Angry villagers in battle to save Billingshurst orchard site

A battle has been launched to save a piece of council-owned orchard land in Billingshurst which is being earmarked for development.
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Hundreds of villagers are now campaigning to save the wildlife spot - on land near The Cedars off Stane Street - which residents say houses apple, pear, cobnuts and blackberries.

It has also been home to great crested newts, slow worms, dormice, bats and hedgehogs, say residents.

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They maintain that the land is designated public open space but Horsham District Council has said it wants to sell it with plannning permission for development.

The Cedars in Billingshurst - residents are battling to save it from development SUS-200219-102736001The Cedars in Billingshurst - residents are battling to save it from development SUS-200219-102736001
The Cedars in Billingshurst - residents are battling to save it from development SUS-200219-102736001

It plans to start felling trees on the site before the end of the month.

Nearby resident Sam Bateman said: “People are very angry about this. It is public open space and it’s being seized back from the community to make a profit.”

In an on-line petition opposing the proposals, residents state: “Billingshurst has already seen a 30 per ent increase in housing and we have more than contributed already to the local housing targets.

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“We do not want to see our green spaces lost, especially green spaces which ought to be there for community enjoyment.

“The orchard under threat is not situated on land earmarked in our neighbourhood plan as land suitable for housing development.

“No planning application has been submitted to use this land for development and no public consultation has been instigated.

“By felling the orchard trees, Horsham District Council are pre-empting planning approval. They must not be allowed to do this.”

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A spokesman for Horsham District Council said: “The land at The Cedars, Parbrook, Billingshurst, is owned by Horsham District Council.

“The land was an orchard many years ago, but is now scrubland, and not a community facility.

“Plans to develop this land have been in the pipeline since last year and were communicated to the parish pouncil and neighbours at that time.

“We would expect a developer to fully engage with neighbouring properties on proposals for the site, and these would be subject to planning consent.

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“In order to ensure that any possible sale proceeds smoothly, we have taken advice from ecologists on the appropriate way to manage the site until development starts.

“The site management activities we plan to undertake include ensuring the land is clear of vegetation and removal of some trees.

“We carried out a full assessment of the site, and there is no evidence of any established wildlife habitats or protected species on the site, the trees are not protected by Tree Preservation Orders or other relevant provisions, no rare varieties of fruit trees appear to be present and the bird nesting season has not yet commenced (1 March).

“We intend to carry out tree felling works before the end of February to manage the land in accordance with professional ecology advice.”

See http://chng.it/nYLrk6tfvv