24 H+ & ) S+!'# 4 N#2 (# # M !& 2014 A G M I S HORSHAM N#2...

OUR CONCERN IS THE PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE OF THE TOWN

24 Horsham Society Newsletter March 2014

New members

This month we welcome Mr Smith, Rowhook Road,Rowhook and Mr Toogood, Edinburgh Close, Southwater

as new members.

Carfax market

Congratulations to Horsham Markets for winning theSussex Farmers Market of the Year award at the recent

Sussex Food and Drinks Award 2013/14.

Gatwick

Next month we will be looking at the pros and cons of asecond runway; probably the most important issue facing

our district.

© Individual contributors 2014. No material may be reproduced, copied or stored in aretrieval system without the prior consent of the relevant contributor, which should besought via the Editor.

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March 2014

NewsletterHORSHAMSOCIETY

Change on the way

As you probably know HDC councillors have approved the plans for the redevelopment of the site to the west of Albion Waywhich includes Lifestyle Ford, the Bowling Club and the Bishops Weald car park. In their place there will be a new Waitrose

store and a John Lewis at Home.

Whilst many will welcome this we have made no secret of our concern about the impact that the changes will have on the towncentre and Carfax in particular. The likelihood is that the shopping centre of gravity will shift westwards leaving Carfax and EastStreet empty. We hope that our fears are not realised and that the new shoppers that these two stores will undoubtedly attract canbe persuaded to use our town centre shops and other facilities rather than fill their trollies and drive off.

But the omens are not good. Waitrose has finally confirmed our fears about the car park. You will remember that they promisedfree parking for their shoppers but what they now say is that “it will operate as a short stay, shoppers’ car park in common withother facilities in the town centre” with Waitrose “having the discretion to reimburse parking charges to our customers for alimited period”. So, unlike Sainsburys, it seems there will be no extended free parking period which encourages shoppers to usethe town centre. There can only be two reasons for this. Either the car park is too small as we have maintained all along, or HDCplans to operate the car park and is more interested in maximising its income than the health of the wider town centre economy.

Hopefully the Council’s attention will now turn to helping to find a new tenant for the current Waitrose store in Piries Place. Itis vital that it is filled by a trader, or traders, that will generate a high footfall. Not only are other nearby shops dependent on thisHDC currently derives considerable income from the Piries Place car park which is used mainly by Waitrose customers. Someare hoping that the location might attract a Lidl or Aldi which would complement our existing supermarket offering.

As if this was not enough we have the threat of HDC’s preferred strategy with a massive development north of Horshamincluding an enormous retail unit. What effect would this be likely to have on the town? What would the traffic flow into andaround Horsham be like in twenty years time? Could it accelerate the decline of the existing town centre? Would it be the endof Horsham as a nice old market town that residents love and people choose to visit? Our Council should remember that thoughchange is necessary for towns to thrive, not all change is progress.

AGM ISSUE

The AGM this year is later than usual on Thursday 10th April at the Barn in Causeway at 7.30pm.

After the formal business Rupert Toovey, Fine Art Auctioneer and Chartered Surveyor, and Director

of the Sussex based auctioneers Tooveys, will tell us about life in an auction house based on his

27 years in the business. He will also have some items to show us, describe and value.

Please remember to save this Newsletter containing the AGM papers to bring with you.Newsletter correspondence should be sent to the Editor: John Steele,

2 Old Denne Gardens, Horsham, RH12 1JA (Tel: 01403 272814, email:

[email protected]). Other matters should be referred to the

Hon Secretary. The Newsletter is published monthly except August and

opinions in it, whether the Editor’s or contributors’, are not necessarily

those of the Society.

Directory

The Horsham Society is a registered charity (No.268949) and is anindependent body supported by members’ subscriptions

PRESIDENT Dr Annabelle Hughes

VICE-PRESIDENTSRt Hon Francis Maude MP, Nigel Friswell, John Steele, Roy Worskett,

Mrs Peggy Gledhill MBE

CHAIRMAN David Moore

HON TREASURERSarah Powell

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEERoy BaylissPaul FletcherNigel FriswellPeggy GledhillMichael HallJohn Steele

DISTRIBUTION ORGANISERKathy Gleeson

The Executive Committee meets at 7.30pm on the first Wednesday of eachmonth in the Manor Room behind the Causeway Barn. Members are

welcome to attend as observers but it would be appreciated if the Secretarycould be informed beforehand.

SUBSCRIPTION RATESAnnual Membership: £10 per household

Family Life Membership: £150 per householdPostage is added to the above rates at £5 per annum

for out-of-town members

HORSHAM

SOCIETY

HON SECRETARYRod Cuming

3 White Horse RoadHorsham RH12 4ULTel: 01403 268444

[email protected]

MEMBERSHIP SECRETARYMrs Pat Gale

46 Bedford RoadHorsham RH13 5BJTel: 01403 253946

[email protected]

www.horshamsociety.org

Planning success

Last year a developer sought to replace houses on thecorner of Hurst Road and North Parade with a block of

33 sheltered apartments.

The Society objected on the grounds that the proposal wastoo intensive, too large, with too little parking and outdoorspace and of poor design.

HDC failed to determine the application within the statutorytimeframe and the developer appealed. We are delighted toreport that not only has the Planning Inspector turned theapplication down, she did so in part due to the poor design.In her decision she quoted our description of it as a“mishmash seemingly aimed at incorporating every materialand style to be found in neighbouring buildings, good andbad”.

This is an important decision not only because it hasprevented inappropriate development of a sensitive andimportant site but the poor quality of design was a significantfactor. This undermines HDC’s oft assertion that planscannot be rejected on grounds of design quality because thedecision will be overturned at appeal.

West Street

The second phase of the enhancement of West Street willstart in early 2014. Amongst other things, additional litter

bins will be provided, planters will appear in the street andsome additional wayfinding will be introduced.

Opinions on the project have been mixed. Some people havedeemed it a waste of money but the majority seem to likemany if not all of the elements that have been introduced.

Certainly, the redactive lighting (the coloured shadows castwhen it’s dark) have been seen as great fun by children andmany adults. The trial wayfinder at the Bishopric end of WestStreet has been useful and this can be used as one possibleexample of how to improve directions for visitors to the town.

It was good to see how successful the new drainage systemthat was installed during phase 1 of the project has been. Itwas certainly well tested by the deluge that seemed to greetus every day in January.

All that’s needed now is to get the shop fronts’ appearanceimproved. Then the Council needs to tackle the dreadfulappearance of Blackhorse Way.

War Memorial

It will soon be the centenary of thestart of World War I, when so many

young men died and people’s liveswere changed forever. Horsham’s warmemorial is a reminder of theirsacrifice and the Society isinvestigating the possibility of gettingit listed by English Heritage.

This picture was taken at the unveilingon 13th November 1921.

18 Horsham Society Newsletter March 2014 Horsham Society Newsletter March 2014 23

Chairman’s Report for 2013-14 and Agenda for 2014 AGM

Bysshe - Bosh!

Isee from a recent copy of The CountyTimes that the latest phase of the

Wickhurst Green development is to becalled St Irvyne’s, after a poem – ‘StIrvyne’s Tower’ – by the poet PercyBysshe Shelley.

This poem, especially the last verse,doesn’t strike me as a marketing pitchthat will set the pulses racing and thepotential purchasers beating a path to themarketing suite -

'The keenness of the world hath tornThe heart which opens to its blast;Despised, neglected, and forlorn,Sinks the wretch in death at last.’

Michael HallSpringfield Crescent

AGM anticipation

Both of us can remember RupertToovey as a young boy at St Mary’s

school and Gill also remembers him

coming to her son’s birthday party inPark Street. We’re both looking forwardto meeting Rupert again at the AGM.

Gill King and Pat Gale

Oakdene childrens home

Iwas very interested in Barbara Gunn’srecollections in the January

Newsletter about her life at Beechfield,Oakhill Road.

The remand home moved to Copthornein about 1964-5. Mr Stanliforth was theSuperintendent at the time. Beechfieldremained empty for just over a yearwhile it was being altered by WSCC andmy husband and I moved up fromChichester in 1966 to open it as achildrens home.

We stayed until May 1979 when it wasturned into a teenage hostal, but thatdidn’t work out and after two years itwas closed and sold off. The house waspulled down around 1983 and there arenow studio flats in the grounds.

We renamed the home Oakdene. It was avery happy childrens home and quiteoften we had other children in to playwith ours.

Gwen DenmanEyles Close, Horsham

Letters and emails

One of the Society’s members, Chris Smith, produced anexcellent report during the year on the ongoing

unsatisfactory conditions in Blackhorse Way. We sent a copyof the report to Horsham District Council and we have beeninvolved in some useful discussions with officers of theCouncil. However, there is still some way to go as, withoutthe positive engagement of the various businesses that backon to the road, it’s difficult to make any real progress.

The road in Causeway was eventually resurfaced though wehave some concerns about the quality of the work done. We’llsoon find out the truth when the frosts test the finishedsurface.

The core closing time of East Street to vehicles is now apermanent feature following the public enquiry in 2013. Thishas been a positive and helpful decision for the vast majorityof the businesses in the street, especially the restaurants,though we did not see too much evidence of the al frescoeating experience due to the weather.

The refurbishment of West Street has received a mixedreception. Some people think it was a complete waste ofmoney, whilst others like elements of the work such as theredactive lighting (the pools of light which create colouredshadows). The information plaques inserted within the pavingare a great attraction. I think the majority of people arereserving their judgement until they see whether it results inmore shoppers and new stores.

The proposed redevelopment of the Lifestyle Ford site hascaused considerable controversy and the problem remainswhat it’s always been, namely Albion Way. If the site is to bedeveloped for retail use, a sensible way for pedestrians tocross Albion Way and link the site to the town centre has to befound.

The construction of a new hospital with A & E facilities northof the A264 died as expected and it appeared that the risk ofbuilding huge numbers of houses on this greenfield areadisappeared with it.

However, not to be deterred, the construction of 2,500 housesnorth of the A264 was included in the Council’s PreferredStrategy together with a business park, a new railway stationand a 70,000 ft2 retail store. Interestingly enough, thisproposal seemed to match the suggestions put forward by adeveloper. The Society objected very strongly against theproposal as there are far better places to build houses and thesuggested railway station seems as real a possibility as theearlier hospital.

Whatever the final outcome, building what’s proposed northof the A264 would be a disaster. There is a clear need for someproactive thinking from the Council. The need to build a newtown somewhere in the south of the district cannot be ignoredany longer.

The current members of the committee are me, Roy Bayliss,Nigel Friswell, John Steele, Rod Cuming, Pat Gale, PeggyGledhill, Michael Hall, Paul Fletcher and Sarah Powell.

John Steele has done an excellent job in his first year as Editorof the Newsletter and I’m sure that there’s a lot more to comein 2014.

Our thanks also have to go to Kathy Gleeson, who organisesthe Newsletter distribution for us, and her team of distributors,who deliver the Newsletter for us; Ann Needham, whomaintains our website and Stuart Ritchie, who reviews ouraccounts at the end of each year. Finally, there’s AnnabelleHughes, our President, who continues to support us in so manydifferent ways.

We failed to get our Executive Committee back up to strengthin 2013 and we need to see some more members standing forelection at the 2014 AGM. Without the injection of fresh bloodon to the committee it has becomes more difficult to keep theSociety moving forward. It’s an unfortunate fact of life thatstagnation ultimately leads to decline.

2013 was a good year for the recruitment of new members,mainly due to the publicity surrounding our objections to theproposed north of Horsham development. However, we need tomaintain the momentum and encouraging more people to jointhe Society has to be an ongoing priority.

David Moore, Chairman

Agenda for the 2014 AGM10th April 2014 at 7.30pm in the Barn, Causeway

1. Welcome from the President, Dr Annabelle Hughes.

2. Apologies for absence.

3. Minutes of the 2013 AGM and matters arising.

4. Chairman’s Report.

5. Honorary Treasurer’s Report and Accounts.

6. Election of Officers for the coming year:

Chairman Vice Chairman Honorary Secretary Honorary Treasurer Honorary Membership Secretary

7. Election of Committee Members for the coming year.

8. Appointment of Honorary Independent Examiner.

9. Any other business notified beforehand.

10. Guest speaker: Rupert Toovey, Fine Art Auctioneer and Chartered Surveyor.

11. Chairman’s closing remarks.

Tea and coffee will be available before the AGM from 7pm

If you are interested in standing for election as an Officeror committee member please contact the Hon Secretary

for a nomination form.

Bishopric

Fortunately, although the plans forthe new Waitrose have been

approved associated proposals forrevamping the eastern arm of Bishoprichave been put on hold for six months.This will give councillors time toreconsider their ideas and hopefullyconsult the public.

The original plans would have rippedup the popular water features and treeswhich we think should be retained. Wewould rather that any money that isavailable from developer contributionsis spent on resurfacing the Lynd Crossarea and replacing the Shelley fountainwith a substantial piece of public art tocomplement the other popular pieceswe have in the town.

were stationed at Roffey Camp, and it was decided to build anew church on the opposite side of Springfield Road.

The foundations of the new church were laid in 1917 andconstruction began in 1919. The last Mass was said in the oldchurch on 21st December 1919 and the first Mass was said inthe new church at midnight on 24th December 1919. They musthave been hardy souls as the building was still not finished andit had no floor, no heating and no lighting.

The 1865 church was sold in 1926 for £2,608 and the newchurch was consecrated in 1927, followed by lunch in the BlackHorse Hotel, which was located at the bottom of West Street.

The Catholic population of Horsham increased again during andafter World War II with the influx of people from Italy andPoland. Even today, there are regular Masses said in both Italianand Polish.

Today’s church was built next to St John’s Roman CatholicPrimary School and nothing changed until 1967, when a newpurpose built school was built in Blackbridge Lane. The oldschool continued in use as a parish hall for a few years until itwas demolished in the early 1970s and replaced by a singlestorey hall.

The construction of Albion Way led to more changes. The singlestorey hall and the old presbytery were demolished and a newpresbytery and a two storey parish hall were opened in 1994.Who knows what the future might hold?

St John the Evangelist, Springfield Road.

All buildings start to look tired as they age. Sometimes thisimproves the appearance of the external façade of thebuilding, something which can be seen in many of our olderchurches.

However, ageing of the internal décor can have a completelydifferent effect. It’s for this reason that the refurbishment ofthe interior of St John’s has been ongoing during the year.


St John the Evangelist Church David Moore explains the history of the Roman Catholic church in Springfield Road

Looking back in time from today’s multicultural society, it’sdifficult to believe that Roman Catholicism was in reality

the only religion tolerated in England up to 1530. Chaosresulted when Henry VIII decided that he needed to take a newwife in the hope that she could produce a male heir to thethrone. His divorce from Catherine of Aragon and subsequentmarriage to Anne Boleyn threw religious belief in the countryinto confusion.

Henry VIII broke with the papacy between 1530 and 1534 andhe made the breach final by crushing any opposition and seizingthe lands of the monasteries. The Act of Supremacy was passedin 1534, which made it clear that the king was the supreme headof the church in England.

The move towards complete Protestantism occurred during theshort reign of his son Edward VI. Even the reign of his sisterMary, who was a devout Catholic, did nothing to stop theundercurrent of Protestantism in England.

When Elizabeth I came to the throne in 1558, she was facedwith the problem of religion and in 1559 she established theChurch of England in a form similar to that which exists today.What Elizabeth wished to achieve was conformity but thisproved to be impossible.

The position adopted by the Church in Rome made things evenmore difficult for Catholics in this country, when Pope Pius Vissued his bull of excommunication in 1570. This absolvedElizabeth’s subjects of their allegiance to their monarch.Unfortunately, the effect was to suggest that being a Catholicwas tantamount to disloyalty.

This coupled with the planning of a number of assassinationplots, all of which had Mary Queen of Scots at their centre,culminated in the Babington plot of 1586 and led to theexecution of Mary in 1587.

People who remained loyal to the Roman Catholic faith wereknown as recusants, people who refused to attend Anglicanservices. It’s probably not too surprising that this eventually ledto an Act of Parliament being passed in 1593, which set out thepenalties against Popish recusants. The penalties included fines,confiscation of property and imprisonment. In some cases, theultimate punishment applied was execution.

The Recusancy Acts were repealed in 1650 though restrictionsstill remained in place until full Catholic Emancipation in 1829.

It’s probable that the last Mass was said in St Mary’s Church,Horsham in about 1565. After that, the area was served byitinerant priests, who put their lives at risk and even died as aresult of their beliefs. Sometimes they were relatively safe inbig houses like Field Place, Warnham, the birthplace of Shelley.

The Copley family from the manor house in Roffey wererecusants in the late 16th and early 17th centuries, as were theirsuccessors, the Westons. The Westons were related to anotherrecusant family, the Carylls of West Grinstead. The old Roman

Catholic families such as the Carylls and the Norfolks areknown to have given shelter to itinerant priests during thesetroubled times.

The number of recusants in Horsham was recorded at varioustimes, though the accuracy of the data must be open to question.

Year Number of recusants1642 31676 301724 51767 22

During the 18th and early 19th centuries, Horsham was part ofthe mission area served from West Grinstead. For example, in1814 a Mr Webb Weston gave £12 a year to the priest at WestGrinstead for serving Roffey once a month.

From about 1820, a cottage belonging to the Duke of Norfolk,which was located between West Street and Springfield Road,was converted into a Roman Catholic chapel and priest’s houseand Mass was said monthly. By 1836, Mass was said everyfortnight.

An eyewitness account of this church was recorded by MissEmily Razell, a respected Quaker lady, who wrote that:

“It was only a small room in an old house, very poor and plain,with a white altar. The priest stood with his back to thecongregation and wore a white robe with gilt work on it. Iremember that I was the only young person there and the otherswere two or three Irish packmen and some drovers; perhapsseven or eight in all”.

The use of this cottage as a church was discontinued in 1845with the erection of a small corrugated iron chapel close to thebuilding.

In 1865, Minna, Duchess of Norfolk, built a church inSpringfield Road in front of the corrugated iron chapel and onthe opposite side of the road to the present church. Many peoplewill remember that building, which was still being used forshops and offices in recent times.

The 1865 church was dedicated to St John the Evangelist and itwas built from local sandstone. By 1875, the church could seat160 people and a new priest’s house was built in 1888. Thischurch was restored in 1886 and renovated in 1909.

The old corrugated iron chapel was used as a school and by1867, it had 20 pupils. The number had increased to 34 pupilssome two years later. A new school was opened nearby on whatis now the car park of today’s church in 1873.

By 1912, it was clear that a larger church was required and theinitial intention was to enlarge the existing building. Howeverthought soon turned to the construction of a new church. Thelocal Catholic population increased during World War I due tothe influx of troops from Canada and Portugal, all of whom

Minutes of the 2013 AGMThursday 21st March 2013

1. Welcome from the President

Dr Annabelle Hughes welcomed all to the AGM and thanked theExecutive Committee for its efforts in the previous year.

2 Apologies for absence

Apologies were received from Dave Richardson, Carol Stokesand Paula Lamplough.

3 Minutes of the 2012 AGM and matters arising

The minutes were proposed, seconded and adopted. There wereno matters arising.

4 Chairman’s report

The Chairman presented his annual report which had beenpublished in full in the March Newsletter. It had been a busy year.The dismal appearance of Blackhorse Way, the poor condition ofthe road surface in Causeway, core closing time for East Streetand the future of the Broadbridge Heath Leisure Centre had beenjust a few of the issues addressed.

The Chairman thanked Nigel Friswell for organising the townguide training and for his sterling work as editor of theNewsletter during 2012.

The Chairman also thanked Kathy Gleeson for her organisationof Newsletter distribution, the team of distributors for deliveringthe Newsletter, Ann Needham for running the website, StuartRitchie for his work on the Annual Accounts for the past twentyyears and Annabelle Hughes for her wide-ranging support.

5 Honorary Treasurer’s Report and Accounts

The Hon Treasurer began her report by thanking her predecessor,Roy Bayliss, for managing the accounts until November 2012and for leading her through the idiosyncrasies of the Society’saccounting practice.

She went on to thank Stuart Ritchie and Gulia Crighton for theexcellent work done in examining the accounts and meeting thetimetable.

The key figures were:Income £5,569Expenditure £6,557Net Outgoing £ 988Reserves £7,151

The Annual Report and Accounts were proposed, seconded andadopted.

6 Election of Officers

The following nominations for officers were proposed, secondedand adopted:

Chairman David MooreHon Secretary Rod CumingTreasurer Sarah PowellMembership Secretary Pat Gale

7 Election of Committee Members

Nominations had been received for Peggy Gledhill, Roy Bayliss,Paul Fletcher, Nigel Friswell, Michael Hall and John Steele. Thenominations were proposed, seconded and adopted.

8 Appointment of Honorary Independent Examiner

Stuart Ritchie had agreed to continue in this role. Theappointment was proposed, seconded and adopted.

9 Any Other Business

a) North Horsham Development

John Nicholas explained that he had lived in Horsham since1968, owned some land north of the A264 and had met withLiberty, the company that was planning a huge development inNorth Horsham. He asserted that Horsham would be destroyedby the proposal and that everything possible should be done tostop the development.

In response the Chairman confirmed that he had seen the plansand had made absolutely clear to both Liberty and HDC theSociety’s opposition to the development.

b) Town Guides

Nigel Friswell referred to the proposals put forward by PJ Aldredto encourage regular coachloads of visitors to the town to enjoythe Horsham Experience. Part of the experience could be a towntour conducted by the Society’s trained guides. If the proposaltook off, more trained guides would be needed. Membersinterested in becoming a trained guide were requested to contactNigel after the meeting.

c) Tesco: Brighton Road

Peggy Gledhill launched an impassioned plea for action to stopTesco setting up shop at the Brighton Road site formerlyoccupied by the Silver Wok and urged the Council to employ aCompulsory Purchase Order to obtain the site for housing.

d) Leonard Crosbie

The Chairman welcomed the arrival of Leonard Crosbie,Chairman of Horsham District Council, who offered to takequestions after the meeting.

10 Guest speaker

The President introduced Dr Janet Pennington who talked on thesubject of “Chanctonbury Ring: the story of a SussexLandmark.”

11 Close

The Chairman thanked Dr Pennington for her fascinatingpresentation. Looking to the year ahead, the Chairmanhighlighted the big housing challenges to be confronted interms of numbers and locations and, in particular, how to geta sensible plan for the District without impacting Horsham.

He thanked members for attending and closed the meeting.


THE HORSHAM SOCIETY - ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS - YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2013

REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE The committee presents its annual report and accounts for the year ended 31 December 2013. Constitution

The Horsham Society is a civic society founded in 1955 and is registered as a charity under the number 268949 with the Charity Commission. The Society is governed by its constitution dated 31 March 2011. The charity’s address is stated below. Objects

The Society was established for the public benefit in the Horsham area. The purpose of the Society is to promote high standards of planning and architecture; to monitor all aspects of development and land use affecting the built environment; to act as the guardian of Horsham's environmental wellbeing; and to promote a sense of pride in the town. Review of the year

The committee is satisfied with the activities of the Society during the year. A full review of the Society’s activities is given in the Chairman’s Report, which is printed in the March 2014 newsletter of the Society. The financial results are set out in the accompanying statement of financial activities, balance sheet and notes to the accounts. The increase in annual membership subscriptions on 1 January 2013 has, as anticipated, been sufficient to return the Society to the position of being able to meet normal running costs and generate a small surplus to bolster our reserves following a number of recent years where deficits have occurred. The committee have reviewed the major risks to which the charity is exposed and feel that no steps to further mitigate these are needed at present. Committee members

The present committee members are Mr D Moore (chairman), Mrs S Powell (treasurer), Mr R Cuming (secretary), Mrs P Gale (membership secretary), Mr R Bayliss, Mr P Fletcher, Mr. N Friswell, Mrs P Gledhill, Mr M Hall and Mr J Steele. All committee members have served throughout the year. The committee members are elected each year at the Annual General meeting. Responsibility for the induction of new trustees rests with the existing trustees and includes an awareness of the traditions of the charity and an understanding of the duties of a charitable trustee. The trustees confirm they have referred to the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit when reviewing the charity’s aims, objectives and activities. Independent Examiner

The independent examiner, Mr S D Ritchie, chartered accountant, is willing to be re-appointed at the forthcoming Annual General Meeting. By order of the committee: R CUMING 3,White Horse Road Hon Secretary Horsham West Sussex 5 February 2014 RH12 4UL

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES

£ 2013

£

£ 2012

£ INCOMING RESOURCES

Incoming resources from generated funds

a) Voluntary income Annual subscriptions 6,472 3,592 Life Members subscriptions (annual fractions)

85

81

General purpose donations 682 764 Tax recoverable under Gift Aid 1,156 628 8,395 5,065 Incoming resources from charitable activities

Sales of publications 105 130 Newsletter postage receipts 423 374 528 504 TOTAL INCOMING RESOURCES

8,923

5, 569

RESOURCES EXPENDED Cost of generating funds: Publicity - 68 Charitable activities: Cost of publishing newsletter 3,366 3,071 Cost of postage for newsletter 545 527 Design award costs 10 137 Cost of public meeting 72 197 Cost of distributors reception - 115 Public liability insurance 190 190 Subscriptions 164 159 Printing and stationery 419 641 Literature (town trail) - 385 Postage and telephone 120 126 Tour guiding - 74 Web hosting fees 153 - Newsletter binding 96 - Miscellaneous 4 27 Depreciation - 35 5,139 5,684 Governance costs: Hall hire for committee meetings and the AGM

780

805

TOTAL RESOURCES EXPENDED

5,919

6,557

NET OUTGOING RESOURCES 3,004 (988) General Fund Brought Forward 7,151 8,139 GENERAL FUND CARRIED FORWARD

10,155

7,151

THE HORSHAM SOCIETY - ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS - YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2013

BALANCE SHEET 2013

£ 2012

£ FIXED ASSETS Tangible assets (note 3)

-

-

CURRENT ASSETS Debtor for Gift Aid claim 1,155 628 Prepaid expenses 687 624 Stock of postage stamps - 38 Cash at bank 11,464 8,630 13,306 9,920 CURRENT LIABILITIES Creditors and accrued expenditure - 30 NET CURRENT ASSETS 13,306 9,890 DEFERRED INCOME Life Members’ subscriptions 1,526 1,461 Prepaid annual subscriptions 1,500 1,138 Members prepaid postage receipts 125 140 3,151 2,739 TOTAL ASSETS LESS LIABILITIES

10,155

7,151

Represented by: GENERAL FUND 10,155 7,151 Approved by the Committee on 5 February 2014 and signed on its behalf by: D J MOORE Chairman S M POWELL Treasurer NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS 1. ACCOUNTING POLICIES

General

These accounts have been prepared under the historic cost convention and in accordance with applicable accounting standards and the Statement of Recommended Practice on “Accounting and Reporting by Charities” (Revised 2005) and with the Charities Act 2011.

Depreciation

Depreciation is provided on tangible fixed assets at the following rates based on the estimated useful life of these fixed assets and their anticipated residual value:

Office equipment 331/3 % p.a. (straight line basis)

Life members subscriptions

Life members subscriptions are credited to the Income and Expenditure Account over the period of 25 years from the year of receipt.

Annual membership

Members subscriptions and postage fees prepaid are treated as deferred income whilst any related donation is taken as income in the year of receipt. 2. COMMITTEE MEMBERS’ EXPENSES

No members of the committee, or any person connected with them, has received or is due to receive any remuneration for the year directly or indirectly from the Society’s funds. The charity reimbursed expenses of £708 for postage, stationery, telephone and similar costs to three members of

the committee and one member of the Society during the year. No expense allowances were claimed by any members of the committee. 3. TANGIBLE FIXED ASSETS

Office Equipment

£ Cost

At 1 January and 31 December 2013 103 Depreciation

At 1 January and 31 December 2013 103 Net book value

At 31 December 2013 -

At 31 December 2012 - INDEPENDENT EXAMINER’S REPORT TO THE COMMITTEE OF THE HORSHAM SOCIETY

I report on the accounts of the charity for the year ended 31 December 2013 which comprise the Statement of Financial Activities, the Balance Sheet and the Notes to the Accounts.

Respective Responsibilities of the Committee and the Examiner

The charity’s committee are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The charity’s committee consider that an audit is not required for this year under section 144(2) of the Charities Act 2011 (the 2011 Act) and that an independent examination is needed.

It is my responsibility to examine the accounts under section 145 of the 2011 Act; follow the procedures laid down in the general directions given by the Charity Commission (under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act); and state whether particular matters have come to my attention.

Basis of Independent Examiner’s Report

My examination was carried out in accordance with general directions given by the Charity Commission. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts and seeking explanations from you as the committee concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit and consequently no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a “true and fair view” and the report is limited to those matters set out in the statement below.

Independent Examiner’s Statement

In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention:

(1) which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements: • to keep accounting records in accordance with section 130 of the

2011 Act; and • to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and

to comply with the accounting requirements of the 2011 Act have not been met; or

(2) to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

S D RITCHIE FCA ATII 5 February 2014 RITCHIE PHILLIPS LLP, Chartered Accountants Second Floor Albany House Horsham West Sussex RH12 1QN


St John the Evangelist Church David Moore explains the history of the Roman Catholic church in Springfield Road

Looking back in time from today’s multicultural society, it’sdifficult to believe that Roman Catholicism was in reality

the only religion tolerated in England up to 1530. Chaosresulted when Henry VIII decided that he needed to take a newwife in the hope that she could produce a male heir to thethrone. His divorce from Catherine of Aragon and subsequentmarriage to Anne Boleyn threw religious belief in the countryinto confusion.

Henry VIII broke with the papacy between 1530 and 1534 andhe made the breach final by crushing any opposition and seizingthe lands of the monasteries. The Act of Supremacy was passedin 1534, which made it clear that the king was the supreme headof the church in England.

The move towards complete Protestantism occurred during theshort reign of his son Edward VI. Even the reign of his sisterMary, who was a devout Catholic, did nothing to stop theundercurrent of Protestantism in England.

When Elizabeth I came to the throne in 1558, she was facedwith the problem of religion and in 1559 she established theChurch of England in a form similar to that which exists today.What Elizabeth wished to achieve was conformity but thisproved to be impossible.

The position adopted by the Church in Rome made things evenmore difficult for Catholics in this country, when Pope Pius Vissued his bull of excommunication in 1570. This absolvedElizabeth’s subjects of their allegiance to their monarch.Unfortunately, the effect was to suggest that being a Catholicwas tantamount to disloyalty.

This coupled with the planning of a number of assassinationplots, all of which had Mary Queen of Scots at their centre,culminated in the Babington plot of 1586 and led to theexecution of Mary in 1587.

People who remained loyal to the Roman Catholic faith wereknown as recusants, people who refused to attend Anglicanservices. It’s probably not too surprising that this eventually ledto an Act of Parliament being passed in 1593, which set out thepenalties against Popish recusants. The penalties included fines,confiscation of property and imprisonment. In some cases, theultimate punishment applied was execution.

The Recusancy Acts were repealed in 1650 though restrictionsstill remained in place until full Catholic Emancipation in 1829.

It’s probable that the last Mass was said in St Mary’s Church,Horsham in about 1565. After that, the area was served byitinerant priests, who put their lives at risk and even died as aresult of their beliefs. Sometimes they were relatively safe inbig houses like Field Place, Warnham, the birthplace of Shelley.

The Copley family from the manor house in Roffey wererecusants in the late 16th and early 17th centuries, as were theirsuccessors, the Westons. The Westons were related to anotherrecusant family, the Carylls of West Grinstead. The old Roman

Catholic families such as the Carylls and the Norfolks areknown to have given shelter to itinerant priests during thesetroubled times.

The number of recusants in Horsham was recorded at varioustimes, though the accuracy of the data must be open to question.

Year Number of recusants1642 31676 301724 51767 22

During the 18th and early 19th centuries, Horsham was part ofthe mission area served from West Grinstead. For example, in1814 a Mr Webb Weston gave £12 a year to the priest at WestGrinstead for serving Roffey once a month.

From about 1820, a cottage belonging to the Duke of Norfolk,which was located between West Street and Springfield Road,was converted into a Roman Catholic chapel and priest’s houseand Mass was said monthly. By 1836, Mass was said everyfortnight.

An eyewitness account of this church was recorded by MissEmily Razell, a respected Quaker lady, who wrote that:

“It was only a small room in an old house, very poor and plain,with a white altar. The priest stood with his back to thecongregation and wore a white robe with gilt work on it. Iremember that I was the only young person there and the otherswere two or three Irish packmen and some drovers; perhapsseven or eight in all”.

The use of this cottage as a church was discontinued in 1845with the erection of a small corrugated iron chapel close to thebuilding.

In 1865, Minna, Duchess of Norfolk, built a church inSpringfield Road in front of the corrugated iron chapel and onthe opposite side of the road to the present church. Many peoplewill remember that building, which was still being used forshops and offices in recent times.

The 1865 church was dedicated to St John the Evangelist and itwas built from local sandstone. By 1875, the church could seat160 people and a new priest’s house was built in 1888. Thischurch was restored in 1886 and renovated in 1909.

The old corrugated iron chapel was used as a school and by1867, it had 20 pupils. The number had increased to 34 pupilssome two years later. A new school was opened nearby on whatis now the car park of today’s church in 1873.

By 1912, it was clear that a larger church was required and theinitial intention was to enlarge the existing building. Howeverthought soon turned to the construction of a new church. Thelocal Catholic population increased during World War I due tothe influx of troops from Canada and Portugal, all of whom

Minutes of the 2013 AGMThursday 21st March 2013

1. Welcome from the President

Dr Annabelle Hughes welcomed all to the AGM and thanked theExecutive Committee for its efforts in the previous year.

2 Apologies for absence

Apologies were received from Dave Richardson, Carol Stokesand Paula Lamplough.

3 Minutes of the 2012 AGM and matters arising

The minutes were proposed, seconded and adopted. There wereno matters arising.

4 Chairman’s report

The Chairman presented his annual report which had beenpublished in full in the March Newsletter. It had been a busy year.The dismal appearance of Blackhorse Way, the poor condition ofthe road surface in Causeway, core closing time for East Streetand the future of the Broadbridge Heath Leisure Centre had beenjust a few of the issues addressed.

The Chairman thanked Nigel Friswell for organising the townguide training and for his sterling work as editor of theNewsletter during 2012.

The Chairman also thanked Kathy Gleeson for her organisationof Newsletter distribution, the team of distributors for deliveringthe Newsletter, Ann Needham for running the website, StuartRitchie for his work on the Annual Accounts for the past twentyyears and Annabelle Hughes for her wide-ranging support.

5 Honorary Treasurer’s Report and Accounts

The Hon Treasurer began her report by thanking her predecessor,Roy Bayliss, for managing the accounts until November 2012and for leading her through the idiosyncrasies of the Society’saccounting practice.

She went on to thank Stuart Ritchie and Gulia Crighton for theexcellent work done in examining the accounts and meeting thetimetable.

The key figures were:Income £5,569Expenditure £6,557Net Outgoing £ 988Reserves £7,151

The Annual Report and Accounts were proposed, seconded andadopted.

6 Election of Officers

The following nominations for officers were proposed, secondedand adopted:

Chairman David MooreHon Secretary Rod CumingTreasurer Sarah PowellMembership Secretary Pat Gale

7 Election of Committee Members

Nominations had been received for Peggy Gledhill, Roy Bayliss,Paul Fletcher, Nigel Friswell, Michael Hall and John Steele. Thenominations were proposed, seconded and adopted.

8 Appointment of Honorary Independent Examiner

Stuart Ritchie had agreed to continue in this role. Theappointment was proposed, seconded and adopted.

9 Any Other Business

a) North Horsham Development

John Nicholas explained that he had lived in Horsham since1968, owned some land north of the A264 and had met withLiberty, the company that was planning a huge development inNorth Horsham. He asserted that Horsham would be destroyedby the proposal and that everything possible should be done tostop the development.

In response the Chairman confirmed that he had seen the plansand had made absolutely clear to both Liberty and HDC theSociety’s opposition to the development.

b) Town Guides

Nigel Friswell referred to the proposals put forward by PJ Aldredto encourage regular coachloads of visitors to the town to enjoythe Horsham Experience. Part of the experience could be a towntour conducted by the Society’s trained guides. If the proposaltook off, more trained guides would be needed. Membersinterested in becoming a trained guide were requested to contactNigel after the meeting.

c) Tesco: Brighton Road

Peggy Gledhill launched an impassioned plea for action to stopTesco setting up shop at the Brighton Road site formerlyoccupied by the Silver Wok and urged the Council to employ aCompulsory Purchase Order to obtain the site for housing.

d) Leonard Crosbie

The Chairman welcomed the arrival of Leonard Crosbie,Chairman of Horsham District Council, who offered to takequestions after the meeting.

10 Guest speaker

The President introduced Dr Janet Pennington who talked on thesubject of “Chanctonbury Ring: the story of a SussexLandmark.”

11 Close

The Chairman thanked Dr Pennington for her fascinatingpresentation. Looking to the year ahead, the Chairmanhighlighted the big housing challenges to be confronted interms of numbers and locations and, in particular, how to geta sensible plan for the District without impacting Horsham.

He thanked members for attending and closed the meeting.


Chairman’s Report for 2013-14 and Agenda for 2014 AGM

Bysshe - Bosh!

Isee from a recent copy of The CountyTimes that the latest phase of the

Wickhurst Green development is to becalled St Irvyne’s, after a poem – ‘StIrvyne’s Tower’ – by the poet PercyBysshe Shelley.

This poem, especially the last verse,doesn’t strike me as a marketing pitchthat will set the pulses racing and thepotential purchasers beating a path to themarketing suite -

'The keenness of the world hath tornThe heart which opens to its blast;Despised, neglected, and forlorn,Sinks the wretch in death at last.’

Michael HallSpringfield Crescent

AGM anticipation

Both of us can remember RupertToovey as a young boy at St Mary’s

school and Gill also remembers him

coming to her son’s birthday party inPark Street. We’re both looking forwardto meeting Rupert again at the AGM.

Gill King and Pat Gale

Oakdene childrens home

Iwas very interested in Barbara Gunn’srecollections in the January

Newsletter about her life at Beechfield,Oakhill Road.

The remand home moved to Copthornein about 1964-5. Mr Stanliforth was theSuperintendent at the time. Beechfieldremained empty for just over a yearwhile it was being altered by WSCC andmy husband and I moved up fromChichester in 1966 to open it as achildrens home.

We stayed until May 1979 when it wasturned into a teenage hostal, but thatdidn’t work out and after two years itwas closed and sold off. The house waspulled down around 1983 and there arenow studio flats in the grounds.

We renamed the home Oakdene. It was avery happy childrens home and quiteoften we had other children in to playwith ours.

Gwen DenmanEyles Close, Horsham

Letters and emails

One of the Society’s members, Chris Smith, produced anexcellent report during the year on the ongoing

unsatisfactory conditions in Blackhorse Way. We sent a copyof the report to Horsham District Council and we have beeninvolved in some useful discussions with officers of theCouncil. However, there is still some way to go as, withoutthe positive engagement of the various businesses that backon to the road, it’s difficult to make any real progress.

The road in Causeway was eventually resurfaced though wehave some concerns about the quality of the work done. We’llsoon find out the truth when the frosts test the finishedsurface.

The core closing time of East Street to vehicles is now apermanent feature following the public enquiry in 2013. Thishas been a positive and helpful decision for the vast majorityof the businesses in the street, especially the restaurants,though we did not see too much evidence of the al frescoeating experience due to the weather.

The refurbishment of West Street has received a mixedreception. Some people think it was a complete waste ofmoney, whilst others like elements of the work such as theredactive lighting (the pools of light which create colouredshadows). The information plaques inserted within the pavingare a great attraction. I think the majority of people arereserving their judgement until they see whether it results inmore shoppers and new stores.

The proposed redevelopment of the Lifestyle Ford site hascaused considerable controversy and the problem remainswhat it’s always been, namely Albion Way. If the site is to bedeveloped for retail use, a sensible way for pedestrians tocross Albion Way and link the site to the town centre has to befound.

The construction of a new hospital with A & E facilities northof the A264 died as expected and it appeared that the risk ofbuilding huge numbers of houses on this greenfield areadisappeared with it.

However, not to be deterred, the construction of 2,500 housesnorth of the A264 was included in the Council’s PreferredStrategy together with a business park, a new railway stationand a 70,000 ft2 retail store. Interestingly enough, thisproposal seemed to match the suggestions put forward by adeveloper. The Society objected very strongly against theproposal as there are far better places to build houses and thesuggested railway station seems as real a possibility as theearlier hospital.

Whatever the final outcome, building what’s proposed northof the A264 would be a disaster. There is a clear need for someproactive thinking from the Council. The need to build a newtown somewhere in the south of the district cannot be ignoredany longer.

The current members of the committee are me, Roy Bayliss,Nigel Friswell, John Steele, Rod Cuming, Pat Gale, PeggyGledhill, Michael Hall, Paul Fletcher and Sarah Powell.

John Steele has done an excellent job in his first year as Editorof the Newsletter and I’m sure that there’s a lot more to comein 2014.

Our thanks also have to go to Kathy Gleeson, who organisesthe Newsletter distribution for us, and her team of distributors,who deliver the Newsletter for us; Ann Needham, whomaintains our website and Stuart Ritchie, who reviews ouraccounts at the end of each year. Finally, there’s AnnabelleHughes, our President, who continues to support us in so manydifferent ways.

We failed to get our Executive Committee back up to strengthin 2013 and we need to see some more members standing forelection at the 2014 AGM. Without the injection of fresh bloodon to the committee it has becomes more difficult to keep theSociety moving forward. It’s an unfortunate fact of life thatstagnation ultimately leads to decline.

2013 was a good year for the recruitment of new members,mainly due to the publicity surrounding our objections to theproposed north of Horsham development. However, we need tomaintain the momentum and encouraging more people to jointhe Society has to be an ongoing priority.

David Moore, Chairman

Agenda for the 2014 AGM10th April 2014 at 7.30pm in the Barn, Causeway

1. Welcome from the President, Dr Annabelle Hughes.

2. Apologies for absence.

3. Minutes of the 2013 AGM and matters arising.

4. Chairman’s Report.

5. Honorary Treasurer’s Report and Accounts.

6. Election of Officers for the coming year:

Chairman Vice Chairman Honorary Secretary Honorary Treasurer Honorary Membership Secretary

7. Election of Committee Members for the coming year.

8. Appointment of Honorary Independent Examiner.

9. Any other business notified beforehand.

10. Guest speaker: Rupert Toovey, Fine Art Auctioneer and Chartered Surveyor.

11. Chairman’s closing remarks.

Tea and coffee will be available before the AGM from 7pm

If you are interested in standing for election as an Officeror committee member please contact the Hon Secretary

for a nomination form.

Bishopric

Fortunately, although the plans forthe new Waitrose have been

approved associated proposals forrevamping the eastern arm of Bishoprichave been put on hold for six months.This will give councillors time toreconsider their ideas and hopefullyconsult the public.

The original plans would have rippedup the popular water features and treeswhich we think should be retained. Wewould rather that any money that isavailable from developer contributionsis spent on resurfacing the Lynd Crossarea and replacing the Shelley fountainwith a substantial piece of public art tocomplement the other popular pieceswe have in the town.

were stationed at Roffey Camp, and it was decided to build anew church on the opposite side of Springfield Road.

The foundations of the new church were laid in 1917 andconstruction began in 1919. The last Mass was said in the oldchurch on 21st December 1919 and the first Mass was said inthe new church at midnight on 24th December 1919. They musthave been hardy souls as the building was still not finished andit had no floor, no heating and no lighting.

The 1865 church was sold in 1926 for £2,608 and the newchurch was consecrated in 1927, followed by lunch in the BlackHorse Hotel, which was located at the bottom of West Street.

The Catholic population of Horsham increased again during andafter World War II with the influx of people from Italy andPoland. Even today, there are regular Masses said in both Italianand Polish.

Today’s church was built next to St John’s Roman CatholicPrimary School and nothing changed until 1967, when a newpurpose built school was built in Blackbridge Lane. The oldschool continued in use as a parish hall for a few years until itwas demolished in the early 1970s and replaced by a singlestorey hall.

The construction of Albion Way led to more changes. The singlestorey hall and the old presbytery were demolished and a newpresbytery and a two storey parish hall were opened in 1994.Who knows what the future might hold?

St John the Evangelist, Springfield Road.

All buildings start to look tired as they age. Sometimes thisimproves the appearance of the external façade of thebuilding, something which can be seen in many of our olderchurches.

However, ageing of the internal décor can have a completelydifferent effect. It’s for this reason that the refurbishment ofthe interior of St John’s has been ongoing during the year.

OUR CONCERN IS THE PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE OF THE TOWN

24 Horsham Society Newsletter March 2014

New members

This month we welcome Mr Smith, Rowhook Road,Rowhook and Mr Toogood, Edinburgh Close, Southwater

as new members.

Carfax market

Congratulations to Horsham Markets for winning theSussex Farmers Market of the Year award at the recent

Sussex Food and Drinks Award 2013/14.

Gatwick

Next month we will be looking at the pros and cons of asecond runway; probably the most important issue facing

our district.

© Individual contributors 2014. No material may be reproduced, copied or stored in aretrieval system without the prior consent of the relevant contributor, which should besought via the Editor.

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Langhurstwood RoadHorsham

West SussexRH12 4QD

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March 2014

NewsletterHORSHAMSOCIETY

Change on the way

As you probably know HDC councillors have approved the plans for the redevelopment of the site to the west of Albion Waywhich includes Lifestyle Ford, the Bowling Club and the Bishops Weald car park. In their place there will be a new Waitrose

store and a John Lewis at Home.

Whilst many will welcome this we have made no secret of our concern about the impact that the changes will have on the towncentre and Carfax in particular. The likelihood is that the shopping centre of gravity will shift westwards leaving Carfax and EastStreet empty. We hope that our fears are not realised and that the new shoppers that these two stores will undoubtedly attract canbe persuaded to use our town centre shops and other facilities rather than fill their trollies and drive off.

But the omens are not good. Waitrose has finally confirmed our fears about the car park. You will remember that they promisedfree parking for their shoppers but what they now say is that “it will operate as a short stay, shoppers’ car park in common withother facilities in the town centre” with Waitrose “having the discretion to reimburse parking charges to our customers for alimited period”. So, unlike Sainsburys, it seems there will be no extended free parking period which encourages shoppers to usethe town centre. There can only be two reasons for this. Either the car park is too small as we have maintained all along, or HDCplans to operate the car park and is more interested in maximising its income than the health of the wider town centre economy.

Hopefully the Council’s attention will now turn to helping to find a new tenant for the current Waitrose store in Piries Place. Itis vital that it is filled by a trader, or traders, that will generate a high footfall. Not only are other nearby shops dependent on thisHDC currently derives considerable income from the Piries Place car park which is used mainly by Waitrose customers. Someare hoping that the location might attract a Lidl or Aldi which would complement our existing supermarket offering.

As if this was not enough we have the threat of HDC’s preferred strategy with a massive development north of Horshamincluding an enormous retail unit. What effect would this be likely to have on the town? What would the traffic flow into andaround Horsham be like in twenty years time? Could it accelerate the decline of the existing town centre? Would it be the endof Horsham as a nice old market town that residents love and people choose to visit? Our Council should remember that thoughchange is necessary for towns to thrive, not all change is progress.

AGM ISSUE

The AGM this year is later than usual on Thursday 10th April at the Barn in Causeway at 7.30pm.

After the formal business Rupert Toovey, Fine Art Auctioneer and Chartered Surveyor, and Director

of the Sussex based auctioneers Tooveys, will tell us about life in an auction house based on his

27 years in the business. He will also have some items to show us, describe and value.

Please remember to save this Newsletter containing the AGM papers to bring with you.Newsletter correspondence should be sent to the Editor: John Steele,

2 Old Denne Gardens, Horsham, RH12 1JA (Tel: 01403 272814, email:

[email protected]). Other matters should be referred to the

Hon Secretary. The Newsletter is published monthly except August and

opinions in it, whether the Editor’s or contributors’, are not necessarily

those of the Society.

Directory

The Horsham Society is a registered charity (No.268949) and is anindependent body supported by members’ subscriptions

PRESIDENT Dr Annabelle Hughes

VICE-PRESIDENTSRt Hon Francis Maude MP, Nigel Friswell, John Steele, Roy Worskett,

Mrs Peggy Gledhill MBE

CHAIRMAN David Moore

HON TREASURERSarah Powell

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEERoy BaylissPaul FletcherNigel FriswellPeggy GledhillMichael HallJohn Steele

DISTRIBUTION ORGANISERKathy Gleeson

The Executive Committee meets at 7.30pm on the first Wednesday of eachmonth in the Manor Room behind the Causeway Barn. Members are

welcome to attend as observers but it would be appreciated if the Secretarycould be informed beforehand.

SUBSCRIPTION RATESAnnual Membership: £10 per household

Family Life Membership: £150 per householdPostage is added to the above rates at £5 per annum

for out-of-town members

HORSHAM

SOCIETY

HON SECRETARYRod Cuming

3 White Horse RoadHorsham RH12 4ULTel: 01403 268444

[email protected]

MEMBERSHIP SECRETARYMrs Pat Gale

46 Bedford RoadHorsham RH13 5BJTel: 01403 253946

[email protected]

www.horshamsociety.org

Planning success

Last year a developer sought to replace houses on thecorner of Hurst Road and North Parade with a block of

33 sheltered apartments.

The Society objected on the grounds that the proposal wastoo intensive, too large, with too little parking and outdoorspace and of poor design.

HDC failed to determine the application within the statutorytimeframe and the developer appealed. We are delighted toreport that not only has the Planning Inspector turned theapplication down, she did so in part due to the poor design.In her decision she quoted our description of it as a“mishmash seemingly aimed at incorporating every materialand style to be found in neighbouring buildings, good andbad”.

This is an important decision not only because it hasprevented inappropriate development of a sensitive andimportant site but the poor quality of design was a significantfactor. This undermines HDC’s oft assertion that planscannot be rejected on grounds of design quality because thedecision will be overturned at appeal.

West Street

The second phase of the enhancement of West Street willstart in early 2014. Amongst other things, additional litter

bins will be provided, planters will appear in the street andsome additional wayfinding will be introduced.

Opinions on the project have been mixed. Some people havedeemed it a waste of money but the majority seem to likemany if not all of the elements that have been introduced.

Certainly, the redactive lighting (the coloured shadows castwhen it’s dark) have been seen as great fun by children andmany adults. The trial wayfinder at the Bishopric end of WestStreet has been useful and this can be used as one possibleexample of how to improve directions for visitors to the town.

It was good to see how successful the new drainage systemthat was installed during phase 1 of the project has been. Itwas certainly well tested by the deluge that seemed to greetus every day in January.

All that’s needed now is to get the shop fronts’ appearanceimproved. Then the Council needs to tackle the dreadfulappearance of Blackhorse Way.

War Memorial

It will soon be the centenary of thestart of World War I, when so many

young men died and people’s liveswere changed forever. Horsham’s warmemorial is a reminder of theirsacrifice and the Society isinvestigating the possibility of gettingit listed by English Heritage.

This picture was taken at the unveilingon 13th November 1921.

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