Glimmer of hope for Littlehampton green campaigners

About 20 campaigners, who have been battling to protect the field between Worthing Road and The Littlehampton Academy, for the past year, were left shocked after West Sussex County Council’s rights of way committee refused their application to grant village green status to the land, by a majority vote.

The fate of the 15-acre field, which is owned by the council and has previously been earmarked for housing development, now remains uncertain.

However, committee chairman provided the campaigners with a glimmer of hope by suggesting they should make a fresh application under different legislation.

Nick Sutton, of Toddington Park, has been leading the campaign, which has also had backing from Littlehampton’s MP Nick Gibb, and spoke of his disappointment after the meeting, at County Hall, Chichester.

He said: “It’s a disappointing blow. I, like many others, have worked so hard to try and preserve the field.

“But for it to be turned down today, when we were so close, is a real shock.

“None of us are ‘NIMBYs’ or are against housing development. But we feel that we have to make a stand to try and protect this unique, green space for the community.

“The fact of the matter is that it’s essential to fight to protect the field. There are so few green spaces left in Littlehampton.

“It’s an area that supports an amazing amount of wildlife and has a fantastic sense of community. We felt that a plan had to be drawn to protect this green oasis. Sadly, that plan has failed.”

The committee heard pleas from Nick, Dave Lawrence and Ann Payne who each appealed for councillors to grant the village green status, claiming it would be a “travesty” if the field was lost.

No one spoke in opposition to the proposals, although a report to committee referred to an objection from the county council’s own valuation and estates manager, who claimed there had not been continuous public access across the land for a period of 20 years, one of the criteria necessary for village green status to be granted. County councillors on the committee admitted, during the meeting, that this application had seen one of the largest outcries of public support and correspondence in more than a decade.

Worthing county councillor Robin Rogers said: “This is the most contentious application I have seen in my time on the committee. I certainly have not had anywhere near the level of correspondence while a member of this committee.”

However, after a lengthy discussion the committee felt that the village green status could not be granted.

Horsham county councillor, Morwen Millson, reminded the committee that, although there was a great deal of passion to save the field, they had to look at the legal basis of the application.

She said: “I have an enormous amount of sympathy for the people who have put this application forward.

“But I can’t help thinking that the legal tests and criteria we have been given, have not been met.”

However, after the decision was made not to grant the village green status, a lifeline was provided by the committee’s chairman, Bill Acraman.

He advised the campaigners to make a renewed bid under the Commons Act 2006 for the voluntary dedication of land as a town or village green.

He said: “There may be a desire for the county council to pave over the land. But I don’t want that to happen.

“I don’t want us, as a committee, to go down this route.”

He said he would support a motion, during a full council meeting, to grant village green status under this piece of legislation, a decision echoed by committee members, with six of the eight councillors pledging their support.