As coronavirus restrictions continue to be lifted and as the weather improves, we've worked with our partners to produce the following advice and guidance to help you keep yourself and others safe when out about across our beautiful district.

Public facilities

• Public conveniences and car parks are openChichester District Council's parking and toilet facilities are open across the district. Toilets are regularly inspected and cleaned, including over the weekends and Bank Holidays. For details on all of our sites, please visit our public toilets page. 
• Staying safe in our car parksPlease make sure that you keep a distance between yourself and others while in our car parks and follow our safety signage. You can also use the contactless payment system, MiPermit. Just download the app and follow the instructions. This also allows you to extend your stay without having to return to your vehicle. Find out more on our MiPermit page. 

Roads and cycle lanes

• Parking on roadsPlease make sure that you follow the parking rules across the district. The majority of people are very conscientious, but some people can be inconsiderate in the way they park and this can cause safety issues.Civil Enforcement Officers patrol the district seven days a week and in the evenings to help keep you safe and support local residents. Our Parking Services team plan for an increased number of visitors to the area during Public and Bank Holidays and over the summer by increasing patrols to coastal areas. If you are affected by inconsiderate parking, you can 'report it' on our website.

  The level of Penalty Charge Notices is set nationally - these are currently £70 or £50.

   

• Police SupportSussex Police can direct resources where available to carry out enforcement on vehicles that are causing an unnecessary obstruction and dangerously parked vehicles, where Civil Enforcement Officers (CEOs) do not have the powers to do so. Civil Enforcement Officers will continue to provide advice or issue Penalty Charge Notices where contraventions occur on yellow line or sign restrictions.You can find out more on the  West Sussex County Council website(Opens in a new window)  and on the Sussex Police website.(Opens in a new window)

  Sometimes you may experience problems with verge parking in your local area. It's worth being aware that the highway consists of not only the road, but the verge and pavements. If a yellow line is present, a Civil Enforcement Officer may be able to issue a Penalty Charge Notice. However, if there are no restrictions present, the council are unable to enforce. In these cases, Sussex Police will be able to consider issuing Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) as they would do on private roads, subject to their resources. The powers relating to verge parking is currently under consideration by the Government

   

• Obstructed cycle lanes and pathwaysThese should be reported to Sussex Police on 101. 
• Highway signsTo help ease traffic in coastal areas during busy times, West Sussex County Council will be installing highway signs that can be updated to provide messages to motorists approaching coastal routes. 
• RoadblocksRoadblocks are managed by the Police in conjunction with West Sussex County Council (as the local highway authority), but there are no current plans to use these. Roadblocks for traffic management are only used in the most serious of circumstances. 

   

Coastal locations

• West Wittering beach

West Wittering Estates (WWE) who run the car park at West Wittering beach will continue to have a pre-paid booking system in place for their visitor parking. They will be encouraging all visitors to pre-book so that motorists will be aware of the parking requirements before travelling to the area. For 2021:

• More spaces will be available than 2020, the total capacity is under constant review but at present, WWE intends to offer approximately 700-1000 more spaces per day than last year, depending on conditions such as tides
• Further communications will take place with the Estate utilising its large following on social media and google business pages
• WWE have registered as a member of the National Beach Check app developed last year by Bournemouth City Council. The app downloaded last year by over 40,000 people gives live updates throughout the day with regards to beach capacity.
• WWE will install signage and temporary road infrastructure as per last year when required. A longer term plan has been submitted to West Sussex Highways which includes a planting scheme to replace parking cones and in general a more sustainable approach. You can find out more on the West Wittering Estate website.(Opens in a new window)

• Foreshores

Chichester District Council's Foreshore Office has reopened for the summer months. Once the training of new staff is complete, a normal foreshore service will commence, including helping ensure people stay safe on the beach and are following local byelaws on the foreshore. The team can be contacted on 01243 672133 seven days a week until the end of September.

Safety measures in our High Streets and in the community

• Covid AmbassadorsCovid Ambassadors will be patrolling the district in shifts throughout the week, including weekends. They will be based in High Street locations in Chichester, Petworth, Midhurst, East Wittering and Selsey to help support local businesses and ensuring everyone keeps safe by observing social distancing. 
• Covid Information Recovery OfficersCovid Information Recovery Officers are offering support to district businesses to make sure that they are Covid-secure. They are also here to help with any concerns residents may have too.If you have a concern about a business failing to follow Government Covid guidance, you can report your concern on our Covid Resident Support page or by email to healthprotection@chichester.gov.uk

  Any complaints or concerns relating to gatherings should be reported to Sussex Police.

   

• EventsIf you plan to organise any size of event in the district, it's important that you contact our Health Protection and Licensing teams at least six weeks before the event and provide your Covid risk assessment and event documentation. You can find out more on our events page. 
• Supporting our communitiesCommunity Wardens are based in Chichester East and Whyke; Chichester West; Tangmere and Oving; Selsey; and The Witterings. Part of their role is to deal with low level anti-social behaviour and to help keep people safe. This includes reminding people of the Covid guidelines that we should all continue to follow.The team works shifts, including evening and weekends. They can be contacted by emailing: communitywardens@chichester.gov.uk

  The Community Wardens work closely with Sussex Police and other enforcement teams.

   

Litter

• You've told us that littering, fly tipping and dog fouling are a priority concern in the district, and we agree with you. We live and work in one of the most beautiful places in the country and yet we spend over £1 million keeping our district clean and tidy. We believe that if we could reduce fly tipping, dog fouling and littering, some of that £1 million could be saved and spent on more important community services.

• If you're out and about, please remember to dispose of your litter responsibly or take it home with you. Taking litter home means it can be cleaned and recycled, which is even better!

• We have a dedicated team of litter pickers, but with a district of 303 square miles to cover we have a big job on our hands. Our Street Cleaning team, who work hard to keep our district litter-free, will be focusing on busy areas over the Easter weekend, where there is likely to be high footfall.

• Additional resource will be allocated to litter picking and bin emptying during periods of good weather throughout the spring and summer, but we'll also be placing signage in busy areas to remind visitors to help us keep our district beautiful by clearing away any rubbish they may have.

• If you are using a disposable barbecue, please make sure you put the barbecue out, allow it to cool, and take it home with you to dispose of with your household waste. This will prevent the risk of fire and ensure pets and children are not burned by barbecues left on the beach.