Preparatory works for phase one of the Station Gateway regeneration scheme are now underway.

Construction is expected to continue for approximately five months.

The first phase of construction will focus on highway improvements along Station Way and the junction with Friary Way.

Lane closures and full road closures will be required at various stages. Diversion routes will be put in place and access for residents and local businesses will be maintained throughout in order to minimise disruption.

Residents in Surrey have been warned council tax rises are likely to continue for at least the next three years.

Surrey County Council agreed a tax increase of 4.99% in its final ever budget on Tuesday.

It means that a typical Band D property will pay £92.07 extra per year from April

Eleven borough and district councils, as well as parish and town councils, will also decide on whether there should be council tax rises between now and the end of March.

A moped rider who was dealing class A drugs in Crawley has been sentenced.

31-year-old, Anthony Foukx, was intercepted by Police in Northgate last month.

Officers found dozens of wraps of crack cocaine and heroin, and more than £1,300 in cash in a pouch.

Phone evidence showed he was operating as part of the ‘Stretch’ drugs line in Crawley.

Foukx admitted to five drug related charges at Lewes Crown Court and was setenced to three years and four months in prison.

Crawley Borough Council has confirmed that there will be no increases to Hackney Carriage and Private Hire licensing fees and charges for the coming year.

With inflation significantly above zero, the decision represents an effective real terms cut for the taxi trade, helping to ease financial pressures on local drivers.

The freeze follows a full review of licensing costs, with the council satisfied that existing fees remain sufficient to ensure that the service continues to be self funding.

The decision to freeze current fees and charges for Hackney Carriage and Private Hire taxis is extremely welcome. We are aware of the financial pressures that the trade is facing and this is a real terms cut to the charges. The position will continue to be kept under review, but it is positive that we can maintain current fee levels for the time being, and I am pleased we are doing so.

Councillor Yasmin Khan

Cabinet member for Public Protection

Crawley Borough Council

An NHS hospital has secured a bid for a solar energy project to reduce its electrical use and carbon footprint as part of its sustainable future.

East Surrey Hospital, part of Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust (SASH), applied for funding in 2024 and were one of over 300 bids for solar and battery installations. The Trust then secured £1,615,224 of Government funding for solar installations on its East Surrey Hospital site as part of the national Great British Energy Local Power Plan.

The new solar farm will be a rooftop installation, with installation plans for 2827 new rooftop panels already well under away. The goal is to have the solar panels fully operational by spring 2026.

It is predicted that 99% of energy will be utilised by the hospital infrastructure and that the new farm will offset a total of 13% of the hospital’s total electrical energy consumption by solar power, eliminating 327 tonnes of CO₂, which is equivalent to 15,036 trees planted based on a 20-year lifespan.

It is estimated that the Trust will save more than £6.5m over 25 years based on initial calculations – reducing carbon emissions by 454 tonnes a year.

Patrick Blanche, Director of Estates and Facilities said: “This project represents another important step in our commitment towards the NHS’s pledge to be Net Zero by 2040 and will serve as a physical reference point for all future projects that are undertaken within our estate. The solar farm is just one of the engineering solutions that the team are reviewing and new plans will ensure alignment with sustainability strategies for the future”.

Last year, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) announced the Great British Energy Local Power Plan. As part of this announcement, £100m funding towards solar projects across the NHS was revealed, with SASH receiving part of the funding. The scheme is jointly run by DESNZ, the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC), Great British Energy (GBE), and NHS England.