Latest News of Local Interest
Seven years
[Robert] Austin was a director of a company within the Mackintosh and Partners group, a timber firm based in Small Dole, near Brighton and in Potters Bar, Hertfordshire, of which his father was the owner.
“Austin stole £2.6m from the group of companies between 2002 and 2008, falsifying records required for accounting purposes in order to do so,” said detective constable Dan Clark of the Sussex Police major fraud unit.
The firm went into liquidation as a direct result of the losses. It was an otherwise profitable company which had successfully traded for some 70 years.
The company had been one of southern England’s leading manufacturers of planed and moulded timber.
Satisfy your inner botanist
We need to turn your water off
Check your letterbox for an A5 card flyer with a red top. Houses along (at least) The Street/Poynings Road have been warned that mains water is to be disconnected between 9:00am and 1:00pm tomorrow, 17th December. Read the card but don’t bother checking the South East Water website for ‘Fulking’ — there is no information there at the moment.
Personal Care Assistant
Tomb(ola)
Tombola prizes are very slow coming in for the Xmas party this Friday. Deliver to either Louise at 13 Clappers Lane (773) or Bob at Furzefield, Clappers Lane (271).
Bob
Christmas collections
There are no garden waste collections between 22nd December 2014 and 4th January 2015 (inclusive). For black/blue bins, the only change that is relevant to Fulking residents is that you need to put the relevant bin out on Saturday 20th December instead of on Monday 22nd December (there is no change in respect of Monday 29th December).
Wild Woodies Spring Holiday Club
Tuesday 31st March 2015 from 9:00am to 4:00pm. Use a net to dive into the watery depths of the Woods Mill pond in search of water boatmen and newt tadpoles and learn all about the fascinating world of mysterious moths as we open the moth trap to see what we have found. Spend time at the camp site and practice safe fire lighting to make your own hot drink. Delve into the woodland undergrowth to find spiders and snails. Use natural materials to make a giant sculpture in the woods and make your own model to take home. The event is intended for children aged 6-11 years.
Parents are excluded but they are, of course, expected to pay and to provide transport, snacks, a packed lunch, and something to drink. Book now.
Durand Academy update
The SDNPA reports:
We have been informed that the Durand Academy has withdrawn their appeal against the SDNPA’s refusal of planning permission at St Cuthmans School. All arrangements for the hearing have had to be cancelled at very late notice – on the eve of the pre-inquiry meeting. Both the SDNPA and the local community have devoted considerable time and effort to get to this stage. The withdrawal reflects the high quality of our original appraisal of this development and confirms our wider stance on major developments in the National Park. We are now moving to recover the considerable costs incurred to the public purse in preparing for this appeal.
Despite the pending bill, it seems that the Academy intends to revisit Overlook Hotel:
The appeal was based on a planning application we submitted in October 2013 and we are confident that, now we are settled and operational on the site, we can rework the proposition effectively. .. So we want to take the opportunity now to work closely with the local community and planning authority, to adapt and rework the proposition going forward collaboratively.
Perhaps they should hire Lee Newlyn as a consultant or relocate to Mayfield Market Town.
Update 20th December: the Midhurst and Petworth Observer has more information about the impending efforts to recover the costs of the appeal.
Our earlier reports on this potentially precedent-setting application can be found here (May 2013) and here (December 2013).