Hundreds of South Downs residents in battle to halt new village housing plans

Castle Properties want to build 14 houses on land west of Smock Alley and south of Little Haglands in West Chiltington.

Two previous applications – one to build 21 houses and one to build 19 houses on the site – were turned down by Horsham District Council and developers’ appeals against the decisions were also later dismissed.

Now council planners are due to decide on the latest proposals at a meeting on April 23. Meanwhile, residents – who formed a Smock Alley Action Group in fighting the previous plans – have lodged hundreds of protests saying that the houses would amount to an overdevelopment in the village, cause increased traffic problems, be detrimental to wildlife, cause water problems and noise and light pollution.

One objector said: “Smock Alley is a narrow country lane and even the present levels of traffic have caused huge problems with flooding, mud everywhere and a considerable deterioration of the road surface not to mention the damage to the verges.”

Another said: “To build dwellings on a greenfield site, teeming with wildlife, is to abuse nature itself.”

South Downs MP Andrew Griffith has also written to the council outlining concerns over the site's ecological value and its impact on local infrastructure and traffic.

He called for an independent traffic survey to be conducted, highlighting potential reliance on private vehicles because of the site's location away from schools, shops and public transport.

He also raised concerns about the developers’ plans for a borehole and water treatment which residents fear could impact water supply regulations.

Residents themselves are raising a number of environmental concerns, pointing out the site is next to an environmentally sensitive woodland, identified as a ‘Biodiversity Action Plan’ priority habitat.

It is also, they say, located within a bat sustenance zone, raising concerns about flight lines, and has five protected badger setts within the site.

They also fear that the removal of trees and hedging in the area will negatively impact dormice habitats.

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The Smock Alley Action Group has put out a rallying call to residents to attend Horsham District Council’s planning meeting next week when the development proposals are due to be decided.