See above the Biodiversity Stand at the School fete 21st June 2025

Increasing Biodiversity and maintaining our wild species.

Biodiversity– the Council has a duty to conserve and enhance biodiversity and must consider what policies, objectives, and action it can take, consistent with the exercise of its functions, to further the general biodiversity objective. Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006, s.40 & Environment Act 202, s.102

Help for the wildlife in the summer months-

Things to do to encourage biodiversity in your garden during the Winter-

Feed the birds with peanuts, sunflower hearts, seeds and fat balls. Clean feeders and bird tables regularly.

Provide water – a bird bath or pond ensuring it doesn’t freeze over when very cold

Leave areas of leaves and twigs or overgrown grass for insects and toads

Create log or stone piles or build an insect hotel!

Consider leaving plants unpruned with seed heads intact.

Avoid chemicals for obvious reasons!

Check bonfires for hedgehogs and small animals before lighting.

Plant winter flowering honeysuckle, hellebores and Mahonia or native trees with winter berries.

Mulch flower beds to insulate soil but leave bare patch for solitary bees to bury and hide in.

Leave hedge trimming until Jan/Feb as they provide cosy places for insects when wet and cold

Create nesting sites- bird and bat boxes- clean out bird boxes just before spring

Reduce artificial lighting in garden as it disrupts nocturnal animals during winter in particular

Join the working group or autumn project to clear and plant in the community gardens

Take a look at the photographs on our website.

https://www.plaistowandifold-pc.gov.uk/the-drive-ifold-bus-stop-conservation-project

Phase 2 maintenance of the area will involve initially cutting down and clearing away the vegetation growth to reduce the fertility of the soil. This encourages biodiversity and over time further species will grow in the area. Natural processes may need a little help from the Biodiversity Working Group.

Conclusion re request for a 40mph TRO along Shillinglee Road- Refused June 2025

Our ref: 40mph Traffic Regulation Order application – Shillinglee Road – Northchapel - 622445

Sorry for my delay in responding, I have recently been away on annual leave.

Ultimately given the average speeds, an application for a 40mph speed limit here would not be suitable as the data suggests a 40mph speed limit would not suit the road as per the route functionality and could encourage vehicle speeds to increase. This could inadvertently raise vehicle speeds in some unsuitable areas and would not be best practise, as this could create a safety issue.

Average speeds on the Plaistow Road section were 23.8mph, so it may be that there is a perception of speeding rather than the vast majority of vehicles speeding. In narrow and rural roads, vehicle speeds can feel excessive however as stated previously, the National Speed Limit encourages motorists to adapt their speed to the layout of the road and drive to the prevailing conditions of the environment.

I would like to thank you for your understanding and encourage residents to report speeding issues directly to Sussex Police through Operation Crackdown, of which the Police can investigate and assess the areas of concern and enforce the issues with unlawful driving behaviour.

Kind regards,

Olly King

Traffic Engineer

Western Area (Arun & Chichester)

Highways, Transport and Planning

CONCLUSION: from WSCC Highways- Refused June 2025.

Our ref: 30mph Traffic Regulation Order application – Shillinglee Road – Northchapel - 622445

Thank you for your patience with your TRO application requesting a speed limit change on Shillinglee Road and Plaistow Road.

I appreciate your engagement with the community around enhancing road safety. Please be advised that I have now progressed to a Detailed Assessment after receiving speed data.

I can now confirm after thorough assessment in line with West Sussex County Council’s Speed Limit Policy and the Traffic Regulation Order application assessment process, your application has failed the Detailed Assessment due to insufficient scoring in the SPACE assessment.

The Traffic Regulation Order Detailed SPACE Assessment has a set criteria scored on Safety, People, Access, Cost and Environment. With a lack of evidenced safety issue at this location, it is unlikely that this application can be prioritised at this time. In the ‘Safety’ section of the Detailed Assessment we look at Road Traffic Collision Data, to determine if the TRO proposal could have a positive impact on road safety, however, there is no Road Traffic Collision Data at this location that relates to a speed issue. Whilst I can appreciate the images you provided of collisions nearby, there is no evidence provided that these are speed related. The collision history over the past 5 year period does not demonstrate a pattern of collisions that would warrant an intervention such as a speed limit reduction.

The ‘People’ section of the Traffic Regulation Order Detailed Assessment requires us to investigate if the issue is a community wide problem. We have searched our records to determine whether any other reports from members of the public relating to this issue have been received, of which no reports were received over the last 3 year period that relate to a speeding issue.

With this said, the Speed Data assessment demonstrates that whilst the existing section of road national speed limit, the average vehicle speeds and 85th percentile of speeds are well below this. I understand that there will always be some motorists that go above the speed limit, however it would therefore seem the case that speeding is a perception in certain areas rather than the majority of road users speeding. A national speed limit section of road allows motorists to alter their speed in alignment with the prevailing road conditions, of which the speed data demonstrates vehicles are travelling at speeds to suit the road, also shown by the fact there has been no speed related collisions. This means that signing a speed limit of 30mph may increase certain speeds in areas, and encourage a number of motorists to speed up.

Whilst we acknowledge the importance of road safety and safer road systems, ultimately it would appear that the current data and road conditions do not support a change in speed limit. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for applying through the Traffic Regulation Order process and suggest that any unlawful driving behaviour or general driving concerns are reported directly to Sussex Police (via Operation Crackdown:Operation Crackdown) and the existing speed limit be enforced accordingly.

I apologise that this may not be the outcome you were hoping for but I hope you can appreciate our stance at this stage.

Kind regards,

Olly King

Traffic Engineer

Western Area (Arun & Chichester)

Highways, Transport and Planning

Place services

West Sussex County Council

Location:Western Area Office, Drayton Lane, Chichester, West Sussex, PO20 2AJ

Contact:Internal: 01243 642105 |Mobile:07395855000| E-mail:Oliver.King@WestSussex.gov.uk

In April the Parish Council submitted a Traffic Regulation Order proposal to WSCC Highways to reduce the speed limit entering the main settlement area of Shillinglee to 30mph

WSCC have responded as set out below. The process is expected to take 12 months.

Our ref: Traffic Regulation Order application – Shillinglee Road – Northchapel - 622445

Thank you for your Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) application for Shillinglee Road, Northchapel. Please quote ref number 622445 in any future correspondence.

I can now confirm that your TRO application has found its way to myself as the Area Traffic Engineer for the Chichester District.

Please note that the TRO process is a democratic process. This means that any proposal may be implemented in full, in part or declined by the Assistant Director due to objections or representations at the formal consultation stage. Please be aware that funding a proposal does not guarantee that it will be implemented any sooner, if at all.

Successful applications will be included on a programme, where further feasibility and design work may take place. A proposal will then be subject to a three-week statutory advertisement or ‘formal public consultation’. In addition to a notice being placed in the local paper, site notices may also be erected at the location of the proposal. Once the formal consultation period is over, a final decision on the TRO may be required by the County Council’s Assistant Director, Highways Transport and Planning. If the TRO is approved, arrangements are made for the necessary signs and road markings to be provided. A final notice will also be advertised in a local paper stating when the TRO will come into effect. In total, it may take approximately 12 months for a TRO application to proceed to implementation.

I have now carried out an Initial Assessment on your application, and before I progress to a Detailed Assessment, I will be requesting speed data to carry out a speed data assessment.

The speed data assessment will help us to determine if the 30mph speed limit proposal aligns with the West Sussex County Council Speed Limit Policy.

Once I have received and assessed speed data, I will update you accordingly.

Kind regards,

Olly King

Traffic Engineer

Western Area (Arun & Chichester)

Highways, Transport and Planning

Place services

West Sussex County Council