Helping Midhurst bounce back from fire and remain ‘open for business’ despite road closure

Last week, I met with West Sussex County Council and Chichester District Council to discuss progress in Midhurst including making the buildings safe, reopening the road and updates from the recently formed Midhurst Recovery Group.

We were given details on the support being put in place to help the community bounce back in the weeks and months ahead following last month’s fire.

The big question on a lot of peoples’ minds is North Street, and when exactly we will see the road opened back up for cars.

A full reopening ultimately depends on making the site safe, and the councils are liaising with the owners of The Angel Inn who have a team of engineers in place to work on fully securing the building, and to assess the next steps.

We discussed the complexities of the works ahead, particularly given the historical significance of the buildings involved, and I will remain in close contact with both councils and the SDNPA to support the road’s reopening as soon as possible.

In the meantime, the Recovery Group is trying to minimise disruption by reviewing the diversion routes regularly and deploying an on-site ‘find and fix’ team to patch any potholes and keep traffic moving smoothly.

The Recovery Group is also working directly with local businesses to help trading to continue.

They have offered free parking around the town, drop-in support sessions, and signage to make it clear that Midhurst remains ‘Open for Business’.

Chichester District Council have also provided a £300,000 support package which has now been made available to offer grant funding, training opportunities and promotional materials to businesses affected by the ongoing disruption.

I will continue to meet with the Recovery Group over the weeks ahead to see what more might be done, and I hope these measures will provide some reassurance to the business community in the meantime.

Lastly, a reminder that the deadline for applying for the new Voter Authority Certificate is April 25.

I know the vast majority of people will already have some form of photo ID and so won’t need the new certificate, but for anyone who is unsure, you can check out the Electoral Commission’s dedicated page at: www.electoralcommission.org.uk/i-am-a/voter/voter-id

My office can also be contacted on 0207 219 1193 if you need help.

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