and provides information about adaptation to long-term coastal and climate change in Seaford and lower Ouse area. Coastal Futures Group Newsletter The Coastal Futures Group always wants to hear your views and to know how you would like to be involved. Please get in touch about anything to do with climate change and the coast. email@example.com
Town councillors will be holding a surgery this Saturday , 20th April from 10.30am to 12.30pm at the Co-op, Newhaven Square.
If you have something you would like to talk to them about, why not come along and meet them? Everyone is welcome and no appointment is necessary.
Essential tree works will be taking place at Valley Ponds over the next few weeks.
A recent tree survey has identified that several of the trees, particularly at the western end of the site, are in a dangerous condition and are likely to fall due to advanced basal decay and honey fungus. Indeed, you may have noticed that a large branch has already fallen from one of these in the last day or two. This represents a significant danger to families walking or playing nearby and unfortunately means that these trees will have to be felled.
The good news is that replacement trees will be planted immediately after the felling has taken place. The replacement trees will be around 10-12ft high and it is hoped that planting them now will enable them to make a good growth start over the summer period. Additional trees will also be planted elsewhere around the Valley Ponds site at the same time as part of a new five year management plan to look after and enhance the natural ecology of the site. Some further, less urgent tree works and some further tree planting will take place as part of this plan in the autumn/winter. We will also be carrying out maintenance works to other new tree planting carried out over the past couple of years by the local community.
It is thought that the late spring means that most birds have not yet started nesting. However, all the trees will be carefully inspected to ensure that neither nesting birds nor bats are in situ before work begins.
The works are being carried out by contractors employed by East Sussex County Council on behalf of Newhaven Town Council, which owns and manages the Ponds.
If you have any questions, please contact Jacky Cole, Deputy Town Clerk at Newhaven Town Council on 01273 516100.
The Court of Appeal has upheld the rights of local people to access Newhaven's sandy West Beach in its judgement handed down today.
The three judges who sat at the Royal Courts of Justice in London for three days at the end of February have upheld the Appeal of East Sussex County Council and Newhaven Town Council against the decision made by the Judicial Review in November 2011. This means that the beach can be registered as a Village Green.
Councillor Carla Butler said "I am over the moon that the court has ruled in our favour. We still believe passionately that Newhaven port can be regenerated at the same time as securing leisure access to the sandy beach for the people of Newhaven. This is a victory for people power!"
The owners of the beach, Newhaven Port and Properties have immediately announced that they will seek permission to appeal to the Supreme Court. The Town Council is disappointed with this reaction and would very much like to co-operate with the port authority to find the best way forward to get the beach open quickly, safely and in a way that benefits both the port and the people of Newhaven.
The Mayor of Newhaven Councillor Graham Amy said: "The beach has been used safely by tens of thousands of people over the years. Its closure has ruined several Newhaven businesses and denied a generation of children a good time with the only beneficiaries being both sets of lawyers. One wonders what the many soldiers who lost their lives, fighting on the beaches to liberate France, would think of this desperately, sad situation. Let us hope that common sense eventually prevails."
Councillor Steve Saunders added "This is great news for the Town, the residents and all the people that enjoy the West Beach. I am looking forward to working constructively with the Port to ensure that everyone is able to benefit from this decision. We have many ideas for the area, to make it a safe and accessible resource that we can all enjoy. It has been a long and difficult road, but the journey appears to have come to an end and the right decision has been reached. Thanks should go out to all those that sent photos and evidence in support, to the officers and team at the Town Council and the patience of the local community. Let us all now work together and enjoy our beach once again. This is not a victory, so much as an opportunity to draw a line under an unfortunate time for the Town and the residents. A chance to go forward in partnership with the Port."
Newhaven Town Council has a small amount of funding available to help residents of the town fund street parties or other community events to celebrate this summer's 60th Anniversary of the Coronation which falls on Sunday 2nd June.
If you are organising an event and would like to apply for funding, please download an application form here.
Please note that if you are holding your party in the street you will need to apply to Lewes District Council for a street closure. This can be done online via the Lewes District Council website at http://www.lewes.gov.uk/community/6685.asp Applications for street closures must be made at least 8 weeks before the event – so by 7th April. This is to allow the District Council to consult with everyone who may be affected, such as the emergency services.
You can find useful information and myth busting advice on how to organise a street party here https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/your-guide-to-organising-a-street-party
The legal battle to get Newhaven's sandy West Beach re-opened to the public continues this week.
The Appeal against the decision made by the judge at the Judicial Review held in November 2011 not to allow the West Beach to be registered as a Village Green will be heard from 10am tomorrow, Tuesday 26th February at the Royal Courts of Justice, The Strand, London WC2A 2LL. It is expected that the case will take about 4 days.
The decision will not be announced immediately – the judges in the case will have to go away and consider their verdict, which will be delivered later.
East Sussex County Council is leading the Appeal in defence of its decision to register the Beach, which it made following a public inquiry in 2010 at which all the evidence was carefully considered by an Inspector on their behalf. Newhaven Town Council will be represented in court as the Second Appellant (the Town Council made the original application to register the beach as a Village Green). The respondent in the case is Newhaven Port and Properties, which owns the Beach and closed it in 2006 citing health and safety reasons.
At the Judicial Review, the judge, Mr Justice Ouseley, concluded that the beach could not be registered as a Village Green. He made this decision despite accepting that
- Newhaven Town Council provided significant evidence that the beach had been used by local people for more than 20 years as of right for lawful sports and pastimes.
- The Inspector at the Public Inquiry dealt with an unusual situation carefully, made the necessary factual findings, grappled with the issues, and produced a clear and reasoned recommendation which dealt with the issues raised.
- A village green does not have to be grassy, or in the middle of a village and that it does not matter that the land is covered by the tide for part of the day.
The reason that the beach could not be registered, in Mr Ouseley's opinion, was that registration would not be compatible with the statutory purpose (ie running a port) for which the land is held by the Port Authority because there is a conflict of statutory regimes. This was a last minute legal argument raised in writing by the legal team working for the Port Authority after the Judicial Review closed.
The Appeal will look closely at this point, which is disputed by both East Sussex County Council and Newhaven Town Council. Inevitably, it will also reconsider all the issues raised at both the Public Inquiry and the Judicial Review.
Q: Doesn't the Queen own all beaches?
A: The Crown does own much of the foreshore (the area between the high tideand low tide levels) around the coast – but it does not own the sandy beach within the harbour arm at Newhaven – this belongs to the Port Authority, Newhaven Port and Properties.
Q: Doesn't a Village Green have to be green?
A: No – the definition of a village green is that it has to be land which has been used by the people of a specific locality (Newhaven in this case) as of right for lawful sports and pastimes for at least 20 years. It doesn't have to be grassy – there are plenty of other registered village greens that do not look like stereotypical village greens
Q: How can you have a village green that is under water for part of every day?
A: This is one of the issues that has been thoroughly debated both at the Public Inquiry and at the Judicial Review – and will, no doubt, be discussed again during the Appeal. However, there are other watery village greens – there is a lake in Wales for instance; Kingston Beach at Shoreham Harbour is a village green that is partially covered at high tide; and the Trap Grounds in Oxfordshire are a village green that consists of marshland, some of which is permanently under water. Many traditional village greens include a duck pond.
January 2013 - Lewes District Newsletter
Please click on link to view - January 2013 - Lewes Distrist Newsletter
My Home - Tackling Fuel Poverty
My Home aims to support vulnerable people across Wealden & Lewes Distrist who live in cold, damp homes or struggle to pay their fuel bills by providing support, energy efficiency measures and home energy assessments. For more information click on the link My Home
A public consultation has been launched into the proposal to create a Biosphere in the South Downs between the River Adur and the River Ouse, including the urban areas of Brighton & Hove, Lewes, Newhaven, Peacehaven and Telscombe as well as extending out to sea.
To find out more information about what a Biosphere is please click here
To take part in the consultation please click here.
There will be a display of information about the proposed Biosphere at the Hillcrest Community Centre, Hillcrest Road, Newhaven from 11th-16th March.
Grants Available for Local Organisations
Newhaven Town Council has just launched its annual small grants scheme. Every year the Council invites local groups and organisations who work for the benefit of Newhaven residents to apply for funding. Grants awarded last year went to support all sorts of activities, including lunches and outings for the elderly and vulnerable, the purchase of play equipment for pre-school groups and the hire of a skip to enable local residents to clean up their area.
If you would like to apply for a grant please click here to download an application form and some general information about how the scheme works.
The deadline for applications is Friday 22nd February
Home Works
Home Works Service - Short Term Support for Long Term Independence
Southdown deliver the East sussex generic floating support service 'Home Works' across all of East Sussex. The goals of the servcice are to help people achieve the Communities and Local Government department's desired outcomes which are:
- Achieve economic wellbeing
- Enjoy life and achieve ambitions
- Make a positive contribution to their community
- Better manage their physical health and emotional wellbeing
- Stay safe
Who is the service for?
Home Works is for you if:
- You live in East sussex, in any type of housing
- you are aged between 16 and 64
- you are a single person, a couple of family
- you are at risk of losing your home, are already homeless, or living in unsuitable accommodation
- you need help and support around housing
- you will benefit from short-term support
Home Works helps you by:
- Supporting you to work out what you need to do to overcome your housing issues and what type of help you need
- Giving guidance and coaching you on how to manage taskes related to keeping your home
- Helping you to understand your tenancy or mortgage responsibilities
- Supporting you to settle in to your new home and set up your gas, electric and water supply
- Referring you to independent legal and advocacy services if you need this
- Connecting you with other services and opportunites in the community that can help you manage in other areas of your life
- Working closely with other agencies giving you advice and support to make sure our support fits well with this
- Only sharing information about you with relevant agencies and with your permission
Home works is celebrating three years of supporting vulnerable people in East Sussex
East Sussex Home Works - West Area Phone 01273 898700 Fax 01273 98701
Text 07773 377754 Email email@example.com
A new e-petition calling for the speed limit on the C7 to be reduced to 40mph has been launched by Rodmell Parish Council with the support of the other villages along the road and of Newhaven Town Council. To sign the petition please click here.
Alternatively, you can call into the Town Council offices in Fort Road to sign a paper copy of the petition.
MAD (Meeching Amateur Dramatics) are back at Meeching Hall this month with their pantomime "The Wizard of Oz". The fun starts on Friday 18th January and continues through until Saturday 26th January. There is no performance on Sunday 20th; on Saturday 19th there is a matinee only at 2.30pm; on all other dates performances start at 7.45pm. Tickets cost £8 for adults and £5 for children and are available from Meeching Estate Agents in the High Street.
Newhaven Town Council wishes everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
The Town Council offices will be closed from 12 noon on Christmas Eve, 24th December until 8.30am on Wednesday 2nd January 2013.
This Saturday15th December there will be an African Crafts Christmas Fayre from 10am to 1pm at the Breakout Centre in Newhaven Square. Carved Kenyan wooden and soapstone animals, figures and jewellery will be on sale, together with refreshments, a tombola and live music. All proceeds will go to the Rick Sharpe International registered charity which funds the health, care and wellbeing of underprivileged and disabled children in Africa.
Also on Saturday 15th December, the Hillcrest Film Society presents "Some Like it Hot"(PG) - a Christmas treat starring Marolyn Monroe, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon at the Hillcrest Centre Art Room. Limited tickets are available from the Hillcrest Centre, price £4.50 each. The cafe opens at 6.45pm and the film starts at 7.30pm.
On Sunday 16th December there will be Carols by Candlelight at St Michael's Church starting at 6.30pm. All are welcome.
Don't forget that this Saturday, 8th December is the annual Christmas Extravaganza in the High Street from 9am to 4pm. Attractions will include market, craft and community group stalls, live seasonal music and carols, Santa's Grotto, children's activities and rides, a magician and lots more … including an opportunity to meet your town councillors who will be manning a stall as a surgery.
A panel of professionals working to support survivors of domestic abuse will hold a live debate about key issues on Wednesday 5 December. This will be broadcast live on the Sussex Police website and people will be able to post questions anonymously online or on Twitter. This will be followed by an online chat, similar to instant messaging, to allow the public to ask the panel questions.
Local football players have also pledged their support for the White Ribbon Campaign. At the football match between Lewes FC and Whitehawk FC, scheduled for 8 December at Lewes Football Club, the players will wear white ribbons demonstrating their commitment to the White Ribbon Campaign.
White Ribbon Campaign
Newhaven Town Council is supporting White Ribbon Day which is this Sunday, 25th November. This is an international day aiming to eliminate violence towards women. Come into the Town Council offices to sign a pledge never to commit, condone or remain silent about violence about women. You will also be able to purchase a white ribbon to wear in your lapel to show your support for the campaign. If you can't get into the town council offices, why not come along to Paradise Park or Sainsbury's on Saturday 24th November – there will be stands manned by town councillors outside both shops from 10am to 12 noon.
More information about the campaign can be found at http://www.whiteribboncampaign.co.uk/
E.ON has announced that Newhaven port will be the operations and maintenance base for its proposed Rampion Offshore Wind Farm if the development is granted approval. The decision has been made following a rigorous technical assessment of both Newhaven and Shoreham Ports.
The move could create up to 85 full time permanent jobs with the majority being recruited locally. It would also see part of Newhaven Port being modernised and redeveloped through E.ON's investment in the new facility, which would support the operation and maintenance of the proposed offshore wind farm.
Councillor Graham Amy, Mayor of Newhaven said "We are absolutely delighted that NPP has managed to secure this important contract which we hope will not only secure the regeneration of the port itself but also kick start regeneration across the rest of the town. This is wonderful news for Newhaven."
The operations and maintenance base would contain office space, equipment storage and vessel mooring which would be used by a team dedicated to operating and maintaining the wind farm for the lifetime of the project1.
The proposed offshore wind farm, which would be located 13km off the Sussex coast at its nearest point, could feature between 100 and 195 turbines depending on the model used. The site could accommodate an installed electrical capacity of up to 700MW, which E.ON estimates could generate enough electricity to supply the equivalent of around 450,000 homes2. That's more than two-thirds of the homes in the whole of Sussex3, including the city of Brighton and Hove.
E.ON is currently reviewing feedback from the various consultations held this year and will be finalising proposals for submission before the end of the year. Those who wish to comment on the proposals will be able to register an interest with the Planning Inspectorate who will be assessing the application, at http://infrastructure.planningportal.gov.uk
Anyone interested in finding out more about the proposed offshore wind farm should visit www.eon-uk.com/rampion, email email@example.com or call 01273 694 876.
Newhaven Town Council has just launched its annual small grants scheme. Every year the Council invites local groups and organisations who work for the benefit of Newhaven residents to apply for funding. Grants awarded last year went to support all sorts of activities, including Christmas lunches and outings for the elderly and vulnerable, the purchase of play equipment for pre-school groups and the hire of a skip to enable local residents to clean up their area.
If you would like to apply for a grant please click here to download an application form and some general information about how the scheme works.
The deadline for applications is Friday 19th October.
70th ANNIVERSARY COMMEMORATIONS IN DIEPPE
The Mayor of Newhaven, Councillor Graham Amy travelled to Dieppe over the weekend to attend the commemorations of the 70th anniversary of the Dieppe Raid which took place over three days from 18th to 20th August.
In an exceedingly busy schedule, he attended nine separate ceremonies held in the town of Dieppe itself and in villages surrounding the town, and laid wreaths on behalf of the town of Newhaven in remembrance of the young men who died during the disastrous Raid in 1942. Many of these young men left for their date with destiny from the port of Newhaven, and many of the wounded were returned there after the Raid.
Councillor Amy said "I felt both honoured and humbled to attend these very moving ceremonies and to pay respect to those who died 70 years ago. It was especially moving to witness the huge affection and gratitude felt by the inhabitants of Dieppe and the surrounding villages for the remaining veterans of the Second World War who attended the ceremonies to remember their fallen comrades, most of whom are now in or approaching their nineties. Everywhere these veterans went, whether in wheelchairs or walking proudly upright despite their advanced age, local people flocked to shake their hands and to say thank you.
The ceremonies were impeccably organised by the Dieppe City Council - the logistical exercise involved must have been huge. I feel sure that no-one who attended the commemorations will ever forget the experience - or the sacrifice of the young men who died in 1942."
The commemorations were attended by a number of dignitaries from Canada, France and Great Britain, including Prince Michael of Kent, who was attending in his role as the Colonel in Chief of the Essex and Kent Scottish Regiment of Canada. Prince Michael attended both the Vigil, held at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery at Les Vertus in the gathering dusk on Saturday evening and the main ceremony at Canada Square, Dieppe the following day. After the Canada Square ceremony he mingled on an equal footing with veterans and the ordinary people in a parade along Dieppe seafront.
From our local Sussex area, the event was attended by the Chairs of East Sussex County Council and Lewes District Council, the Mayor of Brighton, members of the Canadian Veterans Association of the UK, local branches of the Royal British Legion and by the Newhaven and Seaford Sea Cadets who stood up to the punishing schedule of ceremonies extremely well and represented the young people of Seaford and Newhaven with honour.
70th ANNIVERSARY OF THE DIEPPE RAID
Hundreds of people attended the commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the Dieppe Raid which took place on Sunday 12th August at the Memorial Green, South Way, Newhaven. The sun shone and there was a wonderful atmosphere on the green as wreaths were laid by civic dignitaries, including the Lord Lieutenant, the Mayor of Newhaven, the Deputy Mayor of Dieppe and representatives from the Canadian High Commission, the US Embassy and the French consulate. However, it was the wreaths laid by veterans which the watching crowd appreciated the most. As some of them walked painfully across the green with their sticks to lay their tribute to their fallen comrades the crowd burst into spontaneous applause.
Unfortunately, the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight was unable to fly past due to last minute engine problems with their elderly aircraft. They were very upset to let the occasion down as the Dieppe Raid holds a special place in their hearts - one of their spitfires took part in the Raid.
After the ceremony was over, Perky Mellow, a British Veteran of the Raid who had been the coxswain of one of the craft landing troops on the beach told the Mayor that this was the best day of his life. What happened on that August night had remained with him all his life and he was so thankful to have been able to come to Newhaven and share his experiences with former comrades and local people 70 years on.
East Sussex County Council is holding a public consulation on proposals to
- turn off some street lights
- reduce the number of lights in some streets; and
- dim some street lights
in Newhaven and South Heighton between midnight and the early hours. For further information and to have your say about the proposals please click here
The deadline for responses is 6th August.
Proposals for a significant leisure complex in Newhaven is generating a range of interest and questions about the details, timescales and concerns.
Lewes District Council has produced information on its website that aims to address a number of points.
To read what Lewes District Council are saying about the investment proposals for Newhaven, click on the following link:
Newhaven Town Council has moved quickly to make a strong and detailed objection to the proposed sale of Lewes Road Recreation Ground by Lewes District Council to a developer who wants to build a hotel.
The main grounds of objection raised by the Town Council are:
• That this recreation ground is essential and is well used and loved by local residents
• That it does not believe that the District Council will be able to "source alternative open spaces that can provide enhanced recreational activities in better locations for local people" as they have claimed
• That the sale of any recreation ground for development conflicts with the District Council's own planning policies
• That the long desired Riverside Park providing enhanced recreational facilities for the town on this site would be far more beneficial to the local community than a hotel
• That the way in which the decision has been made in secret by the Leader of the District Council and not by a committee or by the full Council is inappropriate for a decision of this importance
The proposed sale was advertised in the Argus newspaper on Wednesday 6th June and the Town Council had not been informed of it before that date. Councillor Judith Ost, Leader of the Town Council said "the deadline for objections to this proposal is ludicrously short and the Town Council has pulled out all the stops to make sure that we raise the strongest possible objection on behalf of our local residents. It seems that Lewes District Council welcomes any scheme that badges itself as regeneration without any critical thinking and without reference to local people. Preservation of our open spaces is not an optional extra, it is fundamentally important. There is hardly a shortage of unused, underused and unloved areas of land in the town."
The deadline for objections to the proposed sale is noon on Wednesday 20th June. Objections should be sent to Nilam Popat, Corporate Head Communities and Enterprise, Lewes District Council, Southover House, Southover Road, Lewes BN7 1AB, or by email to: email@example.com
The full objection from Newhaven Town Council can be dowloaded by clicking on the links below:
Newhaven is set for a fun packed weekend for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.
On Saturday the Fish Festival takes place from 9.30am to 3.30pm on Huggett's Green, West Quay. This will include the Dieppe Market, community stalls, fairground rides, live music, morris dancers, Punch and Judy, displays of fish, fish cookery demonstrations and art and craft activities led by Carol Havard which will result in a ceramic fish trail on West Quay. The Children's Parade is at 11am and will be led by the Mayor.
At the Fish Festival there will be an opportunity to meet town councillors, who will be holding a surgery at one of the stalls. If you have an issue you would like to raise with the Town Council, why not come along and talk to them? There is no need to make an appointment.
In the evening, there is to be a barn dance in the marquee on Huggett's Green, organised by the Newhaven Twinning Association. Tickets are available for members of the public and will be on sale from the Twinning Association stall at the Fish Festival during the day at £5 each. There will be a licensed bar in the marquee in the evening and a hog roast too. Music is being provided by the Blackthorn Band with the dances called by Don Lewry.
On Sunday 3rd June Newhaven Fort is holding a community day. Come and celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee and meet a number of community groups from Newhaven. Musical entertainment will be provided by Newhaven Youth Marching Band and Maestro Academy Players.
Meanwhile, back on Huggett's Green, the Big Lunch is taking place in the marquee on Sunday from 1pm. Bring along your own food and drink and join in the fun. To reserve a place in the marquee email firstname.lastname@example.com.
Sorry - we have now given out the full allocation of free tickets for Newhaven Fort for this coming Sunday.
Free tickets to Newhaven Fort are available for Newhaven Residents for Sunday 3rd June - to pick up your tickets, please come in to our office at 18 Fort Road, or call at the Fort itself.
For more information click here
At the Annual Meeting of Newhaven Town Council held on Tuesday 8th May, Councillor Graham Amy was elected as Town Mayor, taking over from Councillor Steve Saunders.
This is Graham's third time of being Mayor – he was also Mayor in 2008-9 and 2010-11.
Amongst the gifts that Graham gave to Steve as a thank you was a small SpongeBob Squarepants figure – as a memento of the costume that Steve wore in the Children's Parade at last year's Fish Festival and at other charity events during the year.
Meanwhile, the Young Mayor of Newhaven, Charlotte Crookston, gave Steve a photo montage as a thank you for his support and help since she was elected as Young Mayor in November.
The first ever Newhaven Community Awards were presented at a ceremony at the Hillcrest Community Centre which took place on Wednesday 2nd May and was attended by about 100 people.
Following on from the success of the Young People's Awards which have been held for the past two years, it was decided to extend the Awards this year and make some to older people as well. There were three awards for young people and three which were open to people of all ages. In addition, there was a bigger, overall award "The Newhaven Community Award" for which everyone who was nominated for any of the awards was considered.
The event was presided over by Newhaven Young Mayor, 15yr old Charlotte Crookston, who said afterwards "It was a great honour to present the awards. I was a bit nervous to start with, but I really enjoyed the evening and meeting both young people and older people who have achieved such great things in Newhaven. Lots of people came to see the awards being presented and it was a lovely evening."
The winners of the awards were as follows:
Young Carer – Charlotte Cole
13yr old Charlotte looks after her long term sick and disabled mother, including providing housework and domestic chores and emotional support.
Young Person of Courage – Shannon Pulford
12yr old Shannon is fiercely independent and determined to succeed at all tasks, despite suffering from quadriplegic cerebral palsy.
Young Sportsperson – Rhys Smith
13yr old Rhys is one of the stars of DaSH Junior Football Club as well as being a talented rugby player and an excellent runner.
Volunteer – Margaret Loveless
Margaret is a member of the Newhaven Branch of the Royal British Legion and has been raising money for the Poppy Appeal for over 35 years, as well as for the Royal Air Force Association.
Achiever – Jennifer Byrne
Jennifer has set up a campaign to increase awareness of the dangers faced by motorcyclists following a tragic accident in February in which she was injured and her partner died.
Unsung Hero – Pam Perry
Pam has been involved with children and young people in Newhaven for about 30 years and effectively ran NIPPERS single handedly for many years.
Newhaven Community Award – Emma Wileman
Emma has started a charity called Haydn's Wish which is already raising lots of money to raise awareness of the links between childhood asthma and potential fatal allergies and also to fund research, following the tragic death of her son Haydn, aged 9, who suffered a sudden unexpected anaphylactic shock after eating his favourite breakfast cereal.
The Judge at the High Court, Mr Justice Ouseley, has granted East Sussex County Council and Newhaven Town Council leave to appeal against his decision to quash the registration of the West Beach as a Village Green.
The Town Council is continuing to take legal advice on this matter.
Next Wednesday evening, 2nd May, sees the ceremony at which the first ever Newhaven Community Awards are to be presented jointly by the Young Mayor of Newhaven, Charlotte Crookston and the grown up Mayor, Councillor Steve Saunders. There are six awards - Young Carer, Young Person of Courage, Young Sportsperson, Achiever, Volunteer and Unsung Hero. The latter three awards are for people of all ages. In addition there is a bigger, overall award "The Newhaven Community Award" for which everyone nominated for any of the awards has been considered. The awards have been sponsored by Pinnacle Publishing Ltd, the Newhaven Enterprise Centre, Newhaven McDonalds and Wave Leisure. The Awards Ceremony is at the Hillcrest Community Centre starting at 7pm and everyone is welcome. Soft drinks and nibbles will be provided.
The ceremony will be followed by the annual Town Meeting, which is an opportunity for local people to find out what Newhaven Town Council has been doing over the last year and to ask their councillors questions. The Town Council's Annual Report is now available to download from this website (please click on About the Town Council on the left and then select Annual Reports from the drop down menu) and paper copies will be available at the Meeting. Before and after the Awards Ceremony and the Town Meeting there will be an opportunity to talk to local organisations who will have information tables at the event.
In February 2012 the Town Council launched a BIG Planning Event survey to every home in Newhaven and surrounding areas. The purpose was to raise awareness of the three different developments proposed for Newhaven and to give local people the opportunity to say what they thought about the developments and more generally across their town.
The BIG Planning Event took place on the 14th March 2012 and over 1300 people visited the exhibition throughout the day.
The feedback to the postal and online survey as well as the comments at the event exceeded expectation with approximately 1000 responding to the survey.
The Town Council committed to producing a report that highlighted the views of local people that live, work, visit and study in Newhaven. The results from the survey have produced 'The People's Report,' that will be presented at the Council Meeting at Meeching Hall at 7.45pm on the 24th April 2012.
The People's Report presents the local opinions and aspirations by local people for their town.
With regard to the current planning applications for developments on Eastside and Railway Quay, the Big Planning Event did not seek to ask people to vote on their preferred development in relation to the 3 proposed developments for reasons explained in the attached report.
The purpose of gathering public views was to indicate where the local people of Newhaven want their town to go what they want to introduce and what they would like to see more of.
The public messages presented in The People's Report signal a strong voice as to the type of development features that they want.
To download The People's Report click here
Newhaven is hoping to be one of the 24 successful bids for up to £100,000 funding from a central government fund created in response to the Portas Review, lead by Mary Portas from the popular TV show Queen of Shops.
A bid has been sent along with a video made by local people that highlights some of the issues and views in the town.
We now need to wait to find out if we have been successful.
Nominations are needed for the brand new Newhaven Community Awards. Following the success of the Young People of the Year Awards held in 2010 and 2011 it has been decided to extend the scheme to people of all ages.
The categories are as follows:
For young people:
• Young Carer (someone who cares for their parent(s) or other family member)
• Young Sportsperson (for outstanding sporting achievement)
• Young Person of Courage (someone who has achieved something against the odds; for instance whilst battling bravely against illness or disability; or someone who has done something especially brave)
And for people of all ages:
• Volunteer (someone who has done outstanding voluntary work in the community)
• Achiever (someone who has achieved something outstanding through hard work and/or talent - this could include sporting achievements)
• Unsung Hero (a wide category to cover for instance someone who has helped the town or community in some way, whether in a professional or voluntary role and going above and beyond the call of duty)Each individual winner will receive a cash prize of £100 and a commemorative trophy which will be engraved with their name.
Anyone who lives, works/volunteers or goes to school in Newhaven is eligible to be nominated. For the young people's awards they must be aged 17yrs or under on 2nd May 2012.
If you would like to nominate someone for one of these awards, please download the form here and send it to us by 15th April 2012. We would also welcome additional material in support of nominations, such as photographs or videos, which will be treated as confidential unless you tell us otherwise.
The result of the Judicial Review into East Sussex County Council's decision to register the sandy West Beach as a village green has been announced this morning - and it is disappointing news for Newhaven's residents.
Mr Justice Ouseley, the judge in the case, has concluded that the beach cannot be registered as a village green. He has reached this decision despite accepting that
• Newhaven Town Council provided significant evidence that the beach had been used by local people for more than 20 years as of right for lawful sports and pastimes.
• The Inspector at the Public Inquiry dealt with an unusual situation carefully, made the necessary factual findings, grappled with the issues, and produced a clear and reasoned recommendation which dealt with the issues raised.
• A village green does not have to be grassy, or in the middle of a village and that it does not matter that the land is covered by the tide for part of the day.
The reason that the beach cannot be registered, in Mr Ouseley's opinion, is that registration is not compatible with the statutory purpose (ie running a port) for which the land is held by the Port Authority because there is a conflict of statutory regimes. This was a last minute legal argument raised by the legal team working for the Port Authority in writing after the Judicial Review closed.
Councillor Carla Butler said:
"This is a devastating blow to the morale of people in Newhaven, who have used the beach in exactly the same way as a village green is used for generations. At last week's Big Planning consultation event held by the Town Council to find out what people most wanted to see in Newhaven, the one thing that local people voted for more than anything else was to see the beach re-opened. NPP has won this stage of the battle on a legal technicality, but even the judge says that he would have preferred to hold that the beach was registrable. In all the years that the public have used the beach there has been no conflict between the operation of the port and the use of the beach - indeed photographic evidence was submitted by the town council in support of its application showing local families playing on the sand whilst a jack-up barge was moored there in the past."
The Mayor of Newhaven, Councillor Steve Saunders added "The recently produced Port Masterplan does not show the West Beach being used for any purposes at all. The Town Council strongly supports the current efforts being made by the Port Authority to regenerate the port and their bid for business from the proposed Rampion wind farm. However, we continue to see no reason why the use of the beach by the public should jeopardise this. I call upon NPP to do the right thing by the people of Newhaven. Re-opening the beach would immediately win the Port Authority huge public support. The Town Council continues to welcome discussions on the best way forward to restore public recreational use of the beach whilst safeguarding the operations of the port."
The Town Council is currently taking legal advice.
The Town Council has been told today that the developers Cross Stone have decided to withdraw their food store related planning applications for The Drove/Railway Road.
The Mayor of Newhaven, Councillor Steve Saunders said " This is disappointing news for Newhaven as the proposals from Cross Stone, if delivered, would have offered real employment and community benefits to the town. I would like to take this opportunity of thanking Cross Stone for taking the time and trouble to come along to our Big Planning event on Wednesday to engage with the public and hear their views."
The Big Planning event was a huge success and attracted over a thousand visitors. Town Council staff are now very busy collating all the feed back received from members of the public - this is likely take at least a couple of weeks. Once collated, the information will be passed to the District Council so that it can be taken into account when considering the remaining two supermarket applications and future developments for the town.
Newhaven Mayor, Cllr. Steve Saunders received an unusual present when he signed the charter twinning Newhaven with the French town of La Chapelle St. Mesmin at the weekend.
The Mayor of La Chapelle, Nicholas Bonneau, presented him with the original key to a cave where legend has it, a dragon lived which was killed by St. Mesmin.
Legend says that the dragon was terrorising local inhabitants and St Mesmin slew the dragon and the grateful villagers built a church above the cave and named the town after him.
Cllr. Saunders was in France with 20 Members of the Newhaven Twinning Association for the reciprocal signing agreement after a French delegation came to Newhaven in August.
The Mayor said: "The cave is a special part of the history of La Chapelle St. Mesmin and so to receive the key was a great honour for the town of Newhaven.
"When our French visitors visited us for the English signing ceremony they presented us with a very special vase made in the Gien factory in the Loire area.
"In the near future we will put both items on display at the Council offices for the public to see."
Cllr. Saunders presented his French counterpart with a two foot high, gold coloured, metal cormorant with wings outstretched sitting on an original piece of a harbour pile.
The magnificent sculpture was created by Newhaven jeweller Mike Shorer from Avis Road, who spent hours creating the masterpiece, which has now taken pride of place in the La Chapelle St.Mesmin Town Hall.
During the weekend the two Mayors and Twinning Association Chairmen Norman Hopson and Annie Lefebvre also unveiled a road sign signifying the linking of the two towns.
La Chapelle Mayor Nicholas Bonneau said: "We are delighted to be twinned with Newhaven and see it as an opportunity for educational, cultural and sporting links between the towns.
"Already many contacts have been made and friendships created and we hope these will continue to grow in the future.
"We hope to visit Newhaven in June for the Queen's Jubilee celebrations and hope as many Newhaven residents as possible will visit us for our Bastille celebrations on July 14th this year."
Membership of the Newhaven Twinning Association is £6 per person with family membership at £9.00.
It is open to anyone living in the wider Newhaven area; members share the cost of transport for trips and where possible try to accommodate a French couple when they visit the area.
The Newhaven Association has started French Language classes although many of the French Twinning Association members speak basic English.
Twinning Association Chairman Norman Hopson said: "Anyone interested can contact me on 01273 588193 or Jacky Cole at Newhaven Town council on 01273 516000.
"We now have 56 members but new members are always welcome and please do not be put off if you cannot speak French.
"Part of the fun on the trips is the sign language between us and mispronunciation such as the "sinning (signing) ceremony and Twining (Twinning) Association!"
New developments proposed for Newhaven
These are exciting and interesting times for Newhaven as three separate developers have submitted planning applications for major developments on the east side of the river, all involving supermarkets.
Asda/Barratt Homes
The first application to be submitted is a proposal to build an Asda supermarket on land at Eastside between the existing buildings and recreation ground and the Ouse Estuary Nature Reserve. The Asda store would be at the southern end of the site, with houses built by Barratts at the northern end of the site. The proposal would include the construction of the first part of the port access road which has long been planned.
This application was submitted in May 2011 and is due to be considered by Lewes District Council's Planning Applications Committee on Wednesday 4th January 2012 The committee may make a decision to either approve or refuse the application at this meeting. However, another possibility is that the committee may defer making a decision on the application to allow all the proposed retail developments to be considered together.
Further details about the proposal can be found at www.regeneratingeastsidenewhaven.co.uk/
Cross Stone (Railway Rd/Drove Rd)
Cross Stone Urban Regeneration has submitted two planning applications-one for a supermarket at 1 Drove Road (on the corner of Railway Road and Drove Road, currently occupied by Roche); and a separate application for a much larger site to include the Parker Pen site in Railway Road and land between the Roche building and Parker Pen.
The larger application also envisages a supermarket on the corner of Railway Road but additionally proposes a large open public square which will include car parking spaces, walkway and tree and shrub planting. The square would be surrounded by other, non-food retail shops and offices and there would be a hotel in the corner opposite the supermarket.
The proposal involves the demolition of Grays Nursery Annexe, but the nursery would be accommodated elsewhere on the site, close to the Eastside Recreation Ground.
The square would be accessed by vehicles from The Drove roundabout by Halfords but would be accessible to pedestrians from Railway Road, forming walking routes through to the Recreation Ground and through to Drove Road and the Town Centre.
Arrowcroft (Railway Quay)
Arrowcroft Holdings Limited has submitted outline plans for a Tesco supermarket at the northern end of Railway Quay where the Railway Club is now. This proposal would include regeneration of the whole Railway Quay site, including the two listed Marine Workshop buildings for restaurants, cafes, shops and tourist facilities, the construction of a new passenger terminal building, the refurbishment of the customs shed, a new riverside boardwalk and a transport interchange behind the railway station.
Arrowcroft is organizing a public exhibition of their plans which will be held in January. In the meantime, you can view them at www.railwayquarternewhaven.co.uk
All four of the planning applications can be viewed at the Town Council offices and also found on the Lewes District Council website www.lewes.go.uk/planning. Lewes District Council, who will be making the decision on these planning applications, welcomes opinions from the public-please send them to Planning Services, Southover House, Southover Road, Lewes, BN7 1AB, or email email@example.com
Judicial Review - no decision yet
The Judicial Review into the decision by East Sussex County Council to register the West Beach as a Village Green went on for an extra day, not closing until 4.45pm on Friday 11th November. The arguments centred on a number of very complicated points of law, which were very thoroughly debated by QCs representing Newhaven Port and Properties and East Sussex County Council, and by barristers representing Defra and Newhaven Town Council.
No decision was made by the judge on the final day - he will now go away and make a written judgement. Unfortunately, there is another case which has recently been heard by the Court of Appeal which may have some bearing on one of the legal issues discussed and so the judge will wait to read the judgement of that case before publishing his own decision. This means that it is almost certain that the judgement will not be received before Christmas, and it is possible that it may take until February.
The Judicial Review into the decision by East Sussex County Council to register the West Beach as a Village Green will take place at the Royal Courts of Justice, Strand, London WC2A 2LL from 10am on 8th November. It is expected that the case will continue on 9th and 10th November. This is a court case between Newhaven Port and Properties, who own the West Beach, and the County Council. The Town Council will be represented at the hearing as an interested party.
Meanwhile, the Town Council's application to amend the Definitive Map to show the right of way along the promenade as extending the full width of the promenade to the top of the steps to the sandy beach, as it did in the original Definitive Map produced in the 1950s has been submitted to the County Council. NPP's solicitors have submitted an objection to the application which is being considered by the Town Council's legal advisors.
Believe it or not, the grassed area on West Quay between the Chapel Street car park and the fingerposts and seats doesn't have an official name. We've been asked by Lewes District Council what it should be called.
Historically this area was called Huggett's Field after the local landowner. More recently we've heard local people calling it Huggett's Green, perhaps to reflect its new character following the development of the West Quay. The Fish Festival organisers, however, call it West Quay Lawns.
What do you think? Email us now to let us know. Huggett's Field? Huggett's Green? West Quay Lawns? Or something else?
The name that gets the most votes will be the one we choose.
The Newhaven Cormorant event last Saturday (16th July) saw the town invaded by Frenchmen (and women) with blue faces as zany street theatre group Generik Vapeur processed down the west side of the river from the town centre to the beach. The weather, which had been wet and windy all day, relented for the evening and a crowd of about 3,000 people came out on to the streets to enjoy their antics. The general consensus of opinion amongs local residents seemed to be that they weren't too sure what it was all about - but never mind, it was great fun!
A spectacular out-door performance with music, daredevil aerial feats and fireworks will transform Newhaven Harbour into a fire-lit, maritime wonderland for one night this summer
Newhaven Cormorant! is a collaboration between Brighton-based creative producers Zap Art and celebrated French street arts company Generik Vapeur, will be like nothing Newhaven has ever seen before.
Featuring fire boats, floating sculptures, choirs and performers and a breathtaking finale taking the performance right out into the harbour, Newhaven Cormorant! will be an unmissable family event.
Dave Reeves from Zap Art said "Newhaven Cormorant! will turn Newhaven Harbour into a stage for one night, using performance and pyrotechnics on land and sea to create something magical. The scale of the event is huge - it will be accessible to everyone and a wonderful show for families."
Newhaven Cormorant! is the second part of the on-going with Zap Art / Generik Vapeur as part of the European project ZEPA, (European Zone of Artistic Projects). The first event, Photo Communale, saw Generik Vapeur bring a giant roaming camera to the streets of Newhaven, photographing the town and the people. The resulting images will also be used as part of Newhaven Cormorant!.
The event will feature both international and local participants, as Zap Art and Generik Vapeur have been working with local artists, community groups and educational organisations as part of the project.
Newhaven Cormorant! is free and takes place in Newhaven Town Centre and Newhaven Harbour on July 16, 2011 from 8.30pm - approx 11.30pm (finishing time may vary).
West Beach - permission for Judicial Review granted
Newhaven Town Council has been told this week that permission has been given by the High Court for a judicial review to take place into the decision made by East Sussex County Council to register the West Beach as a Village Green.
The judicial review will be a court case between Newhaven Port and Properties, who own the beach and want to keep it closed, and East Sussex County Council, who will be defending their decision. Newhaven Town Council will attend the hearing to support the County Council and make sure that all the arguments in favour of re-opening the beach for local residents are heard, but it is not directly involved in the litigation. The review will be looking at whether the County Council has made a decision that was illegal, illogical or unfair because of a defect in the process that was followed to reach the decision. Both the County Council and the Town Council believe strongly that there was no such defect in the process.
The bad news for Newhaven's residents is that although the judge has said that the hearing should take place as soon as possible, it is unlikely to take place before the court closes for its long holiday in August (courts move very slowly).
Town Mayor, Councillor Steve Saunders, says "We are disappointed at the further delays that the judicial review will mean to the re-opening of the West Beach. We would encourage Newhaven Port & Properties to consider a temporary concession to the people of the Town and allow access to the beach until the case is finally decided upon. Another summer is in danger of passing without us being allowed to enjoy the only sandy beach for miles around."
Councillor Steve Saunders is the new Mayor
Councillor Steve Saunders was elected Town Mayor of Newhaven by his fellow councillors at the Annual Meeting of the Town Council held on 17th May. Councillor Saunders is pictured with his partner, the new Mayoress, Sharon Bewley.
Free Newhaven Fort tickets are available for Newhaven residents for the weekend of Saturday 4th June and Sunday 5th June. The tickets are available from the Town Council offices at 18 Fort Road or from the Fort.
Please click on the links below to download the election results for Newhaven Town Council:
Please note we will amend the Councillor contact details page on this website as soon as we have the relevant details. Please bear with us in the meantime.
More guided tours of Newhaven Cemetery
Back by popular demand - Ian Everest will be leading two guided walks around Newhaven Cemetery on Thursday 19th May at 2.30pm and on Sunday 22nd May at 10.30am. Free tickets are available from the Town Council offices.
To download a leaflet about the tours click here.
Town Council Elections
Elections will take place on Thursday 5th May to decide who will be your town councillors for the next four years. Lists of the candidates who are standing for election can be downloaded by clicking on the links below:
Candidates for the Denton Ward
Candidates for the Meeching Ward
Candidates for the Valley Ward
Town Meeting
The annual Town Meeting takes place on Wednesday 6th April at 6.30pm at Newhaven Enterprise Centre. This is an opportunity to meet your town councillors and ask them questions. The evening will include presentations about summer playschemes and about Newhaven Uncovered. Soft drinks and nibbles will be provided.
People have been asking us what's going on about the West Beach now that the 60 days has expired, so here is an update:
As most people will know, the County Council's Village Green Registration Panel met just before Christmas and decided to accept the Inspector's recommendation that the beach should be registered as a Village Green, but also decided to defer actually registering it for 60 days. The reason for this was that Newhaven Port and Properties' solicitors had stated that if the decision to register the beach was taken they would challenge it by applying to the High Court for a Judicial Review.
Shortly before the 60 days elapsed, the Port Authority's solicitors duly submitted their application for a Judicial Review. There are two stages to the Judicial Review process - first the application for it to be heard - which is likely to be considered by the Court within the next two to three months (this is quickly by Court standards); then, if the application is granted, the actual Judicial Review itself, which would be at the High Court in London some time later.
The Town Council is only too well aware of how frustrating this is for the people of Newhaven. The Port Authority is clearly determined to put as many obstacles and delays in our path as possible and keep the beach closed for as long as possible. The Town Council has asked the County Council to register the beach as a Village Green whilst the case is waiting to be heard, but they have said no to this. Although it would be possible for the Town Council to take legal action of its own against the County Council to try to force it to register the beach, our legal advisors have advised against this. It would involve both the Town Council and the County Council in two costly legal battles at once, which would not be the best use of public money. Clearly it is a better use of resources for the Town and County Councils to work together to vigorously defend the County Council's decision to register the beach.
So far as the jack up barges parked on the beach are concerned, the Port Authority have informed us that they are only there on a temporary basis for the winter and will be taken back out to sea when the summer comes. We have also been told that the car park is closed on a temporary basis only.
We are sorry not to be able to give the people of Newhaven better news. We always knew that this was going to be a long battle. Please be assured, however, that we will continue to fight it.
18th March 2011
Exciting free street theatre show comes to Newhaven
On Saturday 12th March "La Photo Communale 2" an exciting free street theatre show with a larger than life roaming camera comes to Newhaven town centre from 12 noon to 1pm. This is the UK premiere of renowned French street artists Generik Vapeur.
Generik Vapeur return to the town this summer on Saturday 16th July to present a huge free spectacular performance "Newhaven Cormorant" centred around Newhaven Harbour with a colourful explosion of sights and sounds.
The next meeting of the Newhaven Twinning Association will be taking place on Monday 28th February 2011, 7.00 pm at Meeching Hall, Fort Road.
The association now has a website:
Last year's first ever Newhaven Young People of the Year Awards were such a great success that we're going to do it again this spring!
The Awards were introduced by the first Young Mayor of Newhaven, Daly Tucknott, to recognise and celebrate the positive things that children and young people in Newhaven achieve. He felt that often young people get a bad press and wanted to counteract this.
Our current Young Mayor, Adam Wiggins, will preside over the Ceremony to announce the winners, which will be held at Tideway School on Tuesday 22nd March.
We're now looking for nominations for the Awards. If you know a young person who deserves one of the awards, please download a nomination form here and send it to us. The deadline for nominations is 14th February 2011.
East Sussex County Council's Village Green Registration Panel met this morning (Wednesday 22nd December 2010) to decide whether or not to accept the recommendation of the Inspector at July's Public Inquiry to register the West Beach as a Village Green.
The Panel decided to accept the recommendation - but also chose to defer the registration of the beach for 60 days. This is because Newhaven Port & Properties' solicitors have said that they will seek a judicial review of the decision in the High Court and this could involve the County Council in substantial legal costs if the registration goes ahead straight away.
A judicial review would usually look at whether the County Council had reached a decision which was illegal, illogical or unfair because of a defect in the procedure that was followed. The High Court would only grant permission for a judicial review to be held if it felt there was an arguable case.
The Mayor, Councillor Graham Amy said "it is frustrating that Newhaven Port & Properties continue to delay the process, but the Town Council remains confident that the beach will eventually reopen as a Village Green".
The County Council's Village Green Registration Panel will meet next Wednesday, 22nd December at 10am to decide whether to grant Village Green status to the West Beach.
The meeting, which is open to the public, will be held in the Council Chamber at County Hall. The County Council's officers have recommended that the Beach is granted Village Green status in line with the recommendation made by the Inspector at the Public Inquiry held in July.
The agenda and papers for the meeting can be downloaded from the County Council's website at http://www.eastsussex.gov.uk/yourcouncil/about/committees/meetingpapers/villagegreen/2010/22december.htm
The Newhaven Town Centre Christmas Fayre takes place tomorrow, Saturday 11th December from 10am to 4pm. Attractions include Santa's Grotto, carol singing, children's art and craft activities, children's entertainment, live music and lots of stalls.
Amongst the community stalls will be one with information about the proposed twinning with La Chapelle Saint Mesmin. If you're interested in this, come along to see us and find out more!
Heavy snow fell in Newhaven overnight on Thursday 2nd December, blanketing the town in a thick covering of white.
The second annual Mayor of Newhaven's Community Carol Concert will take place at St Michael's Church, Church Hill on Tuesday 7th December 2010 at 6pm.
The concert will include performances by a combined choir from Denton, Meeching Valley and Southdown Schools, Maddies Youth Drama Group, the Maestro Players, Rick Sharpe, Gareth Derrick and Keith Johnson.
The Mayor, Councillor Graham Amy said "last year's event was such a lovely start to the festive season - something for the whole community to enjoy - that we have decided to make it an annual event. I hope as many people as possible will be able to come and join in"
Tickets cost just £2 and are on sale at Meeching Estate Agents or available on the door. All proceeds will be split between Searchlight Workshops and the Breakout Community Centre.
A French twinning for Newhaven
Would you be interested in helping to set up a twinning association to take forward the idea of twinning with La Chapelle Saint Mesmin in France?
If so, please come along to a meeting to discuss this further at Meeching Hall, Fort Road, Newhaven on Monday 15th November at 7.45pm. All welcome.
La Chapelle Saint Mesmin is a small town in the Loire Valley which has approached Newhaven asking to twin. At an earlier public meeting held in October to discuss this idea local residents were generally supportive of the proposal. The town council has agreed to give £200 to kickstart a twinning association to take the idea forward and to help to get it going. The twinning association will be expected to become self sufficient and to find funding from elsewhere to enable exchange activities to take place in due course.
Please come along to the meeting if you'd like to find out more.
Voting took place on Tuesday to elect a new Young Mayor to represent 11-17yr olds in Newhaven. The winner was Adam Wiggins, a year 11 pupil at Tideway School. The runner up in the elections, year 9 student Tylar Orchard, will be the Deputy Young Mayor.
Elections will be held on Tuesday 19th October to chose a new Young Mayor for Newhaven. Pupils at Tideway School will vote for one of five candidates and the results will be announced at a ceremony at the school at 4pm.
The five candidates are:
Adam Wiggins
To read Adam's manifesto, please click here
Charlotte Crookston
To read Charlotte's manifesto please click here
Tylar Orchard
To read Tylar's manifesto, please click here
Conor Brooks
To read Conor's manifesto, please click here
Connor Dartnell
To read Connor's manifesto, please click here
The Young Mayor will represent all young people aged between 11yrs and 17yrs living or going to school in Newhaven. He or she will be the second ever Young Mayor, following on from the success of Newhaven's first Young Mayor, Daly Tucknott, aged 14, whose term of office is now coming to an end.
The Inspector who sat at the Public Inquiry into the application for Village Green status for the West Beach, Newhaven in July has now made her recommendation. She recommends that the beach is registered as a Village Green.
The report from Miss Ruth Stockley, the Inspector appointed by the County Council, concludes: "... it is my recommendation that the Registration Authority should accede to the application and should add the Application Land to its register of town and village greens. The grounds for the registration should be that the statutory criteria contained in Section 15(4) of the Commons Act 2006 have been established in relation to the Application Land, namely a significant number of the inhabitants of the locality of the Parish of Newhaven have indulged as of right in lawful sports and pastimes on the Application Land for a period of at least 20 years ..."
The Inspector heard evidence about the public right of way which runs from Fort Road to the shingle beach west of the harbour arm. She has concluded that this right of way does not currently lead to the West Beach. However, she recommends that the current lack of such a right of way leading to the Beach is not a ground to reject the Application. It would be possible for the Town Council to make a separate application for a right of way to be registered using the same sort of evidence as for the Village Green application – that thousands of people have accessed the beach for more than 20 years.
The Public Inquiry took place at Meeching Hall, Newhaven from 6th to 8th July. The Inspector heard verbal evidence from 10 residents of Newhaven as well as from the Town Council and was presented with over 1,000 written statements of support from local people together with 61 more detailed evidence questionnaires.
The next stage in this process is for East Sussex County Council to make a decision as to whether they accept this recommendation.
The Mayor of Newhaven, Councillor Graham Amy, said "If the County Council does decide to register the beach as a Village Green, the Town Council very much hopes that the Port Authority, which owns the beach, will be willing to work with us to make the necessary repairs to the steps and sea wall and get the beach open for local people as soon as possible.
"We are very grateful for the help and support given by local residents in making this application – we couldn't have done it without you!"
Elections will be held on 19th October to find a new Young Mayor for Newhaven. This follows the success of the first Young Mayor for the town – 14yr old Daly Tucknott – whose term of office is coming to an end.
The Young Mayor represents young people in the town aged between 11 and 17, attends Town Council meetings to speak on their behalf and has a £500 budget to spend on projects to help young people. This is a great opportunity for a young person to learn new skills, meet new people and make a difference.
Any young person who lives in Newhaven and is aged between 11 and 17 may stand for election. Students attending Tideway School can find out more from Mr Fanning at the school; those not at Tideway should contact the Town Council direct on 01273 516100 or by email to firstname.lastname@example.com.
Newhaven Town Council has just launched its annual small grants scheme. Every year the Council invites local groups and organisations who work for the benefit of Newhaven residents to apply for funding. Grants awarded last year went to support all sorts of activities, including Christmas lunches and outings for the elderly and vulnerable, the purchase of play equipment for pre-school groups and the hire of a skip to enable local residents to clean up their area.
If you would like to apply for a grant please click here to download an application form and some general information about how the scheme works.
The deadline for applications is Friday 22nd October.
The lucky winners of the recent Newhaven Uncovered Photo Quiz received their prizes from the Mayor, Councillor Graham Amy, recently. Mr A Pearson (on the right in the picture) won the first prize of £500; there were also runners up prizes of £250, £100, £75, £50 and £25. All prize money was kindly donated by a resident of Newhaven who wishes to remain anonymous.
Many commiserations to all the other local residents who did not win. If you would like to download the correct answers, please click here.
"Newhaven Uncovered"
Tickets for the guided walks around the old workhouse have now all gone and there are a few tickets left for the guided walk around the Newhaven Town Cemetery, These are on 10th and 11th of September at 10.30am. and will last about ninety minutes. There will be an opportunity to go inside the old mortuary building and hear about how and why the cemetery was built, the war graves and paupers graves, as well as hear the stories behind some of the older gravestones. Again, the free tickets are limited in numbers (25) and should be collected from the Town Council offices at 18 Fort Road, Newhaven.
Dieppe Raid Commemoration
The Parade and Service to commemorate the 68th anniversary of the Dieppe Raid will take place at 3pm on Sunday 15th August 2010 at the Canadian War Memorial in Bridge Street, Newhaven.
As part of the nationwide Heritage Open Days initiative, two guided tours of the old Union Workhouse in Church Hill have been arranged for Thursday 9th September and Friday 10th September, both at 2pm. The building is currently empty and has been partly renovated in preparation for being converted into flats. Harry Gaston, the author of a number of books on local workhouses and hospitals, will talk about life in the workhouse and also what the building has been used for in later years and Paul Myles, the director of the construction company which owns the Workhouse, will talk about the architecture and construction of the building. There are limited numbers (15) of free tickets for each tour - please collect these from the Town Council offices, 18 Fort Road, Newhaven.
Due to popular demand Ian Everest will also be offering two further guided walks around Newhaven Cemetery. These will take place on Friday 10th September and Saturday 11th September at 10.30am. There will be an opportunity to go inside the old mortuary building and hear about how and why the cemetery was built, the war graves and paupers graves, as well as hear the stories behind some of the older gravestones. Again, the free tickets are limited in numbers (25) and should be collected from the Town Council offices at 18 Fort Road, Newhaven.
The Mail on Sunday ran an article on the West Beach this week. To read the article go to:
The Public Inquiry into the application made by the Town Council to register the West Beach as a Village Green will be held at Meeching Hall, Fort Road, Newhaven on 6th, 7th and 8th July from 10am to about 5pm each day. This meeting will be open to the public.
Louis Philippe has landed (eventually)
The re-enactment of the landing of ex-King Louis Philippe of France in Newhaven in 1848 took place in glorious sunshine in front of a crowd of local adults and schoolchildren from Southdown and Meeching Valley Schools on 16th June. Although the weather was perfect for the spectators, the stiff north-easterly wind caused a few problems for the men rowing the King and Queen ashore and the rowing boat eventually accepted a tow from a small motorboat.
The King and Queen were met by local resident Mr Simms who arranged for them to be taken to the Bridge Inn by horse and carriage.
Local school children welcomed the royal party to the town outside the Bridge Inn.
Mr William Catt, a local landowner and the owner of Tidemills, hurried to the Bridge Inn to welcome the King and Queen to England.
Louis Philippe Returns to Newhaven
Sussex Day on Wednesday 16th June will see a unique event taking place in Newhaven – a re-enactment of the landing of the fleeing King Louis-Philippe of France at Newhaven in 1848.
Louis-Philippe had become King of France in 1830 as a result of a revolution, and was forced to flee France in 1848 as a result of another revolution. The King and Queen had travelled secretly and in disguise from their chateau at Dreux to Le Havre where the British Consul provided them with a passport in the name of Mr and Mrs Smith and they boarded a steamer for Newhaven. On arrival at Newhaven they were taken in a horse and carriage to the Bridge Inn, where they stayed the night and were visited by a number of people from the town and surrounding area, before leaving for Claremont House in Esher, Surrey, where they were to spend their exile.
This historic event will be re-created with actors from Meeching Amateur Dramatics (MAD) playing the King and Queen being rowed ashore by local sea cadets. The Royal couple will land at 10.45am at the Newhaven Marina Slipway and will then be taken by horse and carriage along West Quay, Fort Road, South Way, Meeching Road and the High Street to the Bridge Inn, where they are expected to arrive at about midday.
Newhaven Town Council and the Newhaven Historical Society have worked together with MAD and the Sea Cadets to organise the event.
The Newhaven Fish Festival takes place on Saturday 12th June at the West Quay Lawns between 10.00 am and 4.00 pm. Free fun event for all the family to celebrate Newhaven's fishing industry. On the same day at 4.00 pm there will be a Newhaven Uncovered guided walk around the Town Cemetery. Numbers are limited - please contact the town council office to check availability.
Lewes District Council is arranging a consultation event at Fort Rd Rec on Tuesday 1st June. Anyone can "drop in" between 3-7pm to give their views and ideas for the skate park / BMX and the rec in general. Please go along if you can - they really want to hear from you.
The Newhaven Uncovered project will be launched at 10 High Street, Newhaven on Saturday 22nd May from 10am to 12 noon.
Residents are invited to come along and collect a new free resident and visitors guide (including street indexed map, community group information and a self guided walk). There will also be a new Uncovered Photographic Quiz, with a fabulous first prize of £500, plus £500 worth of runners up prizes, donated by a Newhaven resident.
Members of the Uncovered Project, Newhaven Historical Society & Maritime Museum, Our Newhaven team and Newhaven's Conservation Society will be on hand together with town councillors. This will be a great opportunity to browse through photographs of Newhaven's past and share thoughts about Newhaven's future.
If you are interested in joining a walk around the cemetery during June or July please contact us via the tab on the left.
A pdf version of the new guide and map can be downloaded - click on the About Newhaven tab on the left and then click on Town Map.
For an update on the current situation regarding the Town Council's application for Village Green status on the West Beach, please click on "The West Beach Village Green" tab on the left.
Free Fort Tickets for Newhaven residents
Free tickets are available for Newhaven residents to the Newhaven Fort Festival of History, which is taking place over the Bank Holiday weekend, Saturday 1st May to Monday 3rd May. The tickets are available from the Town Council offices at 18 Fort Road, Newhaven, TEL: 01273 516100 or from Newhaven Fort.
The Young People of the Year Awards Ceremony took place at Tideway School on Tuesday 23rd March at 6.30pm.
The evening was a huge success with over 150 people attending the ceremony. The winners were:
Heidi Aveline Young Volunteer for 2010 Award
Nicolle Payne Young Carer for 2010 Award
Nicholas Cole Young Person of Courage for 2010 Award
Adam Wiggins Young Achiever for 2010 Award
Connor Sandalls Young Sportsperson for 2010 Award
Maddison Manville Young Fundraiser for 2010 Award
The Young Group of the Year Award went to Newhaven & Seaford Sea Cadets.
The audience enjoyed refreshments before and after the ceremony, along with Tideway School presenting two songs from Grease - Hopelessly Devoted and Greased Lightnin'.
Once again we would like to thank everyone that helped make this evening a success.
Awards for Young People to be announced
The results of the Young People of the Year awards introduced by Newhaven's Young Mayor, Daly Tucknott, will be announced next Tuesday, 23rd March at the Awards Ceremony which is to be held at Tideway School at 6pm for 6.30pm.
Daly has been delighted by the response to his idea for the awards. A total of 44 nominations were received for 7 categories – Young Achiever, Young Sportsperson, Young Fundraiser, Young Volunteer, Young Person of Courage, Young Carer and Young Group.
Each individual winner will receive a cash prize of £50 and a trophy. The awards have been generously sponsored by local companies and organisations – the Newhaven Chamber of Commerce, NCDA, Wave Leisure, G W Ironworks, Lewes District Crime Reduction Partnership, Excell Design and the Newhaven Enterprise Centre.
All in all, the new Awards Scheme has proved to be a huge success and has certainly shown that Newhaven is not short of amazing children and young people who are achieving wonderful things.
Town Council to sponsor Floral Displays
Newhaven Town Council has agreed to providing floral displays in the Drove area of the Town. This follows on from the much appreciated wild flower display last year on the Drove Roundabout and this year will be extended to include other areas on the eastern side of the Town. There will also be some tree and shrub planting to compliment the displays. Planting will be starting during March.
Nominations needed for Young People's Awards
We are now looking for nominations for the new Young People of the Year awards introduced by the Young Mayor of Newhaven, Daly Tucknott to recognise and celebrate the positive things that children and young people in Newhaven achieve. Daly feels that often young people get a bad press and wants to counteract this.
There will be one award for each of the following categories:
• Young Volunteer (someone who has done outstanding work in the community)
• Young Carer (someone who cares for their parent(s) or other family member
• Young Hero (someone who has done something really brave such as saving someone else from danger)
• Young Person of Courage (someone who has battled bravely against illness or disability)
• Young Achiever (someone who has achieved something outstanding through hard work and/or talent)
• Young Sportsperson (for outstanding sporting achievement)
• Young Fundraiser (someone who has campaigned to raise funds for something worthwhile)
• Young Group (a group of young people who deserve recognition)
Any young person who is aged 17 or under on 1st April 2010 and who lives or goes to school in Newhaven is eligible to be nominated.
Each individual winner will receive a cash prize of £50 and a commemorative trophy which will be engraved with their name. The Young Group will receive a treat of their choice, such as a pool party or trip to the cinema. The awards will be made at a ceremony at Tideway School, Newhaven on Tuesday 23rd March 2010.
If you would like to nominate a young person or a group to receive one of these awards, please click here to download a form (pdf 307kb). The deadline for nominations is 14th February 2010.
Icy conditions in Newhaven
A number of local residents have contacted the Town Council raising concerns about slippery roads and pavements in the town during the current spell of snowy and icy weather.
East Sussex County Council is the local Highway Authority and as such the gritting of roads and pavements is their responsibility. Whenever ice or snow is forecast, they pre-treat over 800 miles of the county's road network with salt to reduce the potential for ice forming on the road surface. The pre-treated routes comprise all the major roads across the county and also a significant number of interlinking minor roads to ensure that the strategic network is passable. The County Council do not have the resources either in terms of vehicles or manpower to grit all the roads across the whole county at once and more minor roads can only be treated after the County Council are certain that the major roads are all clear. Hand salting of pavements by the County Council (which requires a huge amount of manpower) is only undertaken when the roads are clear.
At times when there is extensive snowfall and ice across the whole county for several days the resources of the County Council will be at full stretch and cannot cope with hand salting pavements.
Although Highway matters are not strictly speaking the responsibility of the Town Council, our councillors nonetheless share residents' concerns about the state of roads and pavements in the town. We are a very small organisation and certainly do not have the staff ourselves to undertake hand salting in the town. However, it would be possible for the Town Council to finance the provision of additional salt bins in the town which local residents could then use as and when required. Unfortunately this cannot be an instant solution – each bin would require a licence from the County Council and of course, would also need to be ordered, installed and filled with salt. It is likely that many towns and villages across the country will also want to install bins and as a result there may be delays. Decisions would need to be taken as to where to install the bins and how many the Town Council could afford. Inevitably it would not be possible to provide one everywhere that ice was a problem. It also needs to be borne in mind that existing bins are often a target for vandalism and that keeping them filled with salt can also be problematic. The County Council used to provide grit bins at strategic locations, but has removed many of them in recent years because of constant problems with vandalism, the bins being filled with rubbish or dog waste and the salt in the bins being used by both local residents and people from further afield to clear their private driveways and paths.
It is very likely that the Town Council will be discussing this matter further over the next few weeks and we hope to have further information following the next meeting of the Council on 2nd February.
Merry Christmas Everyone!
The Town Council offices will close at midday on Christmas Eve, 24th December and will re-open at 9.30am on Monday 4th January 2010.
For emergency enquiries over the Christmas period please telephone Lewes District Council on 01273 471600 and listen to the recorded message.
Everyone at Newhaven Town Council would like to wish you a very Merry Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year.
Tree planting at Valley Ponds
Children from Meeching Valley School helped plant some rare Black Poplar trees donated by Wakehurst Place at the Valley Ponds on Thursday 17th December. The trees around the Ponds are predominantly willows and the planting was part of a programme to introduce some different native species to the area.
Car Parking Charges reduced
Lewes District Council has agreed to cut car parking charges in the town in the run up to Christmas to encourage more people to shop in the town centre.
All car parks in the town will be free of charge after 4pm so that people can drop into the town on their way home from work. On Saturdays the multi-storey car park will charge a flat rate of 75p for the whole day.
The reduced rates will apply for the whole of the month of December.
New Youth Club opens at Denton Social Centre
A new youth club for 13-18yr olds has just opened at the Denton Social Centre in Denton Recreation Ground, Denton Road. The club will run every Friday during term time from 7.45pm-9.45pm and will be operated by NCDA (Newhaven Community Development Association) with funding provided by Newhaven Town Council and South Heighton Parish Council.
The Club will offer a range of activities including crafts, art and sport, together with access to lap tops for e-research projects plus a progamme of informal advice sessions.
Chloe Uncovers a Bike!
Chloe Avenell of Brighton Road, Newhaven was the lucky winner of a £250 voucher for a bike from Mr Cycles in Seaford in the recent photo quiz competition held by Newhaven Town Council to launch their Newhaven Uncovered project.
Chloe identified some difficult to recognise parts of Newhaven in 21 photographs and was the first correct entry drawn out of the hat. Twelve lucky runners up received family tickets to either Paradise Park or Newhaven Fort.
Newhaven Uncovered is a project run by the Town Council to encourage you to look at the town in a different way. Like an archaeological dig, this project aims to reveal some forgotten treasures and to signpost you to finding out more about Newhaven's rich history.
Newhaven Uncovered will take you on self-guided walks in the town linked to a series of interpretation boards, organise guided walks and highlight other local walks and trails. There will also be a Newhaven Uncovered Resident's Guide to be published and delivered to every household early in 2010.
And coming very soon – What's on in Newhaven for Children and Young People – a leaflet uncovering the wide range of youth activities available in the town, which will be distributed through local schools and youth groups and available at the library.
Money Available for Local Organisations
Newhaven Town Council has launched its annual small grants scheme. Every year the Council invites local groups and organisations who work for the benefit of Newhaven residents to apply for funding. Grants awarded last year went to support all sorts of activities, including Christmas lunches and outings for the elderly and vulnerable, the purchase of play equipment for pre-school groups and the hire of a skip to enable local residents to clean up their area.
Councillor Graham Amy, the Chair of the Town Council's Grants Committee, said "Newhaven has a really wide range of voluntary groups who work so hard for the local community. We are delighted that we can help them in this way."
Local groups who want to apply for grants can download guidance notes and an application form here. The deadline for applications is 23rd October 2009.
Uncover Newhaven and Win a Bike! (closing date Mon 12th Oct)
To launch a new project called "Newhaven Uncovered" the Town Council is running a photo quiz. Can you identify some difficult to recognise parts of Newhaven? If you can you might win a £250 voucher for a new bike from Mr Cycles in Seaford. There will also be runners up prizes of family tickets for Paradise Park and the Fort. Come along to our office and pick up a form or download one here (pdf. 363 kb). Closing date for entries is 12th October.
Newhaven Uncovered is a project run by the Town Council to encourage you to look at the town in a different way. Like an archaeological dig, this project aims to reveal some forgotten treasures and to signpost you to finding out more about Newhaven's rich history.
Newhaven Uncovered will take you on self-guided walks in the town linked to a series of interpretation boards, organise guided walks and highlight other local walks and trails.
Look out for the Newhaven Uncovered Resident's Guide to be published and delivered to every household early in 2010. This new guide will contain practical information about the town together with a handy map and other features.
New ASDA proposed for Newhaven
An exhibition was held at the Hillcrest Community Centre on 4th and 5th September at which exciting proposals to create a new supermarket, 280 homes and a hotel on unused land at Eastside were on display.
A developer called Avalon LLP is working in partnership with Barratt Homes and ASDA on the project.
A 40,000 square foot ASDA is proposed, together with 14 new units for small to medium sized businesses, as well as a hotel and a pub. The store would create around 350 new jobs for the town. The houses would be one, two and three bedroom homes for local people situated behind the Brightwell Industrial Estate and would include a proportion of affordable housing.
If the project goes ahead, it would also mean that the first part of the long proposed new port access road would be built as part of the development.
Further details about the proposal can be found at www.regeneratingeastsidenewhaven.co.uk
The roundabout by B & Q in The Drove has burst into colourful bloom this summer with a spectacular mix of wild meadow flowers. The roundabout was seeded with this mixture by East Sussex County Council in the spring as an experiment. The seeds were supplied by a company called Pictorial Meadows who have provided seeds for similar planting schemes, notably in Sheffield, where a number of run down, derelict pieces of land have been transformed into vibrantly colourful flowering fields.
We understand that this has been very popular in Sheffield – but what do local people here think? Do you like the roundabout? Would you like to see this sort of wild flower planting carried out in other areas of Newhaven? Please let us know what you think – click on the contact us link on the right.