The East Grinstead Neighbourhood Plan Habitats Regulations Assessment Screening Report produced for Regulation 14 of the Neighbourhood Planning (General) Regulations 2012 can be downloaded below:
Author: Andrew Taylor
Summary of Traffic Management for SEW Major Works in East Grinstead
The following detail on disruption mitigation measures has been supplied by WSCC:
- The Imberhorne Lane works start Monday 13th July, firstly with temporary traffic signals.
- The closures on Imberhorne Lane start on 23rd July and are currently scheduled to last until 17th
- Works start on London Road east of the signal junction with Imberhorne Lane on 17th August and last until 4th These will be under temporary 3-way signals at the Imberhorne lane junction. These temporary signals cannot be linked technically with the permanent signals at Felbridge. So the same issues may well arise as with the SGN works, although the peak demand will be smoothed out because there will be less school run traffic but possibly increased holiday traffic instead.
- The diversion route for Imberhorne Lane relies upon Turners Hill, but this uses B-class roads and should cope with the size of traffic although volume may be a slight restriction. Imberhorne Lane has a couple of pinch points over bridges but should adequately be able to serve the business estates.
- Other measures worked up with SCC are some additional static warning signs placed in a wider cordon, on their network as well; SCC will use their static VMS signs (again in a much wider cordon) to deter motorists from outside our two counties; similarly we have engaged the RCC at Godstone with a request to utilise the VMS on the M25 when not being used for other incident information.
Further Detail
- Surrey CC static VMS at the following locations:
V804 – A22 Southbound between Whyteleafe and M25 (captures all London southbound A22 traffic)
V801 – A25 Westbound – approaching A22 from Oxted
V803 – A25 Eastbound – approaching A22 from Bletchingley
V903 – A23 Southbound – between Coulsdon and M25 (captures all London southbound A23 traffic)
V902 – A217 Southbound – between Kingswood and M25 (captures all London southbound A217 traffic)
The message prior to the A22 works will read:
A22 SOUTHBOUND
EAST GRINSTEAD
ROAD WORKS
17 AUG – 4 SEPT
Once works commence the 4th line of the message will change to read
‘EXPECT DELAYS’ .
- Signals at A22/A264 Felbridge (managed by SCC)
These signals operate using optimisation software. Engineers will try operating short pulses of traffic through the junction by taking the operation outside the software to try and mitigate the effects of the temporary 3-way signals at Imberhorne Lane. Operation will be monitored on day 1 of the works and if this does not assist traffic flow through the junction, the operating software will be reintroduced.
- Additional advance signage in Surrey
South East Water have been asked to provide additional signage at points further out into Surrey, see below, to allow traffic from outside the area to take alternative routes:
a. A22 before j/w Ray Lane, Lingfield (southbound)
b. A22 before j/w B2028, Newchapel (southbound)
c. B2037 before j/w B2028 (Eastbound before rbt. at Effingham Park Golf Club)
- Works moratorium
SCC will maintain a moratorium on all planned works on those roads which motorists may use to circumnavigate the section of A22 affected by the works.
- Highways England support
Both SCC and WSCC are working with Highways England to use the M25 VMS units to alert southbound drivers of the potential for delays. This will be dependent upon them not requiring them for incident messaging on their own network.
- Other options
Consideration was given to easing flow through the Felbridge junction by closing the A264 at the junction and using diversion routes north and south of the A264.
This was discounted because the A264 is a heavily used route and to positively drive this traffic into less suitable roads was not considered viable. Turners Hill in particular experiences increased traffic volumes anyway with current traffic management measures notwithstanding all southbound traffic being routed in this direction.
Consideration was given to introducing a full closure of Imberhorne Lane whilst the works on the A22 were in progress. This could remove totally the 3-way signals at Imberhorne Lane so the only restriction to traffic on the A22 would be the 2-way signals protecting the works themselves. This was discounted as experience indicates that traffic, especially HGVs bound for the industrial estate, would cut through the residential areas off London Road and into Heathcote Drive and beyond. This was therefore considered unacceptable.
East Grinstead welcomes the South and South East in Bloom Judges
JUDGEMENT Day for the East Grinstead in Bloom Committee was on Tuesday when judges Barry Newman and Ruth Growney arrived in town to form a verdict.
They were welcomed at East Court by Mayor Dick Sweatman and Chairman of the committee Cllr Julie Mockford, and over a coffee the judges were introduced to the many residents involved with getting the town looking at its best this summer.
Following a presentation by Julie in the Council Chamber, the judges toured the town to look at some of the work carried out by the Bloom Committee and local residents.
Their itinerary included:
- The East Court Terrace and war memorial garden, where they were shown round by Jenny Watson the East Grinstead Town Council gardener
- Sackville College where College Gardener Stephen Pearson did the honours
- The McIndoe statue, shown by Julie Mockford and EG in Bloom secretary Samantha Baldery
- St Swithun’s churchyard where their visit was conducted by Graham and Janet Everest, and Christine Armstrong. The work of the Guides was shown by Janet Templeman (Division Commissioner) and Deborah Mathews (1st East Grinstead Guides). St Swithun’s has also been entered in the “Best Churchyard of the Year” category)
- High Street. Shown round by Jenny Watson and Simon Kerr the Town Tourism Officer
- East Grinstead Millennium Garden. Shown by Ken Averill of the Town Twinning Association
- Brook Close – to view the winner of last year’s “best front garden competition”
- Queen Victoria Hospital. Shown by Head Gardener John Hobden and gardener Kevin Tyrell
- Compass Garden Mount Noddy
- Mount Noddy Allotments – shown round by Alan Rumsdan, Chair of Mount Noddy Allotments. These allotments have also been entered into a separate “Allotment Award”
- East Grinstead Station – shown by Gaurav Sachdeva, the Station Manager
- Bluebell railway Station flower beds – shown by Tim Baker, Commercial Director of the Bluebell Railway
- Windmill Lane Community Gardens Project – shown by Lucy Doyle, resident
- Lingfield Road Recreation Ground Schools Garden – shown by Noreen Daw, Imberhorne School
- Imberhorne Lower School
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Free Jazz concert at East Court
Snow White is the new Chequer Mead panto!
A sparkling new production of Snow White will feature as this year’s Christmas production at Chequer Mead, it was announced today. The East Grinstead venue has teamed up with leading family pantomime producer, That’s Entertainment Productions to present this year’s festive event.
“Snow White is one of the most popular panto`s ever,” said Sussex based panto producer, Chris Gidney. “It’s got everything a fairy tale should have, and everyone loves the story. This will be a sparkling production, with a headlining cast, a live band, glittering costumes and some very funny moments.”
Chris, who has worked in the entertainment profession since nine years old alongside legendary performers such as Frank Sinatra and on classic TV series such as Blue Peter, says that Christmas wouldn’t be the same without a glitzy panto. “It’s a unique British tradition that is loved by everyone. It brings families together at a very special time of year, it’s close to the hearts of all ages and backgrounds and that’s why I have dedicated my professional life to it,” he said.
Chequer Mead manager, Pete Jenkins said, “We are thrilled to have Snow White as our pantomime this year. The popularity of panto never seems to dwindle, and we are as keen as ever to offer the best family experiences. As Snow White is one of the most popular pantos we expect it to sell well, so we are advising people to book early, particularly groups. We are currently offering an early bird price on all tickets purchased before October 1st. Snow White is an enchanting story and will have something for everyone,” he said.
Whilst the cast is soon to be announced, there is the promise of local participation on stage too. “I know how important it is to involve the community in Pantoland,” Chris said. “In all our panto’s we try and use as much local talent as possible. It’s often how we discover the stars of tomorrow. Perhaps the ones we discover this year will one day headline their own Panto?!”
Tickets go on sale Monday 20 July
Performances daily from December 19th-30th 2015
Book Online at www.chequermead.org.uk
Box Office: 01342 302000
Youngest Guinea Pig celebrates his 90th birthday in East Grinstead
The youngest surviving member of the Guinea Pig Club, Jack Perry, returned to East Grinstead on Saturday to celebrate his 90th birthday with family and friends. Included in the party were former and current members of the Town Council who have supported the Guinea Pig Club over many years.
Jack was injured and sustained burns to his face and hands when his Halifax bomber crashed during the second world war. He was brought to the Queen Victoria Hospital and treated by Archibald McIndoe. Jack was just nineteen when he was injured. He became one of the founder members of the world famous Guinea Pig Club and has acted as their social secretary organising events and reunions through to the present day. Next year the Club will celebrate its 75th anniversary. Jack went on to a successful career as a draughtsman at Plessey and later at the Atomic Energy Establishment at Harwell.
The Guinea Pig club originally had a total number of 649 members and their names appear on the plaque at the Queen Victoria Hospital. There are now 39 survivors world wide and of these 23 live in the UK. Jack is the youngest at 90 and Des O’Connell the oldest at 96.
East Grinstead is the home of the Guinea Pig Club and the statue of McIndoe now proudly stands in the High Street. All the instruments invented by McIndoe and the story of the work he pioneered is stored at the Town Museum. The Museum are working to gain funding for a new display project so that the story of the Guinea Pigs and McIndoe can be put on view to the public. Cllr Bob Mainstone, a Museum Trustee, commented, “It was an honour to celebrate with Jack on the occasion of his 90th birthday and it is important that the Museum will be able to bring Jack’s amazing story of the Guinea Pig Club and the great work of Archibald McIndoe to the residents and visitors to the town. It is a question of raising enough funds to secure the future of the Museum and tell this incredible story of our town’s history.”
Group of family and friends – jack seated with his wife Mary.
Jack Perry with two trustees of the Town Museum. Bob Marchant, Secretary of the Guinea Pig Club, and Cllr Bob Mainstone, Town and District Councillor.
Highways Upcoming and In-progress Works w/c 13th July 2015
| Road name | Parish | Description | Traffic Management | Start Date | End Date | Contractor |
| Birches Industrial Estate | East Grinstead | Lay new drinking water main and connect to existing main. | Multi-Way Signals. | 13-Jul-2015 | 31-Jul-2015 | South East Water |
| College Lane | East Grinstead | Replace water meter. | Two-Way Signals. | 06-Jul-2015 | 17-Jul-2015 | South East Water |
| Oakhurst Gardens | East Grinstead | Carriageway Resurfacing. | Road Closure. | 15-Jul-2015 | 15-Jul-2015 | West Sussex Highways |
| Ship Street | East Grinstead | Gas escape in progress. | Two-Way Signals. | 23-Jun-2015 | 08-Jul-2015 | Southern Gas Networks |
| Turners Hill Road | East Grinstead | Access BT carriageway structures for new customer fibre connection. | Two-Way Signals. | 22-Jul-2015 | 24-Jul-2015 | BT |
National Playday
Imberhorne School wins Fairtrade gong for second year running
Imberhorne School, East Grinstead, has won the Fairtrade Fortnight Award for Schools this year, in a decision announced last week, and for the second year running, recognising the school’s activities in March.
The Imberhorne Fairtrade Steering Group coordinates the Fairtrade movement in the school and submitted the successful application. It follows the school winning the nationwide Margaret Demidecka Fairtrade Award (secondary schools category) last year, and the prize of £350. The award was renamed this year to the Fairtrade Fortnight Award for Schools, but still honours Margaret Demidecka, the late Fairtrade pioneer.
The school claims the £350 prize again to help further activities in the school. To scoop the trophy, the school had to put together a portfolio showing the judges everything that the school had done over Fairtrade Fortnight, and then beat secondary schools across the country to claim the prize. The judges were looking for imagination, impact, educational content and relevance to this year’s theme: “choose products that change lives”.
Kathy Wise, Education Campaigns Officer at the Fairtrade Foundation, said: “we had a very high standard of entries this year and it was fantastic to see all of the different activities that schools got up to over Fairtrade Fortnight. Once again Imberhorne’s entry really stood out because of the extent of learning that they did around Fairtrade and the fact that they involved every year group. They also really increased impact by fundraising and getting radio coverage for their event”.
The award was started by the Tring Justice and Peace Group in 2006 in memory of Margaret Demidecka to recognise the Fairtrade Fortnight activities that take place each year in schools.
‘Tell Us Once’ service launches in West Sussex
Losing a loved one can be a traumatic experience.
There are lots of things that need to be done, at a time when you probably least feel like doing them, including informing what can feel like a never ending list of government departments and local authority services.
That’s why West Sussex County Council, in partnership with District and Borough Councils in West Sussex, is introducing the ‘Tell Us Once’ service in July.
‘Tell Us Once’ is a Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) service which is offered during death registration appointments.
It’s a free service, which notifies several government and council agencies of the death. These include:
- The DWP;
- HM Revenue and Customs;
- Identity and Passport Services;
- Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA); and
- Council services, such as Adults’ Services, Blue Badge, Children’s Services, Council Tax, Electoral Services.
At registration, the Registrar will add the details of the deceased to the Tell Us Once national database.
You will then be given a unique reference number which will enable you to activate ‘Tell Us Once’ with a visit to the website or a single call, should you wish to take up this service.
For more information, please visit www.westsussex.gov.uk/births-marriages-and-deaths.