Slowdown in Sussex housebuilding hits plans for world-renowned re-wilding project

The 3,500 acre Knepp Estate at West Grinstead near Horsham has been carrying out landscape enhancement works for a number of years to align with its re-wilding concept.

Planning permission was granted by West Sussex County Council for the works with a condition that they were completed by December this year. However, estate owner Sir Charles Burrell is now seeking an extention until the end of 2027. Previous extensions have already been granted.

Now in a report to the council, planning specialists Dousett Mayhew acting for Sir Charles, say that yet more time is needed to complete the works which require the importation of inert materials.

They say: "Works in the implementation of the development have continued over the last two years. However progress has been slower than anticipated due to the reduction in the amount of material that is locally available to import to form landscape enhancement features.

"This is a result in the slowdown in construction activity caused, principally, by Natural England’s issue of an Interim Position Statement that water extraction in the Sussex North Water Resource Supply Zone might be adversely impacting the ecology of the Arun Valley and that development should not be approved unless it demonstrates ‘water neutrality’.”

The works at the Grade II listed Knepp Castle include removing silt from an historic estate millpond which has reduced to a third of its original size with only a couple of centimetres of water in places. It is considered the work is necessary to safeguard the millpond’s future as an important ecological resource and habitat.

The Knepp Estate was inherited by the Burrell family in 1787. Intense agricultural production was started on the estate when crops were grown as part of the World War II ‘Dig for Victory’ campaign.

Have you read? Wide variety of stores draws shoppers to ‘thriving’ Horsham

New Italian eatery opens in village near Horsham

However, it was decided in 1999 to return the land around Knepp Castle to its former parkland appearance and a restoration management plan was drawn up. Around 350 acres were taken out of agricultural production and returned to grassland with deer and other livestock introduced.

Dousett Mayhew say: “This reflects the move away from intensive arable production to a pioneering approach to ecological land management.”

It was the start of Knepp’s now world-renowned re-wilding.