Chairman’s Report

Whilst talking to a resident the other day, she commented 'two more weeks and the Christmas lights can go up'! This reminded me that Christmas is very nearly upon us again and the park will look very jolly and festive with the many decorations that our residents put up on their homes. What a difference they make in the winter gloom, although we have been very fortunate this year with a very warm autumn.

Our Christmas coffee morning is planned for the 15th December, with plenty of festive goodies. This year we plan to combine it with a 'drop in' session attended by Trading Standards and a Police representative to give you all the opportunity to discuss the proposal that the park is declared a No Cold Calling Zone. We would urge as many of you to attend as possible.

Park Rules
The new Park Rules became effective on the 8th November; please make sure that you keep these rules in a safe place, together with your agreement and Implied Terms. If you currently have your home for sale, you need to be aware that you (the vendor) are responsible for ensuring that the new occupier has the correct park rules. If you have just recently moved on to the park and are not sure whether you have the new rules, please ask any committee member, we will be pleased to supply you with a copy.

My best wishes to you all for Christmas and the New Year.

Next of Kin
For our new residents and as a reminder to everyone else, can you please remember to let the Park Manager have a note of the name, address and telephone number of your 'Next of Kin' so that should any situation or emergency arise, Office Staff are in a position to contact them.

Petition to Re-Route the No. 84 Bus

Now that Tulleys has downsized and there is now only a cafe, the Residents Committee feels that it would be appropriate at this stage to draw up a Petition asking if the No. 84 bus could return to its previous route through Crawley Down. This way our residents could get to the shops, Doctors' Surgery etc. Please read and sign the attached Petition and drop it in to the appropriate box in the Office. Many thanks.

External Electricity Boxes
Will all residents remember that the Electricity Boxes outside your homes and all the cabling from the box to your home is the responsibility of Berkeley Parks. If, therefore, you have a problem with the box or the external cabling you should, in the first instance, call the office staff who will investigate and carry out all necessary work. If you call out an electrician, you will be responsible for any charges involved.

Responsibility for Residents' Plotscams - How to Protect Yourself
It has come to the attention of our President, who is an IPHAS Consultant, that we are all under the mistaken idea that we are only responsible for 3 metres of land around our homes. This, in fact, is not the case. IPHAS have advised that, when you buy your home, you become responsible for the plot of land (ie.your pitch) which goes with it and it is your responsibility to maintain it in a neat and tidy condition in accordance with the Implied Terms which form part of your Agreement. The only part of your pitch where the 3 metres applies is the distance between you and your neighbour's home. Each of you must have 3 metres so that the distance between the 2 homes is at least 6 metres. A resident cannot ask the Park Owner to take some of the pitch back nor to maintain it and the Park Owner cannot (except through consultation) take back any part of your pitch. We are entitled to the quiet enjoyment of our homes. The residents who live on the perimeter of the park and those whose homes are on the oldest parts of the park, in the main, have the largest pitches and are most affected.

Responsibility for Vehicle Hard Standingseighbourhood Watch [NHW]
Whilst investigating a query made by a resident on the Park regarding who was responsible for repairs to their hard standing, we have discovered through IPHAS that, under the Implied Terms of your Agreement No. 21(d)(ii) you have to keep your home and pitch in a clean and tidy condition and this includes your vehicle hard standing provided that it forms part of your pitch. If you are in any doubt, check it out

Office E-Mail
If you find it more convenient, you can contact the Office by e-mail and the address is: - turnershilloffice@berkeleyparks.co.uk.
As a reminder, if you have a complaint or problem, then please, in the first instance, contact the Park Office and give them the chance to sort our your problems and only if you get no satisfaction, then come to the Association.

Emergency Arrangements
In the event of emergencies during weekdays, residents should phone the Park Office. If no one is available, then the answering machine will click in and ask you to leave your name, address, telephone number and the nature of the emergency. Your message will then be picked up as soon as someone is back in the office and it will be dealt with then. Should the emergency occur when the office is closed for the evening, the message will be picked up first thing the next morning. If the emergency occurs at the weekend when the office is unmanned, then the office phone will transfer to Paul Diplock's home number and, if he is not there, he will pick up the message which you have left on his answering machine as soon as he returns. If you still feel that this is not sufficient for your purpose, there is an emergency number outside the office which goes directly to one of the Directors at Head Office and he will contact another Park Manager on their mobile phone and relay the message and the nature of the emergency. The emergency number is 01935-862079. We are very fortunate in having several members of park staff living on the park but it has to be remembered that they are entitled to their leisure time and cannot expect to be available 24/7. Every effort will, of course, be made to deal with all emergencies as quickly as possible.

Make Your Shed Safe
Sussex Police are encouraging Mid Sussex residents to take a few simple steps that will help to keep their shed safe and secure;

o Use a good quality padlock or mortice lock on the door of your shed

o Protect the boundary and access to your garden with fences, walls and

lockable gates

o Make sure the door panel on your shed is strong enough

o Put up security lighting around your shed

o Lock valuable items together to prevent them being removed easily

o Help to track your property by registering it for FREE at:- www.immobilise.com