Welcome to Harting Parish Council's Website
Latest News
Tree planting 6th Feb - click for pictures and information
The Warren - Parish Council update
On 6th February executives from the Tree Council and DEFRA (Department for environment, food and rural affairs) are holding a team building day in Harting. During the morning they will be planting 300-400 trees and shrubs at the top, southern end of the Warren.
The time spent here will help to highlight the impact of ash dieback and the challenges that will be faced on a national basis as the disease spreads.
The Council is very grateful to the Tree Council for funding all the trees, guards and stakes for this event. A newly developed cardboard tree guard will be trialled in this area in a bit to cut down on plastic.
Further to this, the Parish Council has commissioned Petra Billings, a woodland consultant, to produce a replanting scheme which will be used to continue the replanting work in the Warren, as well as to support grant applications.
It is hoped to form a series of working groups in the future to plant, weed and maintain the areas, please do contact me if you would be interested in becoming involved in these groups.
The footpaths are still in a muddy and slippery condition and a 6 month closure has been put in place. The contractors have taken responsibility for the paths and will be working with WSCC and the Parish Council to find a solution.
Trish Walker, clerk@harting-pc.gov.uk
Traffic Update from Harting Parish Council
I am pleased to confirm that the Council has purchased a Speed Indicator Device (SID) and this will be put in place on the Petersfield road on Sunday.
The SID can only be kept in one position for 3 weeks at a time before being moved to another location. At this point there are only 2 positions agreed with WSCC in the village, they depend on a suitable post and sufficient visibility.
It is hoped that further locations may be found in the future, particularly in Nyewood.
The Council is also keen to gather a group of volunteers willing to train for Speedwatch. We have two volunteers from a previous call out, but need more to ensure the scheme has a chance of getting off the ground.
The Council is also working towards plans for a safer crossing to South Gardens which is a longer term project, further updates will be given.
If you are interested in volunteering for Speedwatch or have any other queries please email Trish Walker clerk@harting-pc.gov.uk.
Warren Footpaths - Update 16 January 2020
The footpaths throughout the area of the Warren were closed for a further 21 day period on 13th January due to the muddy and dangerous conditions resulting from the recent tree works and the excessively wet weather conditions.
A further 6 month closure will be put in place to enable the footpaths to dry out. Towards the end of this period the contractors will liaise with WSCC to agree how to make the paths passable and safe once more.
Warren Footpaths - Update 30 December 2019
The footpaths throughout the area of the Warren were closed for a 21 day period from 23 December following a meeting between the Parish Council, WSCC Rights of Way and the contractors carrying out the recent ash dieback tree works.
The closures will be reviewed at the end of this period and measures will be discussed to improve the state of the pathways.
The Council thank you for your patience
Tree Update 10 December 2019
It was originally anticipated that the Council’s tree works would be completed in November. However, as many residents will be aware, completion was delayed because SSE has to shut down the power line running across the southern end of South Gardens.
The planned electricity outage, which affects a very small number of properties, will be on Thursday, 12 December but is only for a few hours. During the days preceding this, the contractors will be bringing equipment to the site in readiness for rapid felling of designated trees in the vicinity of the power line. The timber and brash will then be removed via the main north-south path in the Warren to the loading bay on the B2146.
While the felling and extraction are underway, some areas will be cordoned off by banksmen: they will indicate which areas of South Gardens and the Warren can be accessed safely.
It is expected that the timber removal will be completed on Friday, 13 December. Re-profiling of paths and the installation of a bund across the loading bay is due to be undertaken in the week beginning 16 December.
Once again, the Council once again thanks you for your patience.
The Warren update
It would be good to say that tree felling and path reinstatement in South Gardens and The Warren is complete. Unfortunately because there is a power line running across the southern end of South Gardens, which Scottish and Southern Electricity is not in a position to switch it off until 12th December, it means that there will be major disruption that day, and into the following week as the contractors fell the trees near the power lines, extract the timber and make good any damage. This will include further re-instatement of the extraction route into the week commencing 16th December. We can only hope that it is not as wet when they are doing this as it has been during the past month.
As anyone who has walked into the Warren will have seen, the result of removing the very high numbers of ash trees that were growing there is a major change in its appearance. You are seeing it at its worse as the paths will settle down over the winter and into the spring, and then the rest of the area will start to revegetate. Whilst we might plant some trees before next spring, the current plan is to first tidy up some areas as necessary. We will then monitor the regrowth of existing trees and shrubs, indigenous plants and young saplings during next summer. To ensure the best outcome we will take advice as to what types and numbers of replacement trees we plant, as well as ensuring that some areas are left clear and managed as glades. The Woodland Management plan for the area will provide useful guidance. We will provide monthly updates, noting that the January magazine goes to bed on 13th December, the day after the electricity is cut off. Andrew Shaxson
Conditions in The Warren and South Gardens
The ground to the eastern side of South Gardens and the footpaths leading up into the Warren are currently deeply rutted and slippery as a result of the tree works and the very wet weather conditions.
Work to re-profile the footpaths will be starting on Monday and this will improve access to the areas concerned.
Tree works in the Warren and South Gardens
Thank you so much for your patience and understanding during the recent period of disruption.
The work in the Warren and South Gardens is coming to an end, the footpaths are expected to be re-opened by 16th November. The ash trees within the area have been removed along with a small number of other trees for thinning and management purposes.
Inevitably with such intensive works the area looks substantially different and you will notice there are some large open spaces where trees once stood and some of the ground has been disturbed by the machinery carrying out the works. All of these things will settle and time along with careful management will allow the area to thrive once again with more varied flora and fauna.
The next step is to wait and see how the woodland will start to naturally replenish itself, and then starting in the Spring the Council, hopefully with a band of volunteers, will start to assess and protect the regrowth in the area and then form a plan for replanting.
The Woodland Management Plan providing more information about this can be viewed by clicking on "Documents" and then "Reports" in the right hand column of this website.
As mentioned above, the Council will be hoping to arrange some volunteer groups to work within the area, if you are interested in taking part or just wish to be kept up to date please contact Trish Walker, email: clerk@harting-pc.gov.uk
Information about the Council
Harting Parish Council meets on the third Thursday of the month, except August. Occasionally meetings may be held at other times if business requires it.
Meetings are held in Harting Community Hall, South Harting at 7.30pm.
Harting Parish Council - Clerk: Trish Walker
email: clerk@harting-pc.gov.uk
contact number: 01730 825201
Chairman: Andrew Shaxson
email: a.shaxson@harting-pc.gov.uk
Vice Chairman: Sheila Bramley
email: s.bramley@harting-pc.gov.uk
- Tim Bonner t.bonner@harting-pc.gov.uk
- Sally Bull s.bull@harting-pc.gov.uk
- Sheila Bramley s.bramley@harting-pc.gov.uk
- Penny Curran p.curran@harting-pc.gov.uk
- Sunny Dawson s.dawson@harting-pc.gov.uk
- Stephanie Gaterell s.gaterell@harting-pc.gov.uk
- Nigel Johnson Hill n.johnsonhill@harting-pc.gov.uk
- Jill Martin j.martin@harting-pc.gov.uk
- John Miller j.miller@harting-pc.gov.uk
- Anthony Palmer a.palmer@harting-pc.gov.uk
- Andrew Shaxson a.shaxson@harting-pc.gov.uk