Chidham residents say 'we want to save our land for future'
Residents are pulling together to try to buy a piece of land in Chidham which will be set aside as an open space for the community.
Members of the community have pledged more than 50,000 in a bid to try to buy the eight-acre site in Cot Lane which goes to informal tender today (Thursday, June 26) at midday.
The Chichester Harbour Trust (CHT), Chichester Harbour Conservancy, and Chidham and Hambrook parish council are also helping out with financing the project.
If the bid was successful, the CHT would retain the freehold of the land, while community volunteers would help maintain it.
Resident Stephen Johnson has been spearheading the project.
He said: "We live in a beautiful part of the country, with the Chichester Harbour area of natural beauty, but although there are paths for walking, there is virtually no publicly-accessible open space for families to enjoy.
"We don't have any woodland to walk through, nowhere close for children or young people to kick a ball about, and play in a natural environment.
"The hope is the site could be developed to give us all of this, and a good-sized open space would be somewhere to hold occasional community events."
Chichester Harbour Conservancy harbour master John Davis said: "It had planning permission for development, which has since expired. What we want to do is to save it in perpetuity.
"It is a community-driven scheme. They want to preserve their own land. The community has got no open space for things like their village fete."
Chichester Harbour Trust administrator James Davis said: "We have had children pledging their pocket money, from an eight year-old giving 50p to much more substantial amounts from people who are keen to see the trust own the land. It has been a real splendid community reaction."
Mr Johnson told an emergency parish council meeting to discuss the project on Tuesday there had been several pledges of 10,000, and that some pledgers had doubled their money after seeing the enthusiasm for the project.
He added: "The land falls within the civil parish of Southbourne, and the Southbourne and Chidham and Hambrook parish councils are supportive of the project.
"We have launched a campaign for people to give money, and the community has responded magnificently."
Conditions are in place from the CHC that the land should be two-thirds woodland with paths and glades, and one-third open space.
The land, formerly a brickyard and caravan park, has dead trees which would need to be made safe, and existing trees which would need maintenance.
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Weather for Chichester
Sunday 12 February 2012
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