Thoughts on holiday in West Sussex

I suppose that it is natural that when an aspect of your life changes you see things quite differently.

We have just returned from our annual trip to West Sussex. We go to a cottage on the South Downs, just inland from Shoreham where we spend a week going for lovely walks, meeting friends who live in the area and also having a little cultural enjoyment. The weather wasn’t great on this occasion, although we did manage a few walks between showers. I now however don’t seem to be able to look at anywhere in England without thinking about things from a Local Government point of view, (‘sad or what?’ As my son might say)

So the picture on the left above is of a really awful example of fly tipping photographed on the fantastic road that runs right over the top of the Downs between Steyning and Shoreham. I really am at a loss to know what can be done about this problem. We are plagued by it here on the outskirts of Sudbury, and it is clearly a nationwide issue. In the most recent edition of EADT Suffolk, Bill Bryson, the new president of the Campaign to Protect Rural England also fulminates against litter louts. He writes

‘I have said that there should be a shoot to kill policy for offenders – maybe that’s a bit much but I do thing there should be stiffer fines and community service orders for fly tippers’.

In the same feature ( page 152 ) there is a comment from Jo Hart, Enforcement Officer at Babergh about the efforts that the council is making in this area.

But it seems it is still proving difficult to catch the ‘offenders’. From my own observation of piles of refuse that appear on the roadside, it is certain that they are dumped late at night. Most of the waste seems to come from building works, or from domestic gardens, which implies clearly that some people don’t want to pay the extra charges levied for this type of waste disposal. The rubbish is free from paperwork which might be incriminating evidence of who is to blame. Any further suggestions about how to deal with this question would be very welcome!

On a brighter note, the other picture is a shot of the new East Beach Café in Littlehampton which has been featured in the national press in recent weeks. I do like to see buildings that display innovative and interesting design. It is clear that the way ahead for architecture in the 21^st century is a bold shift away from modernist geometric angles towards curves and shapes that are closer to nature. This can’t be a bad thing. When are the people who are planning the built environment in and around Babergh going to catch up with the trend however? The question must be asked. People in Suffolk should be able to enjoy some exciting, energy efficient, well designed contemporary building that dares to break the mould.

The picture posted below shows a more traditional picture of the South Downs. Only two and a half hours away from here on a good day, and a lovely place for a break.