My family and I live at The Old Rectory, Bookers Lane, Earnley PO20 7JH. Since my daughter finished university last year, this includes myself, my 22 year old son, and my lodger in a self-contained flat. My mother lives in Manorfield, a care home adjacent to our property. Prior to this we were her primary carers in East Wittering.
I'm writing due to my concern over the lack of a development plan for Earnley parish. While we are part of East Wittering constituency and the village is our commercial hub, there are no plans for our village which is aging as young villagers move out. There is a need for affordable housing in our area. For example, my.lodger, a veteran whose family lives in Bracklesham, has been renting from us for seven years and my eldest son returned home after university but purchased a shared mortgage in Portsmouth due to lack of affordable local housing here.
Secondly, The closing of Earnley Concourse and subsequent fire has hit the social life of Earnley residents hard. It not only brought visitors to the village but provided a venue for parish council meetings, lectures, garden parties and events, as well as being a polling station. The only development suggested for it was as an adult refugee centre, which was withdrawn. This recent loss of social activities is damaging to young people and the elderly, lessening the connection they have to their neighbourhood. I can't see a way to fund replacement village facilities without development within Earnley, which is affected by the many developments at Bracklesham, on both sides of Clappers Lane.
I hope CDC will consider and mention Earnley in their deliberations for the plan. At the moment our lovely village is floating in limbo.