Concerns over ‘stretched’ A259

In the past few months, extensive housing schemes have been approved along its length, so causing this section to change character towards that of a district distributor road, and so impeding its use for through movements.

The final nail caused by that succession is the mighty development of 1,000 to 2,000 new homes now given approval by Arun District Council, which will cover the remaining open space in north Littlehampton up to the designated flood line.

This quantity, together with the homes earmarked for Courtwick, the Windroos site and the unpopular Elysian Fields development amounts to about 2,500 new dwellings, each served by this overstretched A259 link.

As a result, the population of Littlehampton can be expected to increase by more than a quarter of its present level and most of that activity will be concentrated along that stretch of the road.

Not surprisingly, the land-locked residents of Toddington, Wick, Courtwick and Lyminster are not impressed by the “charitable” levies that are being earmarked for project spending elsewhere.

To the dismay of the public, concerns over dog walking and sports pitch provision seemed more important during the committee debate on the North Littlehampton planning application, than the issues above.

Littlehampton still has to find space for another 200 units south of the A259. As if this were not enough, a north/south relief road, which might at some far-off time divert traffic round Lyminster, but with no apparent benefit to the A259, would, in the meantime, co-opt the services of Mill Lane for the northern access.

D. Hulmes

Kingfisher Drive

Wick