Plans for the Future

Singleton and Charlton Parish – Plans for the future

Where we are

The villages of Singleton and Charlton are nestled in the South Downs National Park on the edge of the Goodwood Estate. Our villages are vibrant with a supportive community and the vast majority of residents living and working here permanently. There is a large proportion of the community who have lived and grown up here along with the many others who have chosen this amazing place to create a new home.

What we have

There is huge popularity for this parish as we have not only access to the South Downs Way but also the Weald and Downland Museum, famous for its extraordinary collection of heritage buildings and also more recently, the location for the hugely successful tv programme the Repair Shop.

We have Two great pubs, The Partridge Inn and The Fox Goes Free along with the Gallery Tea Rooms. A beautiful church, mentioned in the Domesday book. Other visitor attractions include the Cricket pitch, play park, off road cycling, horse riding, school and village hall.

The past and the future

Historically there has been a lack of investment in the parish and this has meant that our infrastructure has seen better days. As a Parish Council we want to put this right especially as the villages become more popular as the pandemic has increased the awareness of our open spaces. We are also aware of the large developments in the surrounding areas such as Westhampnett, Oving, Lavant and Midhurst and these in turn are increasing the volume of traffic and visitors to our community. We want to future proof our Parish for the extension of the Centurion Way and further developments nearby.

Having held a public forum and circulated a community wide questionnaire, we know that top of the list for the community is an improved playground and providing facilities for the older children and a proper parking area by the Village Hall, opposite the school. We also know that the increase in cars both on the A286 and the surrounding lanes has increased speeding and anti-social driving.

We are committed to actioning the priorities of the community’s wish list.

The first project is to improve facilities for older children who live in the parish and also for visitors, creating a safe place to play. It will be located at Glebe Field which already has a fenced playground for little children. We want to create an area that is engaging and fun for children and their families. The area will include a basketball net, football net, hard surface for skateboards, roller skates and bikes which will go around the whole area of the field. We will also have a willow den and climbing frame along with picnic benches to create a community space for locals and visitors to enjoy. The second phase of the project is to replace some of the existing equipment in the smaller playground as it is beginning to reach the end of its life.

The second project is to improve the configuration of parking in the central part of Singleton village by the village hall and opposite the school. It is used by parents dropping off and collecting their children, visitors to the village hall and the many walkers accessing Levin Down and the South Downs Way. It is also used by visitors going to see the church and the playground.

In the winter months it is a mud bath and there is no safe way of exiting your car and walking to these places without walking on the road. The school and locals have all reported near misses and dangerous situations with the volume of vehicles.

The plans for this area are to create a permeable surface with designated parking spaces and a path that will lead from these spaces to both the village hall pavement and a crossing to the school and Levin Down. We want this to achieve a real sense of place and pride in this area of the village. The materials used will be environmentally friendly and sympathetic to our rural location. We are introducing heritage boards both in Charlton and at the entrance to Levin Down. They will highlight the historical significance of the area.

Traffic Calming

This project has been ongoing for some years and brings together the community’s views of more cars on the roads, more speeding and anti-social driving. Our aim is to address some of these issues and make our community roads safer.

To this end we have installed the gateways in Singleton with the second phase planned for Charlton. We have also installed the SID (speed indicator device) which moves around seven different locations in the parish.

We are in the process of further developing this project, working closely with West Sussex County Council and these proposals include a reconfiguration of the junction of Town Lane and the A286. Courtesy crossings on the A286 and a turning circle for the school.

Looking after our community

We have increased our budget for grass cutting and village maintenance to include the painting of the railings and cleaning of signs etc. The grass cutting is contracted out but everything else is done by an amazing group of volunteers who help with all these tasks.

All these projects connect our community and welcome visitors by providing a safe environment and allow our community to be proud of our parish and provide a sense of place. We hope that this is useful information for you and we look forward to working with you to achieve all of this.