Introducing Adur
Adur (eh –der) is a “place apart” in West Sussex, an area of tightly built, mainly older housing, with a traditional port, small airport, and economy relying more on light industry, commerce and small business. It houses 60,000 people (the smallest District Council in England), and is a narrow, strung-out district, sandwiched between sea and South Downs, traversed by two major roads and the coastal railway line. South Downs, busy A- roads, railway and English Channel all act as barriers to human interaction, and Adur doesn’t have a “town centre” or focal point.
There are seven distinct communities, each providing local shopping, schools, and health services – some with libraries and community centres. And there are sub-communities within these, separated from one another by hard-to-cross roads and railway lines. Parts of Adur are far more akin to Hull, Lowestoft or Gosport than neighbouring Hove, Worthing or Brighton
Our Map below shows our entire river Adur valley. Adur district itself is the grey coastal strip west of Hove
Adur's Strengths
There is a strong sense of very local community, and rootedness through generations of families – AVA’s website identifies these communities. Many of our local authority elected members have lived here all their lives, knowing the place well, and wanting the best for us all. Our MP is an active, locally engaged advocate
There are over 300 groups on AVA’s mail list, mainly small community ones, with rich variety and history. There are low crime rates, and away from the main roads, not too much pollution. We have easy access to the South Downs and seaside
Some Local challenges
Adur is poorer, and some of our communities are less organised and articulate. We had the third largest fall in the deprivation rankings of all 354 local authority areas in England: in 2007, 14% of our area was ranked in the lowest 20%, and the proportion of Adur residents whose qualifications are below NVQ level 2 is well above national average.
There are suprisingly high suicide rates amongst older men, and many of our older residents are finding independent living a challenge for very practical reasons: transport, shopping, house and garden maintenance, isolation.
Younger people, and those able to travel, gravitate socially towards Brighton – but Brighton does not gravitate towards Adur. Adur is poised to suffer under the recession
