| Broadband Speed...the tale continues! |
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First some good news (for me anyway!). In April this year BT sent me an e-mail saying they were upgrading the broadband service to my area and I should see an improvement. This happened on April 8th and yes my broadband speed went from 1.4Mbps to 1.9 Mbps, a 30% improvement which appears to have been maintained. (BT is my ISP). The upgrade was due to the technology BT uses to connect the exchange to the outside world. Has anyone else seen any improvement?? Talking to others it would seem not. There has been no change to the cable infrastructure and rumours of a fibre optic link to the Shopwyke box are just that. Note that some people define Broadband as giving a minimum of 2Mbps download speed. The Parish Council have been actively looking for alternative ways of improving the service. Rutland Telecom was set up by local residents and successfully improved their broadband service and would carry out a survey in our area for a fee. A company called Kijoma supplies a WISP (wireless ISP) and is active in the Chichester area, capital costs are again involved. Another group called H2O are installing fibre optic local networks in urban areas of cities e.g. Bournemouth using existing drains /sewers to run the fibre optic cables instead of digging trenches. Railway routes are also a possibility for cable running. Grants may still be available to enable us to upgrade the infrastructure! However we need to work with Tangmere and Boxgrove, whose broadband speed is worse than Oving, to apply for some of this money asap. The Parish Council intend to set up a joint working party to explore these alternatives and to compare costs. Another option may be the formation of a Community Broadband Service for which finance may be available. www.samknows.com www.h2onetworksdarkfibre.com Roger Baynham rogerbaynham@hotmail.com Tel 01243 784595 |
| The Housing Development in Gribble Lane |
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In January 2009 planning permission
was granted for 10 properties to be built in Gribble Lane: 2 x 3
bedroom houses, 6 x 2 bedroom houses and 2 x 1 bedroom
bungalows. There will be parking for cars and bicycles on the
site and full landscaping and planting to enhance the area. Seaward Properties are developing the site in conjunction with Affinity Sutton who are a registered social landlord partner of Chichester District Council and will own the properties for perpetuity. Work was started in early July by the contractors TAV Projects Ltd and is expected to be completed by the end of March next year 2011. There is a notice board near the site which will report on progress and will soon have more detail about the housing for interested potential tenants. All work should take place between 7 am – 6 pm on Monday to Friday and 8 am to 1 pm on Saturday. The Parish Council has requested that all construction traffic use the High Street entrance to Gribble Lane and that deliveries should be, whenever possible, between the hours of 7-10.30am and 3-5.30pm, so avoiding busier times at the Gribble Inn. The plans for this site and associated documents can be viewed on the Chichester District Council website: www.chichester.gov.uk The application number is 08/01433. All the properties will be available for renting to people who have a direct connection with the local area and have registered an interest with the Chichester District Council. On the Chichester District Council website there is a lot of information about who will be able to apply for the housing and how to do it. To find this information use the following links starting on the website ‘home-page’: housing / finding a home / affordable housing to rent.....on this page look at the ‘related document’ on the right side and go to page 18 and read ‘Exceptions – balancing and creating sustainable communities’. Also on this page if you click on ‘New Housing Applications’ you will find an application form.
http://www.chichester.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=4714
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| Are you over 60 and do you have a disability? |
| If so you might find the West Sussex Community Transport Directory very useful. It gives details of transport available to over 60’s and disabled people in our community, apart form the normal public transport options. Copies of this booklet can be obtained by phoning the Highways Department on 01243 642105 or from the WSCC helpdesk, now in Chichester Library. |
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If you would like to contribute, anything to the website, please contact webmaster or ring Sue England
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| Taxi....? |
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Is there a resident Taxi Driver in Oving?
.....The residents of the mobile home park at Drayton want to
know....and so do we !...please contact webmaster. |