THE paint is being slapped on and the new staff are standing by – the new John Lewis store in Chichester will be open on April 5.

John Lewis at Home Chichester will focus on furniture, furnishing accessories, electrical and home technology, and will be the first of the retailer’s ‘at home’ format shops to introduce a small assortment of nursery and travel goods.

And in six weeks’ time, at 9am, its doors will open to customers.

The store’s branch manager Claire Dunkason said: ‘I’m thrilled to announce the opening date of the first John Lewis at Home shop in Sussex and can’t wait to open our doors to customers on Thursday, April 5.

‘Opening in Chichester has long been an aspiration for us.

‘The addition of a small assortment of travel and nursery goods is an exciting extension of the format which we believe will be really popular among our shoppers.’

Computer terminals in the branch will allow shoppers to browse the wider johnlewis.com assortment of fashion, beauty and carpets and order for home delivery or next-day collection at the shop via the retailer’s Click and Collect service.

The service allows customers to order products from johnlewis.com before 7pm and collect them at the branch after 2pm the following day or opt for home delivery.

John Lewis at Home Chichester will be open from Monday to Friday from 9am until 8pm, Saturday from 9am until 7pm and Sunday from 11am until 5pm (plus Sunday browse time from 10.30am till 11am).

A recruitment drive for the store earlier this year saw more than 1,300 people apply for 140 jobs.

THE Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales is warning that fines are on the way for those who filed a self-assessment tax return too late.

HMRC has introduced penalties of up to £1,600 to tackle the problem of late filing.

Fay Webster, ICAEW’s south east regional director, said: ‘HMRC is doing everything it can to raise awareness to prevent late-filers incurring fines.

‘Initially, HMRC will send out flyers with the penalty notice inviting taxpayers to phone the helpline if they think they do not need to be in the self-assessment system.

‘If they shouldn’t, HMRC will take them out and cancel any penalty notice they have issued.’

A HEALTH and wellbeing seminar for businesses is to be held at Portsmouth Football Club next month.

Keynote speakers Dame Carol Black will be sharing her ground-breaking work on the outcome and recommendations of the sickness absence review, and Dr Steve Boorman, author of The Boorman Review, will look at health and wellbeing and a business case for change.

It will take place on Wednesday, March 14 from 9am to 1.30pm, and includes a tour of Fratton Park stadium.

To book, email events.portsmouth@hampshirechamber.co.uk.

PLANS to introduce a 20mph limit in Chichester have been backed – but a leading campaigner has warned the fight for safer roads is not over.

The South Chichester County Local Committee wants to introduce the speed limit across the city, excluding A and B roads, and push forward with a public consultation.

But leading campaigner Sarah Sharp said this was not enough.

‘The 20mph limit is only being implemented on residential roads. It is taking away the chance to tackle the dangerous roads which are not included,’ she said.

‘Now we have to restart a campaign to introduce the limit in dangerous roads such as the Northgate roundabout.’

Mrs Sharp said she would like to see a 20mph speed limit introduced at other dangerous roads such as Oving Road and Whyke Road. The committee also approved its priority plan for various infrastructure schemes.

This included the introduction of the 20’s Plenty, subject to public consultation, a Birdham improvement package to support the local primary school and reduced speed limit of 20mph, the provision of new shelters in Chichester, footway improvement at Blackboy Lane/Clay Lane in Fishbourne, a cycle link from Winterbourne Road to Graylingwell and school safety zones to be implemented at Rumboldswhyke Infants School and West Dean Primary School.

A new route safety scheme from Eartham Lane (A285) to Duncton Hill, and a new footway by Manor Road in Selsey were among the other projects backed by the committee.

A BUS company has apologised to a mum and her young daughter after they were kicked off a bus – for being 20p short on the fare.

Kasi Brewer had collected her daughter from nursery and went to get the number 5 bus home from the Mountbatten Centre in Stamshaw.

But they were not allowed on by the driver because Kasi was 20p short of the full fare.

She said no other services arrived and was given no help when she walked round to the Hilsea bus depot.

They had to wait two hours in the cold before a friend could drive round to pick her up and take them back to their home in Fareham.

Kasi, 24, of Trinity Street, said: ‘I use First buses on an almost daily basis and generally don’t have a problem.

‘I got on the bus and realised I didn’t have enough change. I was 20p short and asked them to take me as far as they could. But he was very rude and told me to get off the bus.

‘No-one was willing to help me. I just wanted some advice or help.

‘I finally managed to get hold of someone to drive down from Fareham and collect me at about 8.30pm, with still no news on a number 5. My little girl was cold and tired.

‘It was lucky that she’d already had dinner otherwise she would have been hungry too.

‘By the time my lift arrived I was so angry and upset. I was shaking with rage and in floods of tears. I’m not bothered about myself, but my young daughter is an entirely different matter.’

Kasi says she has to use First buses on a regular basis to get to and from work in Portsmouth.

‘If I could afford to get a taxi I would,’ she added.

First only responded to Kasi’s complaint after they were contacted by The News. It said a failure on its website meant it didn’t receive the email.

The firm said the driver should have allowed her to use the bus and sorted out repayment of the 20p at a later date.

Chris Bainbridge, regional service delivery director for First on the south coast, said: ‘We acknowledge that Ms Brewer’s email to us was not acknowledged or responded to due to a failure on our website.

‘We offer our sincere apologies to Ms Brewer for this oversight.

‘We’re concerned that Ms Brewer states she was told she was unable to travel by a member of our driving team, all who have the facility to make alternative arrangements for customers who may not have the right amount of money to make their journey.

‘It is obvious from Ms Brewer’s email that she found herself in distressing circumstances on a cold evening and with a young child.

‘If First in anyway contributed to these events it is extremely regrettable.’

The company confirmed that two buses arrived at the Mountbatten Centre between 6pm and 6.40pm but that Kasi may have missed the service as she walked round to the Hilsea depot.

RESIDENTS called on a council to refuse plans for a new hotel and restaurant in Havant at a meeting last night.

Community leaders said the 80-bedroom Travelodge hotel and 300-cover restaurant would lead to congestion and noise pollution and was too large for Bosmere Field, a green space near the Langstone roundabout off the A27.

But Gary Medlow, managing director of Fasset Ltd, which runs Langstone Technology Park and is proposing the development, said a budget hotel was vital for the business park to survive in an increasingly competitive market.

Views for and against the development were expressed as residents, councillors and developers gathered at Havant’s Public Service Plaza to discuss plans before a formal planning application is submitted.

The meeting heard the hotel would be two-storey and there would be 155 parking spaces.

The restaurant would be a farmhouse-style ‘Cloverleaf’ restaurant, run by brewery Greene King.

Gareth Brown, from Langstone Village Association, said: ‘Without question noise pollution would be a major issue, particularly to the houses in that area.

‘The noise pollution which at the moment stops at 5pm or 6pm would go on until 11.30pm or midnight.’

He said the development would not benefit Havant town centre.

‘It needs hotels inside the centre,’ he said.

Angela Armstrong, chairwoman of Langstone Residents’ Association, said: ‘The feedback from our members is the scale is far too large for this location.’

But Mr Medlow said: ‘I truly believe a budget hotel is a much-needed business park asset as well as being good for our tourism and the local economy. The creation of 100-plus jobs cannot be sniffed at.’

He said the business park brought millions of pounds to Havant every year by employees visiting the shops.

‘You have got to be able to provide the necessary infrastructure for these very demanding companies,’ he said.

THE county council is looking into the matter of the missing letter T in a new road sign.

The road sign on the A27 Eastern Way in Fareham has misspelt Portchester by omitting the first T.

It had been put up as part of a £2m remodelling of the nearby Quay Street roundabout in Fareham, alongside the building of a new Tesco.

Councillor Mel Kendal, who is in charge of transport matters at Hampshire County Council, said: ‘A spelling error on a sign put up by Tesco’s contractors has been reported to us.

‘Our highways engineers will be contacting them to ensure appropriate action is taken to address this, and any other issues relating to the works at the Quay Street roundabout.’

A NEW training centre to help gas engineers update their qualifications has been launched.

It is being run by Williams & Co, and the new training centre is next to the firm’s city trade counter at OJ’s Industrial Park, off Burrfields Road in Portsmouth.

The CertifiTraining.com programme is being run with The Gas Safe Corporation.

Boiler manufacturer Main has donated the boilers and cylinders for delegates to work on, and will be able to use the centre to deliver free training to Main installers in the area.

Williams & Co managing director Ray Stafford said: ‘Our customers are nearly all one-man bands and it is difficult for them to take enough time off the tools to do all the gas exams that are required.

‘We have tried to make the courses as flexible as possible for them, for example having early 7am starts, so they can cover more in a day and therefore take fewer days to do the assessments.

‘The beauty of having the training company attached to the trade counter is that we can book installers in for training when it suits them, rather than them having to plan it in weeks or even months in advance.’

‘We sell training packages through all Williams branches, in the same way as we sell boilers and plumbing accessories.

‘Installers buy a card voucher with a unique serial number. Then all they have to do is call to arrange their course.’

Williams & Co chairman Mick Williams was the driving force behind the successful campaign for the Boiler Scrappage Scheme, announced by Labour Chancellor Alastair Darling in December 2009. It won him a Corgi award for his ‘contribution to plumbing and heating’.

A TRAINING programme to help firms make the most of business opportunities online is coming to Portsmouth as part of an initiative to boost business growth and job creation.

The Web Fuelled Business programme is being brought to the region by founding BBC Dragon and School for Startups founder Doug Richard in partnership with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and Yell.

The all-day event will be held at the New Theatre Royal on Tuesday.

BUSINESS leaders need to ‘get mentoring’, according to Gosport MP Caroline Dinenage.

She has backed government plans to provide thousands of mentors to the small, medium and micro business community.

The scheme aims to recruit top businessmen and women to mentor the smaller businesses in their area, training around 15,000 volunteer mentors across the UK.

She said: ‘This mentoring scheme is a fantastic opportunity for local entrepreneurs who have “been there and done it” to help support budding business-people in our community, and with all the necessary training provided.’

Business owners and entrepreneurs who are interested in volunteering should visit getmentoring.org for more information.

A SPECIALIST exhaust business in Denmead has become one of the first in the UK to join forces with a national training organisation to create 2012 jobs in 2012.

European Exhaust & Catalyst Ltd (EEC) has signed up to Aspire Achieve Advance Group Limited’s 2012|2012 challenge.

The body is known as 3AAA, and runs the National IT Partnership (NITP) academy at Highbury College in Cosham.

Tim Green, 18, has been employed by EEC as an NITP apprentice, working at the company whilst studying at the college.

Paul Clark, the firm’s managing director, said: ‘Young people need all the help they can get in these challenging times and organisations such as 3AAA are taking the lead.

‘It is up to companies like ours to provide the opportunities for young people to gain real skills and make a valuable contribution to the wider economy.’

NITP academies provide apprentices with industry recognised IT qualifications, as well as practical experience.

To find out more about the campaign, see 3aaa.co.uk

A PRINTER cartridge company is offering job seekers the chance to have their CVs printed for free.

Cartridge World in Fareham is taking part in the national CV Sorted campaign by offering up to 10 copies of a CV printed with no charge up to Saturday, March 31.

Customers can either email or visit the store on West Street with their CV on a CD. The free CV printing service is limited to 10 A4 sheets per customer.

Customers can also visit the Cartridge World Job Page howtogetajobuk.tumblr.com which contains top tips and advice for job seekers.

IT’S been seven months since the Hindhead Tunnel opened, and now finally the old A3 has been left to the wild.

For decades, bumper-to-bumper traffic went around the top of the Devil’s Punchbowl.

But now, as the above picture shows, it’s been given back to nature.

Most of the tarmac has been lifted and the area will be left to its own devices.

Senior project manager Paul Arnold said: ‘Restoring tranquillity to Hindhead village is a big part of the new tunnel’s legacy.

‘Local people have played such an important part throughout the successful delivery of this major improvement project, and I’d like to thank them for their patience, especially throughout this final section of roadworks.

‘I’m delighted that we are now able to hand them a road that will help to realise Hindhead’s potential – both as a place to live and work, and as the gateway to some of the most stunning natural scenery in southern England at the Devil’s Punch Bowl.

‘It is now over to local partners to make the very most of this opportunity for the people of Hindhead.’

Ray Cobbett, co-ordinator of Hampshire Friends of the Earth, said: ‘We completely support it.

‘It seems to us to be a really good use for the land. To be perfectly honest it’s a beautiful area. It should make a wonderful path for cyclists and walkers.’

He said he was glad it was being returned to nature rather than an emergency road if the tunnel became blocked – an idea considered by engineers.

‘This is a fairly sustainable development,’ he added, ‘although it will encourage more traffic.’

The land is now owned and maintained by the National Trust as part of the Hindhead Commons and the Devil’s Punchbowl Cafe property.

Hindhead Youth Hostel is inside the bowl. It is a natural nature reserve, filled with heathland, streams and woodland. The site has abundant wildlife including the lesser spotted woodpecker, redstart and the wood warbler.

The £371m Hindhead tunnel, which is the longest road tunnel under land in the UK, has cut journey times between Portsmouth and London by an average of 20 minutes.

]]> 1.3545924 Wed, 22 Feb 2012 08:03:43 +0000 http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/it_was_a_complete_nightmare_i_thought_would_never_end_1_3544398

WHEN physiotherapist Lisa Brown hired Ziggy Sobolewski for a simple building project, little did she know it would be the start of a two-year nightmare.

Her refusal to pay him the final £7,000 for his substandard work resulted in a bizarre campaign of intimidation that even saw her arrested over false claims that she hired a Kosovan hitman to kill a local councillor.

Ms Brown had hired Mr Sobolewski in February 2010 to refurbish a former driving school in South Street, Gosport, to convert it into a private rehabilitation clinic.

But when she became unhappy with the work, Mr Sobolewski launched his campaign of harassment, which included going into the clinic in April 2010 to strip out many of the fixtures and fittings.

In May 2010, police arrested Ms Brown at her Hill Head home on suspicion of hiring an assassin to kill Sean Woodward, the leader of Fareham Borough Council and her former business partner.

Mr Woodward told police he had received the information from Mr Sobolewski. She was later released without charge.

Ms Brown also told a hearing at Portsmouth County Court that Mr Sobolewski would often appear outside her home and workplace or call her repeatedly on her mobile phone demanding the money, as well as contacting business associates with ‘malicious rumours’ about her.

She added that Mr Sobolewski had told her he was ‘in with the Russian Mafia’ and could make people ‘disappear’.

Ms Brown said: ‘He’s a rogue trader. Dealing with Ziggy Sobolewski has been a complete nightmare which at one point we never thought would end.

‘He has totally and utterly devastated me in my professional and private life.’

Ms Brown has now won £150,000 from Mr Sobolewski after a judgment made at Portsmouth County Court.

Recorder David Blunt ordered him to pay Ms Brown £28,226.47 in damages, £13,000 for the harassment and her lost earnings, and £110,000 in costs.

Independent building inspector Martin Reynolds examined the property in May 2010 and identified 139 items which were defective or outstanding from the original specifications. He described the work as ‘of a low DIY standard’.

A story in The News about the row between Ms Brown and Mr Sobolewski in May 2010 was used in the case as evidence.

Ms Brown said: ‘This judgment is a complete vindication of the position that I took and my message to anyone else going through something like this is to stand up to people like him – don’t let them bully and intimidate you.’

When contacted by The News Mr Sobolewski said he had ‘suffered’ because of the court case but responded to any questions by only saying: ‘It’s outrageous.’

HELP IS AT HAND

AS PART of Lisa Brown’s case against Ziggy Sobolewski, she contacted trading standards.

Ms Brown fell victim to the rogue trader, even though he had been recommended to her by a client.

Trading standards can offer advice to customers who have fallen foul of similar rogues. It also investigates safety and standards as well as fair trading practices.

Websites have also been set up which can help customers identify reputable tradesmen and feature reviews from clients.

For more information about Hampshire’s trading standards department, contact 08454 040506 or go to hants.gov.uk/ tradingstandards.htm

DRIVERS will be forced to avoid a section of a busy road for four weeks because of roadworks.

Junction improvements mean northbound traffic will not be able to use Kingston Road in Portsmouth from Hanway Road to New Road from 9.30am to 3.30pm,

While the work is carried out traffic will be diverted along Hanway Road, in Buckland.

This is to allow Colas, Portsmouth City Council’s highways contractor, to improve the junction of Kingston Road and New Road.

The contractor said it will be moving traffic islands and the pedestrian crossing away from the junction and hopes this will improve safety for pedestrians and enable drivers to negotiate the junction more easily.

It will also be installing modern traffic lights and a new crossing to make it better for pedestrians and drivers.

Southbound traffic will not be affected but traffic from New Road will not be able to turn right into Kingston Road. Businesses will be open as normal and Colas insists pedestrian access will be maintained at all times.

Site supervisor Gary Kenny said: ‘We’re sorry for the inconvenience the works may cause. During the earlier phase of this work we used temporary traffic lights to maintain two-way flow, but they weren’t sufficient to cope with the volume of traffic.

‘Using a diversion instead should work a lot more smoothly. We’d like to thank people for their patience and understanding during this work.’

THE closure of a well-used motorway footbridge has led to complaints from residents.

The Bude Close footbridge over the M27 in Paulsgrove, which connects Falmouth Road and Hillsley Road, will be blocked off for eight weeks.

Work is being carried out by the Highways Agency to replace the old concrete bridge deck with a new steel one.

But some people have said the closure, which was due to begin on February 4 but was postponed due to bad weather, forces them to make a much longer journey.

The work has resulted in overnight motorway closures, including for the next three Saturdays from 9am to 9pm, as the bridge is dismantled and replaced.

Bernard Worrall, 83, of Falmouth Road, said he thought the planned closure would cause more disruption than was necessary.

‘It gives some youngsters a long trek to get to school,’ he said. ‘And it seems like they’re taking their time – I don’t see why the bad weather should make a difference.

‘It gives me a lot further to walk to the shop and I’ve got asbestosis so walking long distances leaves me feeling very out of breath.’

Sally Robinson, of Hillsley Road, said she was worried about children who might have to pass through the nearby underpass.

She said: ‘I dread to think of youngsters walking down there when it’s dark, or at any time really. I hope they hurry up and finish it soon.’

Ward councillor David Horne said he hadn’t yet received any complaints about the closure.

‘It’s a well-used route for people living in the area when going to the shops,’ he said.

‘The closure is going to cause some disruptions, but people will have to be patient.

‘We campaigned long and hard for that footbridge, and for it to be covered and lit, so it’s important it’s well-maintained.’

Steve Cobb, Highways Agency structures manager said: ‘The existing concrete bridge deck has reached the end of its serviceable life, so we’re replacing it with a new steel footbridge that will last for decades to come. We’ve planned the work carefully to keep delays to a minimum for road users and local people alike.’

More information about the other motorway closures will be announced as work continues. Anyone with questions can call the Highways Agency on 0300 123 5000 or visit highways.gov.uk.

A FREE banana giveaway will take place in Portsmouth’s Commercial Road to mark the beginning of Fairtrade Fortnight.

Portsmouth Fairtrade Forum will also hand out copies of the 2012 Guide to Fairtrade in Portsmouth to passers-by on Monday.

It is one of hundreds of events taking place across the country in a bid to encourage more people to buy Fairtrade produce, which pays its growers and farmers a reasonable price for their goods.

The group has also organised a Middle Eastern Evening as part of the fortnight, with food, stalls, and live music.

And there will be two guest speakers from Zaytoun – a community interest project in Palestine which sells Fairtrade olive oil – at the event, olive farmer Riziq Abu Nasser from Palestine and Zaytoun’s director in Palestine, Taysir Arbasi.

This second event takes place on Thursday, March 1, between 7pm and 9.30pm, at The Hub, University of Portsmouth, on Burnaby Road.

Tickets cost £5 from Visitor Information Centres or University catering outlets, or call Sue on (023) 9225 0267

See portsmouthfairtrade.org.uk for more events.

ELECTRIC vehicle charging points will be available in Gunwharf Quays’ car park from tomorrow.

The Lord Mayor of Portsmouth Cheryl Buggy will officially open the Polar charging bays which allow EV owners to charge up their vehicles while visiting the centre.

The bays are on the upper level of the car park, in the blue section near to the exit, and can be used by Polar network members.

The south coast already has more than 80 charging bays within an hour’s drive of Portsmouth and in the next 12 months that figure will increase to more than 150.

David Martell, chief executive of Chargemaster Plc, said: ‘We are delighted Portsmouth is moving forward with Polar, allowing electric vehicle owners in this area the opportunity to take advantage of low carbon motoring, whilst enjoying Gunwharf Quays and neighbouring facilities.’

See polarnetwork.com for more information.