Pagham fears land is eyed for housing

A warning that fields in Pagham could be at risk from development has been raised.

Cllr Ray Radmall, Pagham Parish Council's chairman, said green sites such as Hook Lane and behind Lincoln Avenue could once again be in the sights of developers.

He stressed the council would be vigilant against the threat of large-scale developments but stated it would be unrealistic to protest against every planning application for housing.

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"We can't be NIMBYs. We have to accept a certain amount of housing, in particular starter homes for our own young people. Small enclaves of 10-30 houses would be acceptable rather than hundreds of homes swamping our fields," he commented.

Hook Lane was the site of a hard-fought victory by residents and parish and district councillors after a concerted community battle against developers in 1999.

The area behind Lincoln Avenue was put forward by developers a few years ago as a possible site for housing.

But Cllr Radmall said Pagham scored relatively poorly among Arun's districts as a potential site for major redevelopment.

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Its lack of jobs, its poor road network and a patchy services meant it was behind many other neighbourhoods. This was especially true for the parish's southern half around the Pagham Beach estate.

There were also the restrictions on the area surrounding the Pagham Harbour nature reserve. Various international and national laws meant a 400m exclusion zone was around the reserve along with a 5km buffer zone for the related special protection area.

Cllr Radmall was speaking the night before Arun District Council's members approved a consultation period for their proposals to accommodate a further 7,150 homes until 2026.

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