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The latest Chichester news: planning decisions, council and crime updates, business and community stories, each linked back to its official source.

Top story Chichester School Meals: 7 of 33 ISS Kitchens Miss a 5 ISS took over primary school meals in September. Its first 33 kitchen inspections in Chichester district gave 26 fives, five 4s and two 3s. The list by school. · 5 min read

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Food hygiene Chichester Food Hygiene: Four Rated 1 Since August The Cornish Bakery on North Street and Fratelli in Midhurst were both rated 1 in September. The late hygiene ratings from August and September, by premises. · 5 min read Chichester District Council Chichester Council Merger: No Decision Until Early 2027 West Sussex is one of two areas still waiting for a ruling. New councils now start in 2029, after shadow elections in 2028; district elections stay in May 2027. · 3 min read Environment Chichester Harbour Wins £250,000 Lottery Grant for Nature Chichester Harbour has won £250,000 from the National Lottery Heritage Fund to plan new bird islands and saltmarsh, and to bid for a bigger grant to build them. · 3 min read Charity UKHarvest Hits 10 Million Meals: Chichester Food Hub Dates UKHarvest, which began with one van in Chichester in 2017, has rescued 10 million meals' worth of food. Where its £5 food hubs run across the district. · 3 min read Council Chichester North Street Rebuild: Work Due Spring 2027 Rebuilding North and East Street is now due to start in March or April 2027, with £2m more up for approval, plus a self-service library at Minerva Heights. · 4 min read Planning Loxwood 223 Homes Backed by Officers Despite 124 Objections Up to 223 homes west of Loxwood go to planning committee on 4 November with a recommendation to approve. The parish council and 124 residents object. · 3 min read Business Graylingwell Cow Shed Opens: Organic Milk at the Pavilion Woodhorn Farm has opened its third Cow Shed at Graylingwell Pavilion: unhomogenised organic milk, six milkshakes and local produce, self-service. · 3 min read Council Chichester Council on Munya Chawawa: Abuse 'Has No Place' Chichester District Council says it is 'deeply saddened' by Munya Chawawa's account of racism and homophobia in the city. What it said, and what police have on record. · 3 min read Weather Bosham Flood Warning Lifted: No Alert for Wednesday Tide The Bosham and West Itchenor flood warning has ended, with no alert for the Chichester coast at Wednesday's tide. What Monday's warning covered, road by road. · 4 min read Chichester Chichester Claimant Count 2,325, Lowest Rise in West Sussex Chichester's claimant count rose by 20 in a year to 2,325 in September, the smallest rise in West Sussex. Under-25 claims are up 13.6%; August was revised down. · 4 min read Chichester South Street Assault: Police Seek Man After 1 Oct Hate Crime Sussex Police want to identify a man after an 18-year-old was headbutted outside Rapscallions in South Street, Chichester, on 1 Oct. Quote serial 1307 of 01/10. · 2 min read Police Chichester Homophobic Abuse: Boy, 16, Arrested and Bailed A 16-year-old has been arrested and bailed after a man in his 20s was followed and abused in Little London car park. Police treat it as a homophobic hate crime. · 2 min read St Richard's Hospital St Richard's First in UK to Open Heart Failure Obesity Trial St Richard's opened a Novo Nordisk heart failure and obesity drug trial 18 days after selection, first in the UK. Who it is for and how it works. · 3 min read Council Chichester Litter Fines: £150 On the Spot as Patrols Begin Litter patrols run across the Chichester district from 12 October: £150 on the spot for litter, £100 for dog mess, from Kingdom officers working for the council. · 3 min read Transport Oaklands Way Cycle Route: Have Your Say by 19 November A cycleway beside Oaklands Way, Northgate to College Lane, is out to consultation until 19 November. What it includes, the bus stop that goes, and the drop-in. · 3 min read Health Home Instead Chichester Rated Outstanding in All 5 CQC Areas Home Instead Chichester is the only West Sussex community care service rated Outstanding in all five CQC areas. Its scores, and what inspectors found. · 4 min read Council Chichester Dog Rules: Priory Park Ban Stays to 2029 Dogs stay banned from Priory Park and Bishop's Palace Gardens to 2029, and every fenced play area joins the list from 16 October. What changes, and the fines. · 5 min read Crime Chichester Crime Figures: Shoplifting Up 37% in a Year 449 crimes and anti-social behaviour reports in central Chichester in August, up from 343. Shoplifting rose 37% over the year and robbery doubled. · 6 min read Transport Chichester Trains: Havant Line Closure Ended 30 October The Havant signalling closure was booked to end on Friday 30 October, with no overrun announced. What ran during half term and what Network Rail did. · 7 min read Roadworks Stockbridge Road Closure Chichester: Shut Until 27 Nov Stockbridge Road is shut from the A27 roundabout to Grosvenor Road until 27 November. The signed diversion via Hunston, buses 52 and 53, and access. · 9 min read Council Oaklands Park Path Funded: £374,000 Route Due Spring 2027 An all-weather path across Oaklands Park to Oaklands Way and Broyle Road has its money, and tenders are next. It will not be lit: why, and what it costs. · 4 min read What's On Chichester's 1994 Rave Dream: Tickets From £15, Ends 17 Oct Chichester Festival Theatre's Midsummer Night's Dream, set at a 1994 South Downs rave, runs to 17 October: prices from £15, discounts, free post-show talk. · 3 min read Chichester Chichester house prices: £432,078, down £5,980 in a year July's district average is the lowest since February 2024. Flats fell 4.1%, and Horsham's lead as West Sussex's dearest district has doubled to £9,576. · 5 min read Housing Chichester's £1m Homelessness Fund: £562,000 Is New Money £438,000 of the council's £1m housing fund was already committed or spent. Where the other £562,000 goes, and the £280,000 family home it is buying. · 4 min read Selsey Seal Bay Resort, Selsey Sold: Haven Name From 2027 Haven took control of Seal Bay Resort on 15 September, filings show. It keeps its name for 2026, then becomes Haven's 40th park. What bookers and owners need. · 5 min read Chichester Chichester Street Works: West Street From 5 Oct, End 22 Dec West Street is dug up from 5 October and South Street to 22 December, after a second redraw. Every street and date, and the £10.5m scheme behind the work. · 9 min read Selsey Selsey Coastal Scheme Exhibition: 15 to 17 October The £250m scheme's public exhibition runs 15 to 17 October at Selsey Town Hall. Opening hours here, and why the project's own site does not list it. · 4 min read Planning Chichester Local Plan: 991 Homes a Year, Have Say by 25 Sep Chichester must plan for about 991 homes a year, against 638 when its plan was adopted, and says a new settlement is now on the table. Views close 5pm Friday. · 9 min read Business Chichester BID Ballot: 1.7% Levy Confirmed, Vote by 19 Nov The final plan keeps the rise to 1.7%: a £10,000 rateable value means £170 a year. Ballot papers go out 20 October and must be back by 5pm on 19 November. · 8 min read Chichester Chichester Claimant Count Rises to 2,365, Under-25s Up 17% Chichester's claimant count hit 2,365 in August, and 55 of the 95 extra claimants on the year are aged 16 to 24. Under-25 claims are up 16.9%, England's 9.4%. · 8 min read Chichester Chichester Planning: 317 Homes Approved, Only 19 Permitted Chichester's planning committee said yes to all six schemes on 9 September, including 265 homes at Westhampnett. A week on, only 19 of them have permission. · 9 min read Chichester District Council Chichester Council Merger Paused, May 2027 Elections On Chichester's move into a new unitary council is on hold with no timetable, and the district elections will now go ahead in May 2027 on existing wards. · 9 min read Planning M&S Chichester: North Street to Close by April 2028 Councillors backed the M&S full-line store at the old Homebase on 9 September; permission follows a Section 106. North Street goes, East Street becomes a foodhall. · 6 min read Selsey Selsey Sea Defences: £250m Plan Picks Rock Revetment Cabinet backed the leading option on 1 September: sloping rock defences along 4.5km of Selsey coast, at £250m to £294m. Public exhibition in October. · 5 min read Business Star and Garter East Dean: £96,690 Owed, HMRC Top Creditor The statement of affairs filed at Companies House lists £96,690 owed by the East Dean pub company. HMRC takes £58,025 of it, named suppliers £38,665. · 5 min read Business The Beach Bracklesham: £450,270 Deficit, £151,644 PAYE Owed The statement of affairs for Billy's on the Beach Limited shows a £450,270 deficiency and £151,644 of PAYE owed to HMRC. The Bracklesham venue is still trading. · 6 min read St Richard's Hospital St Richard's Hospital: 850 Solar Panels Approved 850 solar panels approved for seven St Richard's Hospital roofs on 21 August. Nobody objected, and the whole lot arrives in one 6am Saturday delivery. · 7 min read Food hygiene Chichester Food Hygiene: 1,233 of 1,304 Rate 5 Chichester district beats Arun by eleven points on top hygiene ratings. But every rating published here in the last 30 days was a 5, and that is not luck. · 7 min read Chichester Harbour Chichester Sewage Works Gets £25m to Add 57% Capacity Southern Water has started a £25m upgrade at Apuldram, the works the council says is already at environmental capacity. It is not due to finish until spring 2029. · 8 min read Selsey Selsey Seawall Works: Beach Ramp Shut for 12 Weeks Urgent work on the West Beach seawall shuts the beach access ramp for about 12 weeks. The council's own pages give three different start dates. · 7 min read Chichester Chichester claimant count: one ward 6%, another 1.3% Chichester Central has the 4th highest claimant rate of West Sussex's 133 wards at 6.0%. Loxwood, at the district's northern edge, is on 1.3%. · 5 min read Chichester Chichester house prices at their lowest since Feb 2024 The district average fell £9,921 in a year to £429,978, the 25th steepest drop of 295 English districts. Only 62 fell at all, and Horsham is now dearer. · 5 min read Chichester Harbour Chichester Harbour's 1973 boat rules: survey shuts 30 Aug The rulebook for 9,000 boats in Chichester Harbour was confirmed in 1973. The Conservancy is replacing it, and its survey of harbour users closes on 30 August. · 6 min read Education Chichester research week: free public lecture, Alex Polizzi The University of Chichester opens its first Research and Innovation Week to residents from 7 September. The public keynote and business breakfast are both free. · 4 min read Events Chichester Medieval Market was a one-off: what is on next The Medieval Market ran once, on 5 September 2026, with no repeat. The nearest medieval market now is Michaelmas at Singleton, 3 and 4 October. Checked 24 September. · 12 min read Business Chichester BID levy to rise to 1.7% if November vote passes Chichester BID wants a fourth five-year term with the levy up from 1.25% to 1.7% of rateable value. Consultation closes 17 August; postal ballot closes 5pm on 19 November. · 4 min read Business Star and Garter East Dean pub company in liquidation The Goodwood Estate village pub's company was wound up on 5 August, but a Gazette notice sets out the plan for a new company to keep it trading. · 3 min read Business Billy's on the Beach company liquidated; venue still open The company behind Bracklesham Bay's famous beach cafe went into liquidation on 30 July. The venue, relaunched as The Beach, is still trading daily. · 2 min read