District Groups in West Sussex

Current Activities in West Sussex

MID SUSSEX DISTRICT COUNCIL DRAFT PLAN
The local CPRE Mid Sussex district group has responded to the Draft District Plan.
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NEW OWNERS RULE OUT SECOND RUNWAY AT GATWICK!
February 2010
 Speaking at the Gatwick Airport Consultative Committee (GATCOM) meeting on 28 January 2010, Sir David Rowlands, former Permanent Secretary at the Department for Transport and current Chairman of the Board of Gatwick Airport Ltd ruled out a second runway at Gatwick for the foreseeable future.

Even if the Government changed its policy in favour of a second runway, it is not certain whether such a multi-million pound project would ever produce a commercial return, especially given the fact that a planning application would cost £100-200 million and undoubtedly attract massive local and national opposition.

In the meanwhile, the Gatwick Area Conservation Campaign (GACC) remains on guard in case this position changes. CPRE Sussex also should stand ready to support GACC and the many other local groups in their opposition to a second runway at Gatwick because of the harm it would cause to the countryside, environment and local communities.

Residents vow to fight Ford Eco-Town
CPRE Sussex has welcomed the news that Ford in  Sussex has been struck off the list of Ecotowns in a statement made by the Housing Minister, John Healey.

This announcement follows extensive consultation by the Department of Communities and Local Government ending on 30 April 2009.

Stuart Meier, Director of CPRE Sussex, said: " We and many others have campaigned hard against the Ford proposal, and we are delighted that the Government has at last seen sense on the unsuitability of the Ford site for mass housing.

CPRE has always supported the concept of greener, more eco-friendly developments and supports many of the sustainability principles in the new policy statement. Indeed, we'd like to see all new developments being to such high standards. But Ford was always the wrong proposal, on the wrong site, in the wrong place. An ecotown at Ford would have damaged regeneration in neighbouring towns, where development is needed.

Ford isn't just a greenfield site - it has some of the finest agricultural land in the country, officially recognized as of Grade 1 status. Land of this quality must be used for food, not concreted over.

With the South Downs National Park coming into being, the land beside the Arun estuary provides a vital 'green link' from the Downs to the sea, which an ecotown would have obliterated. This green link is a recognised 'strategic gap', which the government report has finally acknowledged.

In the first round of consultation CPRE Sussex pointed out the site is prone to serious flooding, and we are pleased this too has finally been recognised by the government."

Stuart Meier concluded:

"CPRE believes it is essential that eco-town plans are brought forward and properly assessed through the normal development planning process. This has been a contentious and fundamental issue all the way through the Government's lengthy consultations on the eco-towns. At last the government seem to have accepted that development must not be allowed to short-circuit established democratic systems."

Coastal Defence Strategy
We have responded to the initial consultation document published by the Environment Agency, and Chichester and Arun District Councils, for sectors between Pagham Harbour and East Head. This makes proposals for the management of the coastline in the face of climate change (which will unarguably bring a rise in sea-levels and greater extremes of weather), and the local allocation of resources within a national strategy. Three alternatives are given for each sector: No active intervention / Hold the line / Managed realignment.

We recognise that a strategy of trying to "hold the line" may not be sustainable in the long term (King Canute has strong associations with our patch!) in all sectors, but where "managed realignment" is proposed we would expect well-researched and robust plans. We were most concerned about the proposals for:-

Medmerry Beach , where there is a high and increasing risk of the present defences (a gravel bank) being breached. The funding to maintain the bank will be withdrawn in two years' time; it is likely that the area immediately inland would be subject to increasingly frequent flooding, affecting housing, farmland and services. A strong local campaign has been launched to maintain the present defences if possible; we support the objectives of this campaign, but at the same time would urge the EA to prepare detailed plans for managed realignment, fully costed (including provision for compensation) and open for further consultation.

East Head , which moves and changes in size in response to natural forces; its alignment has a crucial influence on access to and the conservation of Chichester Harbour We have consulted with the National Trust (who own it) at local and regional level, the Harbourmaster, and Portsmouth University (who have conducted research). Richard Hill has contributed a detailed paper (informed also by his experience as a yachtsman) to the Environment Agency, urging that the Head's present alignment should be maintained if at all possible, and further research be carried out to better understand how to do so.

Now the consultation exercise has been completed, we await Defra's statement of policy, to be published in Spring 2008.

Freshfield Lane Brickworks
We are delighted with the Inspector's decision to rule against Cory environmental's proposal to use Freshfield Lane Brickworks as a landfill site. CPRE Sussex has objected to the proposal throughout its history, which dates back to 2003, as it lies within the High Weald AONB. The inevitable increase in vehicular movements (in particular heavy lorries) would intrude into this protected rural area. Residents and members of the Freshfield Action Group mounted an effective local campaign which we have been pleased to support. Naturally, they are delighted with the decision.

"BOAT" status for Byeway 952 rejected
After two Public Inquiries and a High Court Appeal, WSCC rejected an application by The Trail Riders Fellowship for the status of a section of the South Downs Way (Byeway 952) between Cocking, Heyshott and Graffham to be changed from a Restricted Byeway to a BOAT (Byeway Open to All Traffic). Members from Chichester North District have objected to the application throughout the history of the proposal, together with the local parishes, the District Council, the British Horse Society and local landowners. an Appeal can be made within 28 days but if upheld this section of the Downs could become lost to a hill scramble as a circular route could be set up with access from linking paths from below the hill. There are several similar applications in the pipe-line aiming to open up tracks as BOATS and this case shows that it is worth fighting to keep motorised vehicles off them.

Strategic Development at East Grinstead
Mid Sussex District Council are currently digesting the 6,750 comments they received in response to the consultation of the East Grinstead Loca Area Action Plan. The current draft plan is to be revised and will be re-issued in the autumn.
>Download the CPRE Mid Sussex response to the East Grinstead Area Action Plan (pdf 92KB)
Consultation on the proposed ringroad options will take place later this year.
For more about the threat to East Grinstead go to www.eghouses.org

Barnham countryside protected
We are delighted that an application for mixed use development of a 7.5ha site within the strategic gap at Barnham (Arundel) has been opposed as a direct result of our opposition.

South East Plan - Gatwick & Sussex Coast Sub Regions
We await with interest the Inspectors' Report following the South East Plan Examination in Public (EiP) Hearings. We have highlighted our concerns in our submissions to the questions posed by the panel of experts who lead the EiP. It is anticipated the EiP will lead to final approval of the SE Plan in early 2008.

Horton Landfill Site, Small Dole
CPRE Horsham District Group have objected to a planning application to increase the capacity of this site by 500,000tonnes by raising its height by 4 metres and extending its tipping period from 1st April 2008 to October 2010. The proposed increase in height amounts to landraising which is excluded from West Sussex waste policies. The proposal will lead to an unacceptable impact on nearby communities. The original planning permission stipulated that site restoration would follow completion and the finished ground surface levels were to merge into the surrounding area.Thus creating the appearance of a natural extension of the local landscape. The proposed increase in height does not comply with this objective and would create an alien landscape feature.

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