NEWS RELEASES
Exhibition to mark 25 years of district progress
9th January 2004
FOR several years the council's annual exhibition has been a big attraction for Horsham residents.
This year's event will be a bit different, in that it will focus on our historical heritage and will also reflect on how the district has evolved during the past 25 years.
There will be three separate displays, all at Horsham Museum in The Causeway, commencing with "Why, What, When Horsham Changed" (January 16-February 14). This will illustrate just how much has changed, highlighted by the reshaping of the town centre and the emergence of numerous community, leisure and sporting facilities, the culmination of a determined planning process that began in the 1980s.
But we will also be looking forward. In a two week display commencing on January 26 we will be presenting plans and ideas for three significant projects expected to progress during 2004: the TA Drill Hall land off Denne Road, Horsham Town Hall and the Medwin Walk area. All issues of considerable public interest.
The final event will be called Tales from the Sundial (February 23 to April 17) exploring some of the historical stories told in the exquisite Sundial which now takes pride of place at The Forum off Blackhorse Way.
Whilst most of the big changes are now behind us, the year ahead will continue to see progress, including completion of the car park, shops, and homes at Blackhorse Way and new doctors' surgeries in Horsham and Southwater. Starts are expected on the Y Centre in Horsham, the new Southwater village centre and Pulborough Medical Centre on the former Spiro Gills land. I hope that we will also see further progress towards the £3.5 million Billingshurst swimming pool.
In Spring we will be publishing a Local Plan document which will outline many future prospects, including the earmarking of land to the west of Horsham for housing and a very exciting scheme that could see Sussex University opening a campus here. The Acorn recycling project will be running across the whole of the district by summer and targets are already being exceeded.
We are in need of better tourism services in the town and this could be achieved by moving the present office to the ground floor of the Town Hall and combining it with a new general information service. This part of town could be further enhanced by making Market Square pedestrian only and by developing feature gardens directly in front of the Museum building in The Causeway.
We hope to keep the Drill Hall for community purposes but to use the land around it for a range of needs including social housing and offices for voluntary and health organisations. At Medwin Walk we plan to proceed with lift access into the Albion Way car park, and to provide a realigned subway under Albion Way linking up with a Jubilee gateway and the new Park Surgery.
More details of these three proposals will be on show and I hope you will have time to find out more at our Horsham Museum displays.
May I wish everyone a successful year ahead.
Ends
Councillor Vivien Lyth, The Chairman, Horsham District Council, Park North, North Street, Horsham, RH12 1RH.
E-mail: contactchairman@horsham.gov.uk
CONTACT: Richard Morris, Communications Manager
(01403 215549)