News
NEWHAVEN GETS THE KEY TO A DRAGON'S CAVE
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
(Eastside)
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 Planning@lewes.gov.uk
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.
WEST BEACH UPDATE
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.
WHAT IS IT CALLED? LET US KNOW
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.
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 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 21st October 2011.
NEWHAVEN INVADED BY BLUE MEN
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!
NEWHAVEN CORMORANT
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 FORT TICKETS FOR NEWHAVEN RESIDENTS
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.
TOWN COUNCIL ELECTION RESULTS
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.
WEST BEACH UPDATE
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.
NEWHAVEN TWINNING ASSOCIATION
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:
http://newhaventwinningassociation.ning.com
YOUNG PEOPLE OF THE YEAR NOMINATIONS NEEDED
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.
WEST BEACH - DECISION IS YES - BUT REGISTRATION IS DEFERRED
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".
WEST BEACH - DECISION EXPECTED NEXT WEEK
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
NEWHAVEN TOWN CENTRE CHRISTMAS FAYRE
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!
THICK SNOW BLANKETS NEWHAVEN
Heavy snow fell in Newhaven overnight on Thursday 2nd December, blanketing the town in a thick covering of white.
MAYOR'S COMMUNITY CAROL CONCERT
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.
ADAM WIGGINS IS NEW YOUNG MAYOR
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 FOR NEW 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.
WEST BEACH - INSPECTOR SAYS YES
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!”
WANTED - NEW YOUNG MAYOR FOR NEWHAVEN
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 admin@newhaventowncouncil.gov.uk.
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 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.
PHOTO QUIZ WINNERS AND ANSWERS
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.
WORKHOUSE TOURS & CEMETERY WALKS
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.
WEST BEACH IN MAIL ON SUNDAY
The Mail on Sunday ran an article on the West Beach this week. To read the article go to:
WEST BEACH VILLAGE GREEN PUBLIC INQUIRY
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.
NEWHAVEN FISH FESTIVAL
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.
WHAT DO YOU WANT AT FORT ROAD REC?
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.
LAUNCH OF NEWHAVEN UNCOVERED PROJECT
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.
WEST BEACH VILLAGE GREEN APPLICATION
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.
AWARDS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE - THE WINNERS
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
PICTORIAL MEADOW IN THE DROVE
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.
