Concerns over plans for 83 more houses in Billingshurst

Riverside Developments wants to build the houses on land at Duckmoor, east of Billingshurst and next to a site where 475 houses are currently under construction.

But a number of local residents, Billingshurst Parish Council and the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England are all objecting to the proposals.

Riverside is currently seeking planning permission from Horsham District Council. It wants to build a mix of flats, one, two, three and four-bedroomed homes on three fields off Wooddale Lane.

The parish council says it ‘strongly objects’ and that the agricultural land is not designated for development. It also says that roads in the area are too narrow to cope with increased traffic and that the development would mean the loss of established oak trees.

The Campaign to Protect Rural England is concerned that the site is a nightingale breeding and nesting ground that needs to be protected.

It also says the development, if it went ahead, would amount to an urban encroachment into the countryside.

Meanwhile, a number of local residents have written protest letters to Horsham District Council outlining their concerns.

Many say that Billingshurst has already had ‘more than its fair share’ of development in recent years and does not have the infrastructure in place to cope with more.