Worth Park News – Dawn Chorus

Dawn Chorus Worth Park
24th April 2015

Kick start your day with a difference and allow the beautiful sound of bird song to be your alarm clock. Join our early morning guided walk to listen to and help you identify the songs of different birds singing from the bushes, trees and roof tops around Worth Park, and be rewarded with a coffee and a croissant at the end.

Friday 1st May
06.00 – 07.30

Booking essential
phone 07771 375254
email tomforward@sussexwt.org.uk
website www.gatwickgreenspace.org.uk

Dawn Chorus Worth Park 2015

Worth Park News – Events

News on upcoming events
24th April 2015

Worth Park is now starting to look wonderful and we have some exciting events planned to celebrate this!

Friday May 1st: Dawn Chorus Walk 6-7.30am. Kickstart your working day with a difference and allow the beautiful sound of bird song to be your alarm clock. Join our early morning guided walk to listen to and help you identify the songs of different birds singing from the bushes, trees and roof tops around Worth Park, and be rewarded with a coffee and a croissant at the end. The walk will be led by Tom Forward of Sussex Wildlife Trust. Free but booking essential – please contact Tom to reserve your place: email tomforward@sussexwt.org.uk .

Sunday May 3rd: Worth Park Happening. Bring a picnic, relax in the sunshine and enjoy this unique event created by Crawley’s wonderfully talented young people. Be led on a guided walk by gardens designer James Pulham himself and discover the history of the park through drama, dance, art and poetry. Expect lots of surprises including a lindy hop and a fire dance! Spectators are invited to join in. Meet in the formal gardens at 12.30, 1.30 or 2.30pm. Performances last about 20-30 mins. Free and no need to book. A juice bar supplied by volunteers from Outset Youth Action will be available. Part of Crawley WordFest.

Sunday May 3rd: Croquet Sundays. As well as Crawley Croquet Club’s usual activities on the lawns, CBC will now also be providing equipment on the lawns every Sunday in May from 12-4pm which is free for everyone to use – no need to book. A leaflet explaining how the game is played will also be available. So this is a great activity to enjoy alongside the Worth Park Happening – what a great picnic!

Crawley Croquet Club also play on the lawns from 2pm every Sunday and are always happy to help introduce potential new members to the game. If you are interested in finding out more about the club please contact Anne Jenkinson on email anne.jenkinson1@btinternet.com

You may also be interested in a free croquet course run by Freedom Leisure in partnership with Crawley Croquet Club which will start on Wednesday May 6th 4-6pm. This is suitable for all ages. Please contact me to book so I have an idea of numbers.

Worth Park events list April 2015

  • 1st and 9th April Holiday activities provided by Play Service (AAE)
  • 8th and 9th April and other April dates Worth Park Happening workshops (TPS)
  • 12th April Meet the Gardener (AAE)
  • w/c 13th April tbd Playgroup gardening/park explorers starts (PER)
  • 22nd April Youth Rangers scrub clearance (LP)
  • 1st May dawn chorus walk led by Tom Forward (Gatwick Greenspace) (AAE)
  • 3rd May Croquet Sundays starts (free casual play – equipment provided) (AAE)
  • 3rd May The Worth Park Happening (WordFest youth event) (TPS)
  • 5th May Volunteers croquet day (AAE)
  • 6th May Croquet course starts led by Freedom Leisure (AAE)
  • 9th May – Miltonian Guild visit (private event)
  • 12th May Beavers croquet session
  • 14th May – St Francis of Assisi yr 1 visit (PER)
  • May – fountain switch-on? tbd
  • 27th May Holiday Activities provided by Play Service (AAE) (Steering meet Town Hall)
  • 28th May Holiday Activities provided by Play Service (AAE)
  • 5th June – Talk for Friends of the Hawth (AAE)
  • 16th June – BUG bike event (CBC staff) (AAE)
  • 25th June – schools open day (PER)
  • 27th June – Midsummer Festival 3-7pm (Eastern Stream) (AAE)
  • 1st July – Worth Ladies talk/tour (AAE)
  • 19th July Victorian Picnic (also part of Festival of British Archaeology) (TPS/AAE/LPT/DSSV)
  • 25th July – Butterfly and dragonfly event led by CBC (AAE/DSSV)
  • 28th July Holiday Activities provided by Play Service (AAE)
  • End July/early August – Britain in Bloom judging
  • 2nd August Meet the Victorian Gardener (AAE)
  • 4th August Holiday Activities provided by Play Service (AAE)
  • August Holiday Activities provided by Play Service (date tbd) (AAE)
  • 18th August Holiday Activities provided by Play Service (AAE)
  • 19th August – Alytus Youth Symphony Orchestra (from Lithuania) and Picnic 4–6pm (Eastern Stream) (AAE)
  • 25th August Holiday Activities provided by Play Service (AAE)
  • August date tbc Trees tour led by CBC?
  • 11th Sept – evening bats event led by Jenny Clark (bat rescue) (AAE/DSSV)
  • 17th Oct – fungi tour led by Kevin Lerwill (Gatwick Greenspace) (AAE/DSSV)
  • 25th Oct Meet the Gardener (AAE)

KEY:
PER = Park as Educational Resource
TPS = Telling Park’s Story
LP = Local people taking the Lead
DSSV = Developing skills
AAE = Animation through activities and events
ME = Marketing & evaluation

I look forward to seeing you at Worth Park! If anyone is free to volunteer to help on the Dawn Chorus Walk or at the Worth Park Happening it would be lovely to hear from you.

Thank you as always for your continuing support for Worth Park.

Best wishes

Edwina Livesey
phone 01293 438027
phone 07826 917846
email edwina.livesey@crawley.gov.uk

Participation Officer – Worth Park
Crawley Borough Council
Town Hall, The Boulevard
Crawley, RH10 1UZ


Facebook worthparkcrawley
email worthpark@crawley.gov.uk
website www.crawley.gov.uk/worthpark

Worth Park – A Unique Victorian Garden and Landscape

Gatwick News – Crawley Observer

Anger over airport flyers
22th April 2015 – Crawley Observer
website www.crawleyobserver.co.uk

By Observer Reporter
email crawleyobserver@jpress.co.uk
phone 01293 845058

Residents opposed to expansion at Gatwick Airport have reacted with anger to the airport’s canvassing of areas around Heathrow.

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Protesters opposed to a second runway at Gatwick

The protest group, Communities Against Gatwick Noise Emissions (CAGNE), spoke out after Gatwick’s chief executive Stewart Wingate said the airport would be delivering 400,000 leaflets in Surrey, Berkshire and London.

The leaflets, entitled Limit Noise over London, draw direct comparisons between expanding Heathrow with Gatwick.

CAGNE chair Sally Pavey said: “This is a costly exercise but simply illustrates that Gatwick can’t find support in the surrounding counties and so have to try persuade Heathrow residents to become ‘nimbys’ and support putting the same misery of Heathrow here in West Sussex countryside.”

The Airports Commission, chaired by Sir Howard Davies, is considering two options for expansion at Heathrow: a third runway and an extension of one of its two existing runways. He will make his recommendation to Government in the summer.

A spokesman for Gatwick said:’Airport expansion is a significant issue for local communities but as the debate enters its final stages, thousands of residents are likely to be unaware their lives could be blighted by Heathrow expansion.

“Over 320,000 people – a population the size of Coventry-would be newly affected by noise across Berkshire, West London and Surreys owe feel it is important to shine a
light on this crucial issue.

‘At Gatwick we have never shied away from the fact that expansion will mean more noise – these leaflets and maps show that Gatwick would impact less than 5 percent of the numbers affected by noise at Heathrow. This means that Gatwick will be able to compensate those most affected by paying their council tax each year – something Heathrow can’t begin to do.”

Gatwick News – Crawley Observer

GP fears airport bid will increase town pollution
8th April 2015 – Crawley Observer
website www.crawleyobserver.co.uk

By Berny Torre
email berny.torre@jpress.co.uk
phone 01403 751223

A retired GP believes a second runway at Gatwick Airport would lead to a’disastrous’ increase in Crawley’s air pollution.

IMG_0004reszie

Dr Paul Stillman

Dr Paul Stillman, a former senior partner at Leacroft Medical Practice claimed increased pollution from planes and vehicle traffic would worsen high levels of respiratory illnesses in neighbourhoods near the airport.

A spokesman for Gatwick Airport said studies on the effect the second runway would have on roads showed the GP’s fears about increased road traffic were inaccurate.

The spokesman added it had not breached EU and UK annual air quality limits. The airport would maintain its ‘100 per cent’record should the runway be built.

Dr Stillman,68, of Pound Hill, who worked in Langley Green for nearly 40 years, believed Gatwick expansion would lead to’considerable’ increases in air pollution and noise in Crawley, a similar decrease in the standard of living and a fall in townspeople’s health within 15 years of the runway and associated infrastructure being built.

He said: “I think that’s disastrous because living in an area is not simply about the prosperity, it’s about the quality of life that you have.

“I cannot really see this is going to benefit the community and it certainly would have a poor effect on the people who live in that part of the world.”

He said people living in Langley Green, Ifield and Crawley’s new neighbourhood, Forge Wood, would be worst affected.

Dr Stillman said: “Throughout my professional time in general practice in that part of the town [Langley Green] certainly we saw a quite substantial rise in the number of respiratory illnesses – we saw particularly asthma, particularly in children.

“You’ve got a lot of people for whatever reason are suffering of something, of which some of it certainly is reversible – the last thing you want to do is make that worse.”

Dr Stillman said pollution was triggering asthma and other lung-related attacks across the neighbourhood.

He said the airport’s effect on the increasing rate of lung-related conditions across the area played on his mind during his medical career.

A Gatwick Airport spokesman said: “Neither our modelling or that of the Airports Commission, or comments by West Sussex County Council suggest that this is an accurate picture of the impact of a second runway on local roads.

“Gatwick Airport has never breached EU and UK annual air quality limits and would maintain this 100 per cent air quality record with a second runway.

“We have also committed to a range of measures that would improve journey times for local road users and manage all traffic better if the airport expands.

“In addition, Gatwick would create a €£10 million Local Highway Development Fund to meet any additional work required to improve local roads.”

Gatwick Airport – Crawley News

Airport picks boss for proposed new runway
8th April 2015 – Crawley News


Facebook www.facebook.com/crawleynews

GATWICK: A construction manager has been appointed to prepare the groundwork and make sure the building of a new runway at Gatwick Airport can start immediately, should the Government give it the green light.

Gatwick Airport bosses have selected Raymond Melee to take on the role of project manager.

Mr Melee has nearly three decades of experience building at 25 international airports across four continents, including Abu Dhabi International Airport, Mumbai International Airport and Singapore Changi International Airport.

Mr Melee will also be responsible for taking forward a £1 billion investment programme including a complete transformation of the North Terminal.

Gatwick News – Crawley Observer

Gatwick appoints runway developer
8th April 2015 – Crawley Observer
website www.crawleyobserver.co.uk

By Observer Reporter
email crawleyobserver@jpress.co.uk
phone 01293 845058

Gatwick Airport has brought in a construction expert in the hope it will be given the go-ahead to build a second runway.

Raymond-Melee, one of the most experienced project managers in the industry has taken on the role of development director.

A spokesman for Gatwick said the appointment would “ensure construction of a new runway can start immediately, should the Government and planning authorities give it the green light”.

Mr Melee has three decades of experience building more than 25 international airports across four continents. He will be responsible for taking forward a €£1 billion investment programme
to improve the airport infrastructure, including a transformation of the North Terminal.

Mr Melee said: “The UK has been debating a new runway in the south east for decades and there is little time left for talk.

“More capacity is urgently needed and, from a construction perspective, Gatwick’s plans are comparatively low risk and have few complex hurdles to overcome. Gatwick expansion is
the most deliverable option and will deliver more passengers and destinations earlier, while boosting choice and competition at a fraction of the cost, complexity, and environmental impact
of expansion at Heathrow.’

The Airports Commission is due to make its recommendation in the summer.

Police Newsletter

Crawley Police Newsletter – Crawley North
16th April 2015

Police Newsletter 16-04-2015

Mark Farrell
email mark.farrell@sussex.pnn.police.uk
phone 07810 677745

Bettina Long
email bettina.long@sussex.pnn.police.uk
phone 07717 596553

Pauline Lane
email pauline.lane@sussex.pnn.police.uk


Facebook Crawley-Police
website www.sussex.police.uk

Gatwick News – Crawley Observer

Complaints Made Over Runway Bid
1st April 2015 – Crawley Observer
website www.crawleyobserver.co.uk

By Berny Torre
email berny.torre@jpress.co.uk
phone 01293 845052

A pressure group has called on the Airports Commission to withdraw Gatwick Airport’s second runway bid.

Communities Against Gatwick Noise Emissions (CAGNE), in a formal complaint to the commission, claimed the airport had not consulted local residents in accordance with the commission’s appraisal framework.

The document states: “The Commission believes that it is important for local communities most affected by airport development to be properly engaged and consulted. The

Commission wishes to examine how scheme promoters intend to manage their engagement with communities throughout the lifespan of the proposed project, including the period after any new infrastructure is delivered.”

Sally Pavey, chairman of CAGNE, said: “Gatwick has deliberately avoided open consultation with its most important stakeholders – local residents. “We’ve now discovered that all this time they’ve actively encouraged Heathrow’s local authorities to support a second runway. It’s unethical and must be challenged.”

A Gatwick spokesman said: “We regularly engage with local councils, meeting with representatives from more than 60 local groups, parish, town and district councils this year alone together with other local representatives and MPs.

We also held a thorough and open 6-week local consultation on our plans for a second runway. This involved writing to 180,000 homes and businesses and holding 17 public exhibitions. No other shortlisted option ran a similar consultation, and further public consultations will take place if Gatwick is selected as the location for a new runway.

We are very enthusiastic about the merits of our case and have talked with a large number of different groups up and down the country about the prospects for Gatwick, including with authorities around Heathrow that have a very legitimate interest in the runway debate.”

684054792

JPCT 131114 S14510115x Arora Hotel, Southgate Avenue, Crawley. Sally Pavey, Brendan Sewill and others at the meeting in front of Airports Commission chairman Sir Howard Davies taking evidence concerning Gatwick Airports proposal to build a new runway. Photo by Steve Cobb SUS-141216-110827001

Objection to Gatwick Airport Second Runway

Anti Gatwick Runway & Noise Groups Go To 10 Downing Street
23rd March 2015

Handing-in-letter-to-10-Downing-Street-23.3.2015
Cabinet Member offers support for residents today (23rd March) as the anti-Gatwick groups came together to hand in a joint statement to Number 10 Downing Street

Photograph above taken today (23rd March) outside Number 10 Downing Street is of the local campaign groups representing residents from East Sussex, West Sussex, Kent and Surrey, with four senior MPs – Sir Nicholas Soames, Sir John Stanley, Crispin Blunt and Nick Herbert – where a joint statement opposing Gatwick expansion and the changes to flights paths was handed in to the Prime Minister.

Representatives for residents groups were CAGNE West Sussex; John Byng GACC; Simon Byerley of Gatwick Obviously Not and CAGNE EAST – East Sussex and Kent; Ian Hare of PAGNE Pulborough; Mike Ward Plane Wrong Surrey and Jane Vogt GACC and Kent.

Six local campaign groups opposed to Gatwick expansion and four senior MPs called on the government today to recognise the devastating impact of a second runway at Gatwick, the lack of local political support and the strength of feeling among local residents against changes to flight paths already in and out of Gatwick. The anti-Gatwick groups representing individual residents, resident groups, Parish Councils, environmental organisations, and with the MPs, represent millions of residents in this joint statement to the Prime Minister.

Rt Hon Francis Maude MP and Cabinet member said of the visit to Downing Street by residents, which sadly he was unable to attend due to other commitments:

“Since Gatwick started a trial of intense focusing of flight paths over rural areas in my constituency last year, I have been dealing with many hundreds of distressed constituents. Local residents who have for years tolerated moderate aircraft noise because it was spread out were horrified to find that the concentration of aircraft over a narrow flight path made their lives a misery.

“It is hard to see how the area could accommodate the vast increase in noise and disturbance, together with doubling the usage on the already overburdened infrastructure, that a second runway at Gatwick would entail.”

The Downing Street visit organised by the chair of CAGNE (Communities Against Gatwick Noise and Emissions).

Speaking about why the groups were coming together today, CAGNE said:

“We were delighted to be joined by so many senior MPs and to have the support of those that were unable to attend as it shows the anger that is felt over Gatwick’s proposals to expand and how people are already being affected by changes to flight paths now.”

“A two-runway Gatwick would devastate the local area and local communities.

Throughout this process, we’ve been hugely disappointed with Gatwick’s lack of consultation with the local area. CEO Stewart Wingate continues to portray the airport as an ‘easy option’ for expansion, while ignoring the concerns of thousands of local residents and that it will cost the taxpayer billions in infrastructure bills and the devaluation of vast areas of the south-east with aircraft noise.

It’s time people realised the truth. Gatwick expansion will destroy our local environment, push local services beyond their limits and expose up to 30,000 people to noise for the very first time, all facts ignored by Gatwick’s CEO.”

“If Gatwick refuse to hear us, we hope the Prime Minister and those in government will.”

Crispin Blunt MP and Chair of the MP group that opposes Gatwick expansion commented:

“The unremitting noise pollution being suffered by residents underneath new concentrated flight paths at Gatwick (now), following the implementation of Precision Navigation in 2013-14, has galvanised local residents groups around Gatwick to stop take-off and landing routes that create unmitigated noise pollution to residents.

“The united message being delivered to the Prime Minister today is that changes to Gatwick’s implementation of Precision Navigation are needed urgently and the last thing local people need is a new runway at Gatwick which would subject thousands of new people to aircraft noise.”

Forge Wood Development – Crawley News

First Homes at Forge Wood on The Market
Eager buyers snap up houses on new development
25th March 2015 – Crawley News

Chris Ballinger
email chris.ballinger@crawleynews.co.uk

THE first glimpse of what homes in Crawley’s 14th neighbourhood will look like has been revealed as construction on the initial batch of properties nears completion.

Forge Wood

Almost Finished: The homes come in a range of sizes

Forge Wood by Kevin Shaw

New Neighbourhood: Forge Wood will become Crawleys 14th neighbourhood

Developers Taylor Wimpey and Persimmon Homes officially unveiled Forge Wood last Thursday by showing off the progress being made at the site.

About 80 houses are currently being built – a mixture of two, three, four and five-bedroom homes – and every single property put up for sale has already found a buyer.

Residents

The first residents will move into their new homes, which are off Steers Lane, in May and June.

Robert Napier, chairman of the Homes and Communities Agency is not surprised that the homes are proving so popular.

He said: “People are living on granny’s floor or in cramped situations and want their own place to live. The number of homes already reserved at Forge Wood proves there is demand to live here.”

Eventually the new development north of Pound Hill will include 1,900 homes, built over the next 12 to 15 years. This will include 760 “affordable” homes 532 council homes and 228 available through shared equity.

There has been particularly strong interest from people living in Maidenbower who want to move into a larger home.

Chris Heney, development director at Persimmon Homes, said: “This moment has been a long time coming. The first outline planning application was submitted in 1998 and now we have the realisation of bricks and mortar and homes coming.

“Infrastructure work started last July with new junctions and support roads created as well as improvements made to Crawley Avenue.

“There are currently 120 full time jobs on site, including five or six apprentices, and this will increase to 350 jobs.”

The next stage of building will include creating the main neighbourhood centre for Forge Wood.

The proposal is to create two new buildings around a central square with a car park.

One of the buildings will be a three-storey L-shaped structure with retail space on the ground floor and 43 flats above.

The second building will be a two-storey community centre with its own separate car park providing 14 spaces.

Provision will also be made for bus shelters.

Another application is expected to be submitted at some point to create a doctors’ surgery in this area as well.

A primary school is also due to be built and opened by September 2017. There will also be a large playing fields area close to Balcombe Road and parkland south of Steers Lane.

Cycle and public transport links will be created between the neighbourhood and both the rest of Crawley and Gatwick Airport.

  • Two Taylor Wimpey show homes are now open, while a persimmon Homes show home is opening for potential buyers to look around in April.