Neighbourhood Plan

Long Copse Lane is at the centre of a planning proposal that will change its character forever. On the very edge of the South Downs National Park, Long Copse Lane and the surrounding Hollybank fields are home to a diverse range of wildlife, some of which are found in very few other locations in the UK. People call this area home, and as a committee we’re very concerned about the effect a development of 260 houses will have on its delicate balance.

We’ve come together to fight the proposed development and save Long Copse Lane for everyone.

Visit our campaign website fr

This morning the village gathered in Remembrance at the church gates. The congregation then attended a lovely service at St John the Baptist church where each name of Westbourne’s fallen was read out.

Lest we forget.

Our Wheels for Westbourne cycling campaign gets up to speed next week with a whole series of events, as part of national Bike Week 2017.
We hope to encourage people to use their bikes for ordinary short trips around the area, instead of driving. This would reduce traffic and pollution, improve people’s health and reduce our carbon footprint.

As part of Wheels for Westbourne, we’re asking people to pledge to use a bike instead of a car for one journey a week during June.

Here’s the rundown of other activities. See the full details here. 
Sun 11 June 2pm–4pm………..women’s Breeze ride

Wed 14 June 7pm–9pm……….maintenance class – punctures and more

Sun 18 June 2pm–4pm………..family ride – 10 miles, nice and easy

Sun 25 June 2pm–4pm………..women’s Breeze ride

Wed 28 June 7pm–9pm……….maintenance class – punctures and more

Sat 1 July 11am–5pm………….challenge ride – for all, at your own pace 

Our next meeting is 13 June at the White Horse, 7.30pm. Please come along or drop us a line at greeningwestbourne@hotmail.co.uk if you can help with these events in any way, especially with the rides.

Many locals will know me from running the Good Taste chippie in Westbourne for 22 years with my lovely wife Jo. Now fully retired, I have joined the Westbourne Local History Group. Having moved here as a temporary measure in 1977 we fell in love with this wonderful community and so here we are still.

In that time we have seen so many shops and businesses disappear, it is a very different place now; however I believe we are fortunate to still have so many great facilities for a village of this size.

With regard to the lost shops etc, I have long had a germ of an idea to create a book recalling memories of these. My colleagues in the Group are fully supportive of the idea so I am launching into it.

This does mean that I would like as much information of shops and businesses that no longer exist in the parish of Westbourne, particularly period photographs. Any help regarding these would be really appreciated, so please contact me if you can supply any.

Jim Clarke, Wentworth House, North Street, Westbourne, Emsworth PO10 8SP Tel 01243 373788 email jim@clarkeuk.net

Jim’s Human Jukebox will be performing at The Westbourne Club 9.00pm Saturday 3rd June.

Choose your favourite from 1,000 songs for Jim to perform.

Free entry with any proceeds being donated to St. Wilfrid’s Hospice Chichester

In the May issue of the WM, we told you that the Neighbourhood Plan (NP) had been submitted to CDC and that their consultation should be completed by the middle of May. Little did we know at the time that another May was to intervene and that our NP would disappear into the black hole which is purdah.  

We are assured that normal service will resume on June 9th and that the consultation will be finished by the end of July. After that, the Plan goes to an independent examiner and then to referendum. As always, watch this space!

Westbourne Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group

On behalf of the parish council and the parish as a whole, I would like to thank County Councillor Sandra James for all she has done for Westbourne in the last four years. She was a truly excellent local councillor and we wish her all the best in her future endeavours.

I would like to welcome our new county councillor, Viral Parikh, and am confident that he will do his utmost to pick up where Sandra left off.

Richard Hitchcock. Chair of Westbourne Parish Council

We would like to draw to your attention that, in the month of June, as part of their ‘Community Matters’ scheme, the Havant Waitrose has identified Greening Westbourne’s Community Orchard at Hampshire Farm Meadows as one of its good causes. If you shop at Waitrose, perhaps you would like to pop your tokens into the Community Orchard box, thus helping us raise money to buy benches which will be located in the centre of the orchard.

The Greening Westbourne Community Orchard Group

The Greening Westbourne ‘Wheels for Westbourne’ cycling campaign gets up to speed this summer with a whole series of events, as part of national Bike Week 2017.

We hope to encourage people to use their bikes for ordinary short trips around the area, instead of driving. This would reduce traffic and pollution, improve people’s health and reduce our carbon footprint.

During June we’re running a challenge similar to the one used some years ago when we launched Greening Westbourne. We’re distributing challenge cards to every home, asking people to pledge to use a bike instead of a car for one journey a week during June.

You pop your card in your window to say you’re taking part. Simple!

Here’s the rundown of the other events. See the full details here. 
Sun 11 June 2pm–4pm………..women’s Breeze ride

Wed 14 June 7pm–9pm……….maintenance class – punctures and more

Sun 18 June 2pm–4pm………..family ride – 10 miles, nice and easy

Sun 25 June 2pm–4pm………..women’s Breeze ride

Wed 28 June 7pm–9pm……….maintenance class – punctures and more

Sat 1 July 11am–5pm………….challenge ride – for all, at your own pace 

Our next meeting is 13 June at the White Horse, 7.30pm. Please come along or drop us a line at greeningwestbourne@hotmail.co.uk if you can help with these events in any way, especially with the rides.