Birdham Parish Council

Welcome to the Birdham Parish Council Website…

The village of Birdham is a small and welcoming community just south of the historic town of Chichester in West Sussex. This website aims to help our residents and visitors to learn about the village, the work of our Parish Council and to provide information about the businesses and people that make Birdham special…

On December 15th the Government announced the structure of the membership of the South Downs National Park Authority. There will be 27 members. Fourteen will come from the local authorities affected. That seems fair – until you see that this means one member for West Sussex (807 kms2 in the Park), one for Chichester (544 kms2) and one for Eastbourne (18 kms2). There will be 7 members appointed by Government for their special expertise. And 6 Parish Councillors (2 from West Sussex) from the 179 Parishes within the Park – and none from outside the Park.

Birdham Parish Council has always been sceptical about the need for a National Park. The protection given to practically all of the Park by the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty status it already has will be unaltered. Promises of extra money have been vague. The National Park Authority members will have a first loyalty to the Park so democracy will provide no protection for those of us who live outside the Park. Since 64% of Chichester District will be inside the Park and subject to the Authority, not the District Council, pressures for increased housing, for example, will fall on the other 34%. Birdham is half inside the Chichester Harbour Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty so we have some protection. Development control (planning) responsibilities are likely to be retained by Chichester District Council – but subject to the Park’s planning rules, not the Council’s. Watch this space – literally!

Stakeholders in the hospital

There was a stakeholders meeting of the Western Sussex Hospitals Trust on December 16th at which your Council was represented. An update was given on the bid for Foundation Hospital status. It is hoped that this will be in place in May 2011 or soon after. The next stage will be University status in association with Brighton. Fit for the Future, the plan which threatened the downgrading of St Richard’s Hospital, is now officially dead. Accident and Emergency and consultant-led paediatrics and maternity will continue at both Chichester and Worthing.

The publication of a “Discharge” booklet for patients by the hospital – to give advice before, during and after, your stay in hospital – has shown the need to improve links between the hospital and GP surgeries.

Car parking charges are being looked at by the Board but more effort is being made to safeguard the free spaces for the disabled and for those needing daily treatment.

A review of visiting hours will be undertaken in February.