New 600-home settlement planned near Plaistow

Crouchlands Farm in Rickmans Lane has been the centre of much controversy over the years due to the operation of an anaerobic digestion plant.

But after the loss of several appeals, the plant was shut down in 2017 much to the delight of the community, with the lengthy decommissioning process taking place.

Last year new owner Artemis Land & Agriculture Limited has requested a screening opinion on fresh plans for the site to Chichester District Council.

A whole farm plan proposed commercial and high welfare, low impact and low intensity farming activity, the gradual development of a rural enterprise centre, a rural food and retail centre, equestrian centre, and glamping site.

But a new scoping report has been lodged for a proposing the development of 600 homes called ‘Rickman’s Green Village’.

The application describes it as a ‘new rural settlement, proportionate to its environment and set in the landscape, that focuses on encouraging and actively accommodating different types of walkers, cyclists and equestrians in and around the site whilst also enabling necessary car use and public transport for connections to and from the site’.

The plans are likely to be widely opposed in the area, given the site’s location in the middle of the countryside and distance from larger settlements and the capacity and safety of the road network.

But the applicant believes the homes would held the district ‘bridge the gap between current provision and identified housing need’.

The proposed development would include a two-form entry primary school and special educational needs provision.

The application also suggests the layout of the settlement would ‘maximise opportunities for sustainable travel by actively accommodating pedestrian, cyclist and equestrian movements’ and be ‘laid out to ensure any potential harm to the built and buried heritage, landscape and ecology impacts are

greatly minimised’.

The scoping opinion describes how under the do-nothing scenario the sole use of the land would remain as farmland and ‘proposed housing provision, job creation and education facility provision would not be realised’.

Visit www.chichester.gov.uk/planning using code 22/01754/EIA.