The interim financial results for Pearson plc (£660m profit before tax) in which the local land owning Cowdray family has a stake, may be of interest to local residents
Full details can be found here on the company website and readers may also be interested in another article, this time about Cowdray wealth, which mentions the possibility of sand extraction back in April 2009.
Threat of Sand Extraction near Cocking
Wednesday, 17 February 2010 21:52
If you have driven along the A286 between Cocking and Midhurst recently, you could hardly have missed the forest of banners on the roadside, protesting against the possibility of sand extraction on Hawkhurst Farm. It seems that the area to the east of the main road (shown shaded in red on the map) has been added to a list of potential sites just in time to avoid new planning rules accompanying the formation of the new South Downs National Park.
This is no doubt a complex issue as mineral extraction is a necessary evil and across Chichester District it is by no means confined to this area. The Chichester District Council pages on the subject contain a bewildering amount of information, much of laced with jargon as even they admit. In contrast, a single web page has recently appeared objecting to the possibility of sand extraction. It may have been put up on behalf of West Lavington Parish Council, although that isn't clear, but it clearly asks local residents to object to an activity that they believe will blight their local environment and landscape.
So have a look at midhurst-sand.com and see how you can have your say, one way or the other.
Click on the map above to see a larger version that should be easier to read. Note: It may take a while to load, depending on the speed of your internet connection.
Speed Sign Reappears
Thursday, 11 February 2010 00:00
Cocking Northbound Speed Sign Returns
Residents and drivers passing through Cocking will remember the villages second speed activated warning sign sited on Cocking Hill. It was quite a site, sporting both wind and solar power sources. The sign was installed in November 2007 and stolen in April 2008, presumably for the solar panel and wind generator rather than the less 'useful' 30 m.p.h. indicator.
Whether by popular demand or not, a sign is back, but this time it is conventionally powered and thereby perhaps less valuable to thieves Perhaps the Council will now replace the Cocking Village sign at the top of the hill that has been missing (again) for some time now.
Approximately fifty villagers turned up to sing carols under the Christmas Tree, an event organised jointly by Cocking Parish Council and the Parish Church of St. Catherine of Siena, Cocking.
Despite the cool conditions, or perhaps in an attempt to warm themselves, they rendered eleven favourite carols (including the Sussex Carol) with gusto. The tree that accompanied them was donated by the Cowdray Estate and the electricity for the lights came from Chris & Ginny Budd's nearby cottage via a cable slung between the nearby chestnut trees.
Halfway through the programme, a small cast of players appeared to perform a Revival of theCocking Mummer's Play, probably the first time the work has been performed since 1906. The audience was delighted by the traditional text, embellished by a few modern additions that would not have been out of place in a pantomime. There was the early appearance of a convincing Father Christmas; Mince Pie and St. George fought a terrifying sword fight and the fallen Mince Pie was miraculously revived (that's Revival No. 2) by a cure prescribed by a mysterious Doctor wearing a Tom Baker scarf. Finally Saucy Jack relieved the audience of their hard earned cash in aid of the Chestnut Tree House Children's Hospice at Poling, the only children's hospice in Sussex.
Before, during and after the carols, warm mince pies were on offer, whilst Revival No. 3 involved the singing throng. It came in polystyrene cups and the medicine this time was an ample dose of delicious and warming mulled wine.
Cocking Mummer's Play
Cast in Order of Appearance
Father Christmas David Imlach
Mince Pie Suzy Callow
St. George Chris Budd
Doctor Darron Carver
Saucy Jack Steve Redshaw (who also played the accordion)
Seasonal Weather
Friday, 18 December 2009 10:56
The snow has settled overnight, forming a seasonal white blanket over everything including the Bluebell At Cocking.
Planning for the district's future
Tuesday, 15 December 2009 15:01
A new planning framework for the district is being prepared – the Local Development Framework (LDF) by Chichester District Council. It will shape the way we live in the district over the next ten to twenty years.
Chichester District Council will be consulting on a Core Strategy Options For Growth Document as part of the Local Development Framework between 4th January and 1st February 2010. The Core Strategy will replace the Local Plan and will set out the framework for development across the District up to 2026. Once the Options For Growth document has been approved by Council on 15th December you can visit our website to be part of this consultation.
This will be your opportunity to influence where future developments across the Chichester District will be located and how these should be supported by infrastructure.
For information relating to the Local Development Framework please visit the following website – www.chichester.gov.uk and follow the link to Environment & Planning, then Local Development Framework.
A new planning framework for the district is being prepared – the Local Development Framework (LDF) by Chichester District Council. It will shape the way we live in the district over the next ten to twenty years.
