North Bersted relief road 'will cut lane in half'

Strong protests failed to stop a historic road in North Bersted being sliced in two.

The arguments by a resident and a farmer along Shripney Lane were not enough to persuade councillors to reject proposals to sever the road's traditional route.

It will be cut in half by the new Bognor Regis northern relief road which Arun District Council's development control committee approved on Tuesday.

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The road will cut through Shripney Lane on a raised embarkment. A crossing point will be provided for cyclists, walkers and pedestrians.

It is unclear at this stage if that will be a light-controlled crossing for a single carriageway road with a 50mph speed limit.

The removal of the direct vehicular access from Shripney Lane to North Bersted means that vehicles from farms at the lane's northern end will have to take a circular trip past housing in a conservation area to reach a main road.

Shripney Lane resident Nigel Bolger told the committee no-one seemed to care about him and his neighbours.

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"We are going to take a massive hit at the northern end of Shripney Lane. Already, the impact on people's lives is really quite strong.

"From a resident's perspective, it does not seem like anybody's considerations have been taken into account.

"It's like the road is going to happen and you will have to live with it. This does not seem acceptable.

"A lot of residents are very upset by what is happening. We possibly accept the relief road is required but it is the way it has gone through and the way the public has been turned over and not listened to that we don't like."

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Mark Hooper, estates manager for Langmead Farms, said the impact of Shripney Lane's closure on the business would be marked.

Produce from its 345 acres was taken to packing houses in Runcton and Bosham. The journey to Runcton would be lengthened by 4.5 miles because of the relief road.

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