Building 1,500 homes on edge of Southwater 'would have devastating impact'

Earlier this month Berkeley Homes launched a public consultation on plans to build on the 348 acre site stretching from Bonfire Hill right up to the A24 past the Hop Oast roundabout.

But with the developer having already built hundreds of homes at Broadacres to the west of Worthing Road, the sentiment is clear in Southwater that the village has already taken its fair share of housing.

Emma Storm, who lives in Two Mile Ash Road, started an online petition opposing the development, which has already gained 1,800 signatures.

She described how the ‘beautiful’ farmland is home to a diverse selection of wildlife and although acknowledging more housing is needed in the South East, she feels there are ‘better places they can develop’.

The petition says: “To allow the development of this land will be devastating to the environment, wildlife, and natural habitats of our much needed pollinators.”

Mrs Storm also highlighted the ‘huge amount of extra cars’ that would be using roads not designed for such volumes of traffic, while there were also concerns about how Berkeley Homes would address water neutrality requirements.

Mrs Storm believes Grade II listed properties in Two Mile Ash Road as well as Great House Farm would be ‘blighted’ if the estate goes ahead.

She and her family moved to their property to enjoy a rural lifestyle, but now face being bordered by a massive housing estate. Currently she gets up at 6am to check on her horses. She said: “It’s peaceful and all the birds are singing. How can they want to come along and concrete this over and put a few patches of grass in and say they are working with nature?”

She added: “There’s disbelief they they want to continue building in Southwater. The general consensus is they will join us up to Horsham.”

There is also the suggestion the consultation process is being rushed as many received flyers in the post just days before the consultation events, while some households never received one at all.

Mrs Storm called on residents to sign the petition so the developers are ‘under no illusions that this proposal is not wanted’.