Chichester District Council
Agenda item

Agenda item

Public Question Time

In accordance with Chichester District Council’s scheme for public question time and with reference with to standing order 6 in Part 4 A and section 5.6 in Part 5 of the Chichester District Council Constitution, the Cabinet will receive any questions which have been submitted by members of the public in writing by noon on the previous working day. The total time allocated for public question time is 15 minutes subject to the chairman’s discretion to extend that period.

Decision:

[NOT APPLICABLE – DETAILS IN MINUTES]

Minutes:

A public question had been received from Mr R E Plowman, who was the chairman of the Friends of Priory Park in Chichester.

 

Mr Plowman was in attendance. At Mr Dignum’s invitation he came forward to the officers’ committee table and read out the text of his question as follows.

 

[Note In the ensuing text IPPD denotes Initial Project Proposal Document]

 

Question

 

‘First of all I should like to thank Councillor Barrow and Jane Hotchkiss for addressing a recent meeting of the Friends of Priory Park. During the Q&A session it became apparent that the forthcoming IPPD concerning Priory Park – to be considered by Cabinet in February – has ballooned from a study to determine options for the redevelopment of the buildings in the North-West quadrant of the Park, to a wholesale examination of the status of the Park – in particular whether it should be closed at night and whether it should be changed from an enclosed green space to open parkland. In the view of the Friends and many Park users, both these options would give rise to considerable public anxiety and place children at unnecessary risk. This will certainly give rise to public opposition, lengthy consultations and possible legal challenges.

 

Priory Park is one of the city’s most popular destinations, noted for its rich heritage, its open space and calm ambience, and as a safe place for children to play – one of the factors that led to Chichester being chosen recently as one of the top five places in England and Wales in which to bring up a family. 

 

Would Cabinet agree that the Council's time, resources, and limited financial means, would be best served if the forthcoming IPPD was limited to its original purpose, and that as a baseline, the current status of the Park as an enclosed space, closed at night, should be retained?

 

Response

 

Mr Dignum read out the following reply to Mr Plowman’s question:

 

‘I can confirm that a proposal concerning Priory Park will be considered by Cabinet early next year. The proposal is for a consultant’s study of the options for the future of the buildings in the Park. The study should not affect the essential character of the Park which is largely laid to grass and enclosed with the gates locked after dark (except when, as in the past, there is an approved evening event).’

 

Supplementary Question

 

Mr Dignum offered to Mr Plowman the opportunity to ask one supplementary question. Mr Plowman accepted that invitation and asked for confirmation that the forthcoming IPPD would not be considering Priory Park as an open space without fencing and that it would continue to be kept closed at night.

 

Response

 

Mr Dignum replied by saying that the third and final sentence of his previous reply had answered that point and so he had no more to add. 

 

Mr Plowman expressed his gratitude to Mr Dignum.

 

 

[Note Minute paras 292 to 321 below summarise the consideration of and conclusion to agenda items 5 to 16 inclusive but for full details (excluding exempt agenda item 16) please refer to the audio recording facility via this link]

 

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