Responding to concerns
Chichester is a beautiful place, with many strengths and some wonderful businesses, charities and communities. But many would agree it has seen better days and worry about it declining further.
Some of this (e.g. the shift to online shopping) is outside of the direct control or influence of local government. But this administration arrived with the view that it was our duty to try to turn things around – to end the neglect, to make long term investments in the rejuvenation of the fabric and communities of Chichester and to think ahead. We did so knowing that this would be neither quick, nor easy, and in the knowledge that the funding climate is constrained.
We are writing now in response to concerns raised in some of the recent letters to this paper. If we are to put Chichester on an upward trajectory, we cannot keep doing nothing, refusing to consider new ideas or approaches. Not everything we do will be of equal interest to all. The light show held in the canal basin was never going to appeal to everyone, but it was a fantastic, wellorganised event, enjoyed by a great number of people. If we can kick-start a virtuous circle of regular events and entertainments in Chichester, if we can bring more people into the city, this will provide economic support to those businesses that remain and incentivise the startup of new ones. And we MUST be inclusive. Together we can help Chichester shed its reputation as having nothing to offer anyone young and/or with children. It is in everyone’s interest for Chichester to be a place which offers something for all demographics. A stronger, healthier, happier society is the goal.
An ice rink at Priory Park won’t appeal to everyone either, but we have had a great many meetings with groups of residents and individuals concerned about the plans. Most people have been fair and open-minded. Few have simultaneously tried to argue that an ice rink in Priory Park should be opposed because of its carbon footprint and yet held at another location. We have also listened to the people who feel younger voices are not heard, that the park is there for the benefit of everyone, from people who would like an ice rink to complement Chichester city centre’s Christmas offering.
This administration hopes to be able to bring an ice rink back to Chichester because of all the wider benefits it can bring. Any site that could be chosen will involve tradeoffs. We have set ourselves a high bar: we have been very clear that we will only do this if the issues that arose in 2018 can be properly mitigated, if it can be done much better this time. We owe it to the community to try.
We could have held prices down at our car parks, ignoring the impact on the Council’s budget that will compound year after year. We chose instead to raise them in line with inflation. We chose to invest in making Chichester a place that people are happy to pay to visit, to support those struggling with the cost of living crisis, for additional help to the homeless, for a regeneration strategy for the city and investment in fighting climate change. We chose to invest for the long term.
We will continue to listen to Chichester’s diverse communities, adapting our plans where necessary and we will continue to think and plan for the long-term improvement of the city and surrounding area.