Budget cuts wiping out public toilets Adur & Worthing Council is not alone in the struggle to fund public toilets. Across the country, nearly two thousand council-run public toilets have closed in the last decade, leaving many areas with no facilities at all, a new investigation has revealed. A freedom of information request by the BBC found 1,782 council-run public toilets have closed since 2006. Ten areas - including Newcastle and Wandsworth - now have no public toilets at all on their high streets or public spaces. According to the research, 22 councils now only have one public toilet and four out of five councils have cut spending on toilets since 2011. A spokesman for the Local Government Association ( LGA) said budget cuts meant councils had less to spend on community services. However, a spokesman said councils were doing everything they could to keep public toilets open, including running community toilet schemes to enable pubs, restaurants and shops to make their toilets available to the public. The research by the BBC showed that many public toilets have undergone ‘extreme’ makeovers rather than being demolished or closed down. For example, derelict toilets have been turned into bars, food outlets, art galleries, recording studios and other local businesses. Adur & Worthing now has a £44.2m gap in council funding following a worse than expected grant settlement from Government. If you would like to have a say in community facilities, visit the Community Facilities Working Group page or sign up as a member of our Neighbourhood Forum #BeachGreen #funding

How Community Groups Can Improve Public Space All over the country, community groups are becoming involved in improving outdoor spaces. This Design Council guide aims to help anyone involved in a public space project for the first time. It gives examples of great outdoor spaces led by community groups and highlights lessons from their experiences. It is neither a substitute for the need to employ an experienced design professional; nor does it provide a comprehensive guide to involving and consulting people. It seeks to inspire people to demand better places and in doing so challenges users of this guide to think carefully about leaving a legacy of excellence in the projects that emerge. How could this be applied to Shoreham Beach Neighbourhood Plan Draft Policies? For instance, the "Beach Green Renaissance" In the context of the designation of Beach Green as a Local Public Open Space and a Village Green, the Neighbourhood Plan is proposing to promote and support the following initiatives: the provision of a multi-use activities area in the northern part of Beach Green the retention and improvement of the (whole or part of) car park the provision of a café and community facilities on the site of the existing toilet block bike parking and improved cycle and pedestrian path with curves to slow cyclists near the toilets and cafe visitor map and fitness loops (unobtrusive signage on existing pathways to mark routes designed for enjoyable, car-free running and walking trails around the neighbourhood) the preparation of a Beach Green Master Plan to ensure the co-ordinated and integrated implementation of these proposals. See the Latest Plan > #BeachGreen #planning #heritage

Have Your Say days in Oct 2016 We have listened and we have a plan for the next 15 years - come and tell us what you think before it goes to print. A Neighbourhood Plan created by the community for the community Recreation & residential, nature & development, heritage & innovation - let's strike the right balance together, to improve our social, economic and environmental wellbeing. Online Feedback Forms > What to expect at this public consultation event Future vision videos, posters, polls, kid's activities, talks and updates from: The Environment Agency Tidal Walls Scheme, the Council on Ferry Road and the Beach Green cafe development. Please contact us if you would like your local community group to have a presence at the event. Tell your friends via Facebook or Streetlife. Open to all who live or work on Shoreham Beach Thursday 6th October 17.00-19.30 Saturday 8th October 12.00-15.30 The Harbour Club, Harbour Way, BN43 5HG #flooddefences #housing #AOAC #boardwalk #survey #bungalows #parking #design #employment #planning #BeachGreen

How to write planning policies An informative video by Planning Aid England about how to write planning policies. Starting off with some general tips and advice about how to approach policy writing for the first time, they then discuss how to structure your policy and what makes an effective policy. Find out more about SBNF's own development working group here: http://www.shorehambeachforum.com/regeneration #design #video #planning #ADC

How to address design and character within a neighbourhood plan An informative video by Planning Aid England about how to do a design and character assessment as part of your neighbourhood plan. They discuss common themes and issues raised by neighbourhood planning groups, how the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) sets out what design policy can and can't do, and how to reinforce local distinctiveness through your neighbourhood plan. They also talk through how to do a character assessment: what it is, why you might produce one, how to use the information it produces and what the benefits are. This is backed up by real life examples from neighbourhood planning groups. Find out more about SBNF's own development working group here: http://www.shorehambeachforum.com/regeneration #design #housing #heritage

Flood defence scheme planned for Shoreham This amazing video was produced by the Environment Agency. It is an example of a scheme that has the potential to transform our area. The Environment Agency is working with Coast to Capital Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), Adur District Council and West Sussex County Council to reduce the risk of flooding to Shoreham-by-Sea and Lancing. Construction of the extensive improvements to the flood defences will begin in spring 2016. These works are subject to approval of both funding and planning permission. More info at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/shoreham-adur-tidal-walls-scheme/shoreham-adur-tidal-walls-scheme #river

Beach Green Community Cafe developer chosen ADC has announced that a deal has been agreed in principle with a team which includes those behind the Boxpark redevelopments in Shoreditch and Croydon as well as Fatboy Slim's Big Beach Cafe in Hove Lagoon. More images in our Community Hub folder on Facebook The emphasis for the Big Beach Box will be on creating a new community cafe which could also include a roof terrace, changing rooms, and a centre for watersports. Below is an excerpt from the planning brief which the forum submitted to the council. We look forward to finding out more about how they intend to address these requirements. Community Requirements Overall, our community engagement work has provided clear evidence that local residents need and want more than just a public toilet incorporated in the café building. There is substantial support for a community hub with the following elements: Cafe cater for a range of residents (particularly young and elderly people) reasonably priced healthy eating options not too loud (both sound and visually) family-friendly wifi filter ability for parents to watch over children playing on the green nice to have: high enough to provide views of the sea and The Downs, if it can be designed in a sensitive way that is in proportion and not overbearing any products sold via a kiosk should be sensitive to the local environment, i.e. biodegradable packaging. refuse and recycling bins must be seagull-resistant and conveniently placed to minimise the impact on the local nature reserve and marine environment. The provision of facilities to accommodate additional toilets for events Showers, lockers and changing rooms encourage staff to cycle instead of drive encourage watersport enthusiast to use these facilities instead of needing a van parked on the side of the road Flexible meeting space for community groups an area with removable partitions, integrated into the cafe operations as much as possible - not just a separate locked room, not used as a storage or junk room. Storage facilities and booking system for Multi-Use-Games-Area. Sustainable building design aim to achieve the maximum feasible generation of renewable energy and the highest possible levels of energy and water efficiency and waste management. Transport improved pedestrian and cycle lane and secure cycle-parking to minimise traffic to the venue. assessment of public transport impacts and provision for pick-up drop-off area for taxis etc. pedestrian crossing improvements from the north side of Beach Green (parking & playground area). Read our full draft planning brief here: http://bit.ly/draft-beach-green-cafe-brief > See Community Facilities research here: http://bit.ly/cf-workshop-results 2017 Youth Survey Results > Have your say about our draft policies > #BeachGreen

Big turnout to view first draft policies for Shoreham Beach Neighbourhood Plan UPDATE: We have been collecting residents' feedback, suggestions and support for the first draft policies over the past year, see the results here: Regeneration feedback > Facilities feedback > Green & Blue feedback > Transport & Movement > Approximately 200 Shoreham Beach residents attended the recent Have Your Say days to comment on the first Draft Policies for the Shoreham Beach Neighbourhood Plan. A group of community-spirited volunteers - Shoreham Beach Neighbourhood Forum (SBNF) - have been busy co-designing the Plan for the past two years through regular engagement with local residents and community groups. The Plan gives communities a chance to influence the future development of their neighbourhood for the next 15 years and everyone who lives or works on Shoreham beach is free to participate. Around 400 members have now joined SBNF and have the opportunity to take part through face-to-face public events, dedicated working group meetings, online discussion forums, social media and a dedicated website: www.shorehambeachforum.com . The latest public consultations were held at The Harbour Club on the evening of Thursday 6th October and again on Saturday 8th October. Both events were well attended. Saturday’s event was particularly lively, with a diverse range of attendees from toddlers to pensioners and houseboat owners to yacht owners. All attendees marked their residence on a map, and the organisers were pleased to see a good turnout from all areas in the designated Plan area. The Port Authority, Friends of Shoreham Beach, AECOM, The Environment Agency and Adur District Council were also represented at the event. On Thursday James Appleton - Adur & Worthing District Council Chief Planner - explained that if approved, the Neighbourhood Plan will “sit alongside the Local Plan for the District”... ”both are legal documents which have to be taken into account when the Planning committee makes decisions on planning applications.” A resident asked the crucial question “…will the Plan make any difference to decisions.” Professor Mike Gibson - the Forum’s planning consultant - pointed out that there is clear evidence of examples where appeals by developers are turned down by the government. Due to proposals being in conflict with the Neighbourhood Plan. However, James Appleton was very positive about the progress of the Shoreham Beach Plan to date. Neighbourhood Plans are on the increase across the country. They offer an important opportunity for residents and local businesses, to help shape both the development and conservation of their neighbourhood. Shoreham Beach has changed a lot over the years - and continues to grapple with the ever-present pressure to regenerate and develop, alongside wanting to conserve its unique landscape and somewhat eclectic nature. This year alone sees developments at Ferry Road, Tidal Wall improvements and commercial opportunities at Beach Green. James Fuller from the Environment Agency gave a detailed explanation of the timing of the tidal wall works and took questions from the audience. SBNF Chairman Dawn Clenton-Sparey: “We think it’s really important local people - of all ages, here - have a chance to positively influence how the area develops in the future. We are really encouraged by how many people have got involved with the Neighbourhood Plan so far - and the brilliant ideas they’ve put forward for The Beach.” The Forum’s Working Groups presented a wide range of proposals. Including the designation of Local Green Spaces to give additional protection from unwanted development; the provision of an indoor community facility in the proposed café development; a Neighbourhood Design Review Panel - to provide professionally informed residents’ comments on planning applications (for development on the Beach). Together with a video showcasing a ‘future Shoreham Beach’ - focusing on transport issues and opportunities. Friends of Shoreham Beach contributed to the exhibition to emphasise the vital importance of the Local Nature Reserve. Independent - government funded - urban planning specialists AECOM (commissioned by the Forum) presented “What if...” options for: the future of Beach Green; a new school site; parking solutions; allotments and housing. This is now being revised before we publish it online. What next? The Have Your Say days generated over 100 pages of comments, feedback and suggestions. The various working groups of the Forum will now analyse the feedback and use it to refine the draft policies and objectives. All exhibition materials have now been uploaded to the website and there will soon be an online survey to give those who did not have a chance to attend the public events to also have their say. The accompanying video, entitled Shoreham Beach: then, now, future?’ was produced by local eco-designer Mike Whelan. it is a collection of suggestions made by local residents which have been brought to life through the use of computer graphics in order to ‘prototype’ the ideas in a virtual tour of the area. Mike Whelan said: “it was great to see younger residents engage with the process through watching the video - they started to understand the potential benefits of the Plan and how they could contribute. One young girl excitedly told me the video had given her an idea and she went on to draw various plans on our activity sheets.” The video will be updated to incorporate some of the feedback and suggestions gathered at the events before being published to the website. After the online feedback process is complete, the Forum will prepare what is called the ‘Pre-submission Consultation Draft Plan.’ Which by law will be required to be open to public consultation for a minimum of 6 weeks before it is submitted to the council officers. After checking that the Plan meets all legal requirements and has been properly prepared, the Council organises a second 6 week public consultation. Before arranging for an Independent Examination by an ‘approved planning inspector.’ The final stage is a yes/no referendum, with all those living and working on the Beach eligible to vote. The approval of the Plan will require a majority of votes cast. The latest Have Your Say days were held on the 6th and 8th of October 2016. More information at www.shorehambeachforum.com #design

Brighton Festival’s theme is Home & Place SBNF will soon be drafting policies to help shape the future of our community. With that in mind, here are three thought-provoking Brighton Festival events to get you inspired, plus a chance to be part of a unique global video project by a Turner-Prize winning artist. “the theme of home and place is especially relevant with so many people in the world on the move now looking, like all of us, for a place we can belong” - Laurie Anderson, Guest Director of Brighton Festival 2016 A Room With Your Views Turner-Prize winning artist Gillian Wearing is seeking participants to be part of a unique, global, collective filmmaking project - one of the largest of its kind ever to be produced - for a new commission, A Room With Your Views, as part of this year’s Brighton Festival. The project aims to capture a snapshot of views from people’s homes all over the world - from urban spaces to remote countryside - and invites the public to film a short clip of either their curtains or blinds opening to reveal a view from their window. Like the curtains going up at the beginning of a stage play, each view will be a pictorial unveiling of a landscape, cityscape or even a brick wall. The idea is very simple; film a very short clip of either curtains or blinds opening to reveal the view from a window, preferably without showing hands or arms. Upload your film to yourviewsfilm.com http://brightonfestival.org/event/8122/gillian_wearing/ Know My Neighbour Social isolation is finally being recognised as one of the most damaging issues within our society, yet presenting a viable solution for it is still seemingly a long way off. Know My Neighbour is an attempt to cut to the heart of this epidemic by encouraging neighbourliness as a way of changing people’s lives. Join them for a panel discussion about this vital subject. http://brightonfestival.org/event/8301/know_my_neighbour/ Writing Home New Writing South will be throwing open its doors to get people writing about home. What is home? Is it a place, a feeling or something else? Drop in to The Writers' Place to put your words on paper in our typewriter den, then add your piece of writing to our wall of words. For more inspiration come along to a drop-in workshop. http://brightonfestival.org/event/8539/writing_home/ The 50th Brighton Festival will take place from 7-29 May 2016 http://brightonfestival.org If hese events have re-kindled your community spirit, there is still time to join a neighbourhood forum working group and help us design a strong community on Shoreham Beach #privacy #design #housing

Application for re-designation to finish The Plan Published in the 2020 Spring Edition of Beach News The Beach’s Neighbourhood Forum representing Marine Ward was designated for five years in November 2014. By November 2019, the Forum’s allotted legal tenure ran out. Forum Officers have sent an application to re-designate the Area & Forum for another 5-year period to enable the completion of its work. Re-designation is administered by Adur District Council and likely to take about three months from receipt of our application including a public consultation. When its redesignation is confirmed, the Forum will pass the final Neighbourhood Plan [Version 5] back to the Council for comments and will organise its final ‘HAVE YOUR SAY DAY’ to run immediately after the Forum AGM for members to confirm or change the Committee Officers. Any residents’ comments on the plan offerred at the HYSD could require the Forum to fine-tune the plan before its transmission to the Council. When the final Beach Neighbourhood Plan [Version 5] is accepted by ADC, the Forum will have completed its work and ADC will organise independent inspection of the plan. When that is finally passed, the Council will administer all aspects of a public referendum for the Beach electorate to decide. The Forum wants this process to happen during 2020. The Forum’s Committee Officers wish to acknowledge and thank both the Beach community for its patience and the support of every Forum volunteer for giving freely of their time and hard work since November, 2014. We will keep you informed of progress and next steps. In the meantime, the website will still be available as a valuable community resource for promoting local development and sustainability initiatives. You can see all 69 pages of the draft plan so far at: https://www.shorehambeachforum.com/plan-latest Tony Wallington Community Engagement Officer #ADC #funding #management River at low tide photo courtesy of Adam Tinworth on Flickr

Green Space & Community Facilities survey now online If you want to shape the future of our neighbourhood and have any views on issues like the Beach Green cafe or skate parks on the beach - if you want the facts and would like some control - fill in this questionnaire! So far we've heard strong views about our open spaces, social places and school spaces. This workshop refines ideas and opinions about all the key sites on Shoreham Beach. The Neighbourhood Forum (SBNF) is not making any proposals at this stage, but is enabling as many local residents and businesses as possible to input to the next stage - the development of draft policies. If you live or work on Shoreham Beach (and were UNABLE to attend our Have Your say day in February 2016) this is your opportunity to take part. Please share with any local residents or businesses that have an interest in the future of our area. Short link to survey: http://bit.ly/sbnf-2016-2 Long Link to survey: http://www.shorehambeachforum.com/community-facilities-workshop-feb-2016 #BeachGreen #design #survey #heritage #planning

Final Report on concepts for school expansion and Beach Green development by independent planning sp Final report: http://bit.ly/sbnf-aecom-report-L Background Many ideas, suggestions and options about development opportunities have emerged from our community engagement work over the past two years. Inevitably there are competing views – what to some residents is an opportunity to improve the Beach may be seen as a threat by others. Moreover, some developments could be implemented in the first five years of the plan period, whereas others will not be feasible until later and may eventually prove to be non-deliverable within the 15 year life-time of the Neighbourhood Plan. The Shoreham Beach Neighbourhood Forum made a successful bid for an Urban Design Consultancy Package from the Government programme for supporting communities preparing Neighbourhood Plans. Thus independent planning and urban design consultants AECOM have prepared sketch schemes to help Beach residents to more fully understand the potential development opportunities which have been identified by residents. Objective Ideas for potential development up to 2031 These schemes are not firm proposals but they are technically feasible. They were presented to enable residents to discuss them with independent external professionals and express their opinions (or offer alternatives). Feedback from residents was reviewed by AECOM and SBNF as an evidence base for site specific interventions across the Neighbourhood Plan area. Following on from the consultation exercise, it was agreed that there was sufficient interest in delivering an improved school facility to warrant the preparation of two additional spatial options. Consequently, AECOM prepared the following options: Beach Green Option 3 This option is based on Beach Green Option 2, but with a primary school instead of residential development on the car park. As with Beach Green Option 2, the car park moves towards the middle of the open space. Split School Site Several consultees suggested retaining the school site in some form of community use. Following on from these suggestions, it was agreed that there might be merit in looking at a school option which provided for nursery and Key Stage 1 (up to 7 years) in a new facility on the existing site and Key Stage 2 (7-11) in a new facility on the Harbour Way Industrial site. Both of these new facilities would provide additional community provision for the wider community, which would be available outside school hours. This short report comprises the following: • Section 2 of the document sets out the rationale for choosing the sites which formed the basis of the options exercise; • Section 3 provides detail as to the options; • Section 4 records the responses from the public events held in October 2016; • Section 5 offers additional spatial options arising from that consultation exercise, and • Section 6 provides a summary of the outputs. Final report: http://bit.ly/sbnf-aecom-report-L All feedback from October 2016 Have Your Say Days: http://bit.ly/hysd16-feedback-aecom #BeachGreen #school #design #AECOM #planning #housing