Hunston parish councillors discuss flooding and crackdown on drugs at March meeting

By HILARY GAVIN

HUNSTON parish councillors met for their March meeting in the Annexe of our village hall in West Sussex yesterday on Monday, March 16th 2026 when they welcomed newly co-opted Cllr Jani into their fold. This was the last meeting of the parish council in the fiscal year 2025/26 and the councillors discussed an array of subjects including proposals for a new village hall, a conservation project for a patch of land led by Cllr Benedict Targett, plans for the inaugural Grub Club which will be co-hosted with UK Harvest next month, and setting a date for the Annual Parish Meeting on Friday, May 22nd, 2026, when plans for the village hall will be discussed with electors followed by a display in the village hall on the next day on the options to either build a new village hall across the B2145 or to redesign the existing one on the current site.

Both WSCC Cllr Sarah Sharp and CDC David Betts attended yesterday’s meeting when they updated parish councillors on relevant WSCC and CDC business, including flooding caused by a fishing hut collapsing into the lakes and blocking a sluice and action on drug-related activity. See footage and report below:

THE first video footage of the full Hunston Parish Council meeting held at the parish offices in the Annexe of the village hall in West Sussex on Monday, March 16th, 2026.

THIS footage begins with councillors greeting one of the newly co-opted Hunston Parish Councillors, Mr Jani*, before WSCC Cllr Sarah Sharp gave her county council update. She said the specific issue affecting Hunston was the 25-page report by the Riparian Officer received that day about flooding. Cllr Sharp said the report was in a public document that is due to be circulated as she told the meeting that a Hunston resident had been adamant to get to the bottom of the flooding. There were SEVEN action points and SIX less priority action points for stakeholders’ attention and cleaning the road was a priority. Cllr Sharp told the parish meeting that the flooding had been the result of “a fishing hut that been overgrown with vegetation, then had collapsed and had fallen into the lake” and this had blocked the sluice at the south-west corner of the lake with large pieces of corrugated steel. Every stakeholder who is responsible has been contacted to do the necessary clearing.

She said the water streamed out of the lake and over a bund that needs to be repaired and brought all the gunk from the land to deposit on the road. She said the road has to be cleared and manholes will be explored and cleared for free on a non-prejudicial basis.

Cllr Sharp went on to talk about the Free School, which she explained was “a moving feast”. She said the school had a new Head who had contacted her within EIGHT DAYS of taking up his post because of “the massive congestion” outside the school. Cllr Sharp said she had to talk to him about THREE issues, 1. the path, 2. the Esso garage and 3. the fact they haven’t done a TRAVEL PLAN. She said the school had a travel statement but not a travel plan.

The THIRD MAJOR issue for Hunston was the path between the village to the Free School where there had been “a little bit of progress”. She told the meeting that she had met with the Archdeacon who had given her background to the issue. She said the blockage was with the Church Commissioners who were accountable to Parliament and the parish council needs to go via Jess Brown-Fuller MP for her to ask questions in Westminster. She said she had also spoken to the agent of the Church Commissioners last week and explained that the parish was caught between the immovable forces of the Church Commissioners and the WSCC’s equally immovable Rights of Way department. She has arranged to meet with the Church Commissioners and has also spoken to the Chair of the Cycle Forum (see footage).

Lastly, she gave an update on the Kingsham Quarry – which she describes as “another one of those immovable feast”. She said a gentleman had put a Freedom of information (FoI) request which had came back, as normal, as “confidential”. She told the meeting that she had questioned this response because the gentleman hadn’t been asking for financial reasons but rather he’d wanted to know about the quarry’s restoration. Cllr Sharp said that she had phoned up a lady at the Estates Office to ask about the lack of information and the lady told her she would put it to Legal. She said she had to follow this matter up before explaining that “everything is dangling there” on all the matters above and that are “on the cusp”, so she said they could only “see what the next months bring”.

WSCC Cllr Sharp ended her update by telling the parish councillors that this had been her last Hunston Parish meeting because she would not be standing in the WSCC elections in May this year but added that she was still a Chichester District Council (CDC) councillor. She touched upon temporary Stagecoach bus stops and bus stop benches before leaving the meeting at 16.12mins into the footage of this first video.

* NB HPC co-opted three councillors in an extraordinary meeting in February 2026 when four electors turned up to fill three vacancies. If you read the draft minutes for this meeting on the council’s official website, you will see that Cllr Jani and Cllr Coleman were co-opted along with Cllr Martin Simms who previously resigned as a councillor after moving out of the village before deciding that he would like to serve again as a councillor. Cllr Simms currently lives within three miles of Hunston and so he is eligible to serve as a councillor.

CDC Cllr David Betts paid tribute to Cllr Sharp and told the meeting his report carries the headlines that there will be WSCC elections before moving on to housing delivery in the Local Plan. He told the meeting that he had been on a cycle and car ride around the area during the worst times looking at infrastructure, including the Bognor Road, A259. Cllr Betts said he had put a question to/for CDC about the design of flood prevention on new housing sites, asking that there is consideration given at the planning stage. He mentioned the Director of Planning, and said he had asked that any proposed works, and those that are installed, are followed through and monitored to gain experience. Cllr Betts finishes this first video by talking about the attenuation ponds at Bosham, built to take flooding off sites, which are full, before moving on to mention a site at Southbourne where he wondered who was responsible for surface water ending up in ditches…

THE second YouTube video footage of the full Hunston Parish Council meeting held in the Annexe of the village hall in West Sussex on Monday. March 16th, 2026.

This video begins with Cllr Betts explaining that areas outside his CDC Ward affect Hunston because villagers use those roads and there may, at some time, be future developments in Hunston. Cllr Betts said he, as does the Parish Clerk Carol Smith, pursues the CDC Enforcement team to find what is happening about the land opposite Farmfield Nurseries and he revealed that a barrister has now been briefed and that they had to wait for court time. (Please note that I edited out the background discussion on this land here for legal reasons).

Cllr Betts said he had briefed police on anti-social behaviour at a meeting in Midhurst and the police are asking residents to continue reporting incidents. He went on to say he had had several requests for advice on action about drug-related incidents and the police are keen to build on intelligence on any activity. Cllr Betts said CDC can request residents to report any incidents that appear to be crimes, and revealed that the police will be working in the village and he believes there will be a leaflet drop. (4.25mins).

The parish council approved the minutes of their meeting on January 19th, 2026, and heard that the first Grub Club will be held on Thursday 23rd April, 2026, from 5.30pm to 6.30pm, in the front room of the Hunston Community Club. Posters advertising the club are due to be put up in the village. The parish councillors discussed HPC’s external meetings including the Manhood Peninsula Project, the Greenway route and SWiSH (Waste water and flooding etc). Councillors share minutes among themselves. Cllr Betts left the meeting during this discussion.

The Chair Wendy Gray explained that they were scaling back on events following disappointing turnouts last year and went on to discuss the council’s grant’s policy. The meeting heard that HPC had previously donated to the Selsey Community Forum, whose representatives attend the Friday Hub at Hunston Village Hall, and the Chichester Foodbank, which had been supporting 95 people. The council moved on to conservation matters and the plan drawn up by Cllr Benedict Targett (please see footage). Before discussing this item in detail, Cllr Gray told the newly co-opted Cllr Jani that the HPC was hosting the Grub Club with UK Harvest, which distributes leftover food that would otherwise go to waste…

THE third YouTube video footage of the Hunston Parish Council meeting held in the Annexe of the village hall in West Sussex on Monday, March 16th, 2026.

This video starts with Chair Wendy Gray expanding on the Grub Club in more detail as she explained that anyone living in Hunston and Mundham can turn up with their ID to collect a bag of food for a small donation and the initiative will be promoted in The Hunston Voice parish newsletter.

Cllr Gray invited Cllr Benedict Targett to explain his conservation plan as she told the meeting that he was taking the lead in clearing a patch of land near the village’s mini roundabout. I’d invite you to watch the discussion on this item on my YouTube footage.

The council went on to discuss (14min) the potential provision of a new village hall when the Parish Clerk Mrs Smith revealed that the council was waiting for Whaleback to come back with information on costs. She said the plan is to get architects in to draw up plans for a new village hall and “what we could do on this side” (where the current village hall is) so the council could approach electors at the Annual Parish Meeting for them to see the options. Cllr Gray said the council was going to discuss this matter at the Annual Parish Meeting and the hall would be open the following day from 10am to 2pm for visitors to come down and view the plans for any new village hall and the plans for the existing space.

As this is an important issue, I’d invite you to watch our parish councillors discussing it, and the matter of possible future funding, from 14mins into my YouTube footage to the end of this third video…

THE fourth YouTube video footage of the full Hunston Parish Council meeting held in the Annexe of the village hall in West Sussex on Monday, March 16th, 2026. Please note the footage stops after 31 seconds because my camera only takes footage for a hour before cutting out. In this 31sec snippet, you can see Cllr Jani continuing the discussion of possible funding for either a new Hunston Village Hall or a refurbishment of the current one.

THE fifth and final YouTube video footage of the Hunston Parish Council meeting held in the Annexe of the village hall in West Sussex on Monday, March 16th, 2026.

In this fifth and final YouTube footage you can see councillors discussing the date of the Annual Parish Meeting on Friday, May 22nd, 2026 at 7pm when refreshments will be laid on for the electors before the village hall is open from 10am to 2pm the next day on Saturday, May 23rd, 2026 for visitors to view plans for either a new or revamped village hall.

This year the headline subject will be the future of the village hall but Cllr Gray reminded the meeting that some electors attend the APM to raise questions on other matters that are going on in the village.

The Parish Clerk Carol Smith then updated councillors on the gas pipe works at the Stockbridge roundabout and said the road from the A27 roundabout to Grosvenor Road in Donnington was due to be closed in October 2026 with the knock-on effect of diverted HGVs and buses. She said buses from Chichester will travel along the A27, and down through Hunston before turning into Green Lane and all the way up the Donnington Road to pick up passengers at the old Selsey Tram roundabout. Buses in the opposite direction will take the same diversion in reverse. Mrs Smith said the work was scheduled to take SEVEN WEEKS, adding that “October, November is going to be Bedlam”.

She added that there will be a road closure in Hunston in June this year around Downview, Selsey Tramway and Oakview, again for gas pipe works. On a separate subject, Mrs Smith said a former parish councillor, who lives near the old barn that has been developed into two houses opposite Hunston Mill on the B2145, is expecting that there will be a further application for housing there. The Chair Wendy Gray closed the meeting at around 7.50pm after my camera cut out due to a full memory card when the councillors were discussing council finances.

BY HILARY GAVIN

A freelance journalist who wants to see a return to public accountability in the local press

HILARY GAVIN

Freelance Journalist & Writer

6 Southover Way

Hunston

CHICHESTER

West Sussex

PO20 1NY

Tel: 07940 444664

Email: grumpywoman@hilarygavin.blog

Hilary Gavin

Like this:

Discover more from Hilary Gavin

Leave a ReplyCancel reply