Chichester City Council wants to hear from residents after draft five-year plan published

Released earlier this week, the city plan covers the years 2024 to 2029 and lays out the council’s plans for the city. In order to make sure the plan meets the needs of residents and visitors, city councillors are keen to hear from both as part of a public consultation.

The current plans have identified four key areas, against which all potential policies will be measured. These are: Creating a vibrant, thriving and active community, preserving the city’s heritage, filling gaps in the city’s infrastructure, and improving the environment. All new and potential policy decisions, the council has said, will be evaluated in terms of their relevance to these goals.

As part of these aims, the council’s draft plan lays out a commitment to continue a number of existing policies – such as organising Chichester’s annual remembrance parade – as well as introducing new ones.

Organised across the four priority areas, these new policies include employing an advice worker at the council house to provide face to face support for residents, making £100,000 of city council funding available to the voluntary sector, expanding the city gala, providing free hire of council facilities to the voluntary sector, establishing forums and communication channels for arts and voluntary groups to communicate, improving communication with residents across multiple forums, and participating in next year’s Owl Art Trail to encourage visitors to the city.

More ambitious projects include building a community centre in the south of the city if an appropriate site can be secured, installing an outdoor performance space in one of the city parks, improving the city's playgrounds, improving the council house assembly rooms and much more.

To take part in the public consultation and make your voice heard, make sure to visit chichestercity.gov.uk and click on the city tab plan. City council officers currently estimate that the improvements outlined will add £6.58 per year to a Band D property council tax bill, taking the parish precept up from £64.18 in 2023/24 to £70.76 in 2024/25.