Littlehampton residents win battle to keep our lorries

CAMPAIGNERS fighting to protect their streets from cumbersome skip lorries removing waste from a proposed redevelopment of a Littlehampton school have this week won their battle.

More than 100 residents, backed by recently-elected town councillor Ian Buckland, have been successful in their efforts to oppose the access and exit arrangements for the proposed construction site at River Beach Primary School, which could have seen large lorries passing through the already cramped and narrow streets nearby.

The campaigners claimed York Road, Queen Street and Connaught Road would not be able to cope with the sheer scale of the traffic movement to and from the site and appealed to West Sussex County Council to reconsider the scheme before granting planning permission.

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They urged the council to consider using a construction entrance towards the rear of the school, in the wider and more accessible part of Cornwall Road – and county planning officers have now agreed to this.

‘A potential death trap’

Mr Buckland was jubilant, following the news.

“It’s fantastic that the council has paid attention to what the people of Littlehampton have had to say,” he said. “We have been opposed to the site entrance from day one. It could have been a potential death trap, particularly with large, heavy goods vehicles and coaches attempting to use it.

“I have witnessed, on several occasions, lorries and coaches attempting to reverse up York Road, from Arundel Road, and into River Beach without using any people guiding them because there is no space inside the school to manoeuvre.

“This is extremely dangerous as there are many parked cars and plenty of blind spots where children could, possibly, jump out from.”

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He added that the campaigners were not against the possible extension to the school and that they in fact welcomed it.

A spokeswoman for the county council said that West Sussex County Council’s highways officers had now rejected the suggested construction site entrance.

She said the application would only be supported if the site access was in Cornwall Road. She added the future of the plans was still undecided and that no report had yet been prepared recommending a decision.