Chichester District Update May 2021

CPRE Sussex activity in Chichester District, South Downs National Park and Manhood Peninsula.

We have been working hard across the districts as the pressure grows from speculative developers taking full advantage of the now out-of-date Chichester Local Plan currently under review.  Chichester has very little buildable land being bordered by the sea, the South Downs National Park and its valuable conservation areas such as Chichester Harbour AONB and the Manhood Peninsular, but this is sadly not taken into account when housing numbers are calculated using the Government imposed ‘Standard Method’.

To make matters worse, this calculation is based on obsolete 2014 based household projections and is multiplied up by an ‘affordability factor’ which does not reduce house prices but focuses development in those parts of the country, like Sussex, where prices are highest and developers can achieve the greatest windfall profits.

We continue to challenge the standard method and affordability factor at national and local level while arguing for brownfield development first and for most new housing to be located in urban centres where residents have a good choice of public transport, so private car transport and thus climate change would be minimised.

Planning News

We are attending the Nature Recovery Network meetings and meetings of the Loxwood Claypit Group for which no planning application has been submitted to-date.

Manhood Peninsula & Coastal Plain

We have worked with the Manhood Wildlife and Heritage Group (MWHG) who have submitted objections to the following planning applications:

03319/OUTEIA: Land West of Pottery Lane and Flat Road, North of Main road (A259), Nutbourne, Chidham and Hambrook, W Sussex.

03320/OUTEIA: Land east of Broad Road, Nutbourne  W Susssex, Chidham.

03321/OUTEIA: Land north of A259, Glad Farm, Main Road, Nutbourne. Objection submitted by MWHG. For 301 houses  Highgrove Farm, Bosham.

Witterings: Melissa Smith from East Wittering is organising a protest in East Wittering against the planning applications for 500 – 600 houses proposed for East Wittering, Bracklesham and Earnley.  She plans to hold a demonstration where they will be handing out leaflets as to how to object.   Melissa Smith has also launched a petition on 38 Degrees: https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/stop-the-urbanisation-of-the-manhood-peninsula?just_launched=true

Wisborough Green: objections have been submitted for two sites: the Parishes Wildlife Group, subgroup of KKWG, has objected as well as CPRE Sussex:

– Churchfields, Wisborough Green for 25 houses. Wisborough Green Parish Council has objected unanimously to the application in the lee of the c11th church. Bats involved.

– Stable Field, Wisborough Green, 7 houses. Bats involved.

Kirdford Parish: application for 70 houses.  Preliminary Ecological Appraisal (PEA) and report on bats prepared by Ecology Partnership.  Objection submitted by the Parishes Wildlife Group.

Horsham District: involved with BIGSTAND concerning potential strategic sites such as Adversane which is proposed to be larger than the adjacent village of Wisborough Green! The Parishes Wildlife Group is contacting Councillors.

European Legislation

A Habitats Regulations Assessment (HRA) has been undertaken for Wisborough Green Neighbourhood Plan which is out to consultation from 4th May to 18th June.  European Protected Species –  Barbastelle Bats – are under threat.  We will check the HRA. Objections have been submitted from Chichester District Council, CPRE Sussex and Sussex Wildlife Trust.