Victory for people power as Littlehampton park saved from broadband exchange plans

Last month CityFibre submitted an application to Arun District Council for the exchange and access track at the Linden Park Recreation Ground.

The new building would have been at the southern end of the park, near to Gloucester Road, with an access track off Linden Park and East Ham Road.

But the plans attracted a storm of protest, with residents living nearby describing the park as a ‘much loved’ green space used for generations by people of all ages to relax, play and walk their dogs.

They argued the plans would destroy its character and impact people’s enjoyment of the park.

Deborah Foreman, who helped organise the campaign against the plans, said: “We are pleased with the outcome. But we won’t stand for any future plans on Linden Park.

“And we will band together as a community to defend it.

“Thank you to everyone that objected and supported Linden Park, to MP Nicholas Gibb, Sport England, Littlehampton Gazette and Derrick Chester.

“Every green space however small is so valuable to us and the wildlife. It must be protected for the future generations.”

Many of the objectors questioned why a brownfield site had not been chosen, and made it clear how passionately they felt about their park.

One objector called the plan ‘abhorrent’ with others telling the council ‘please don’t destroy our park’.

Many also highlighted the impact on wildlife and asked why an area of town with such dense housing was losing part of its major green space.

Concerns about the safety of the proposed access road, which would have cut across the park, were also raised.

In response to the torrent of objections, CityFibre’s agent wrote to the council stressing the site had been provided by Arun itself as appropriate for a fibre exchange.

They also highlighted how a £25,000 payment had been agreed to mitigate the loss of public open space and the council’s parks team had advised they were happy with the access route across the park and a grasscrete system with soil/grassed top surface would be acceptable along with concrete pin kerb.

However, after meetings the plans were withdrawn.

Adrian Smith, CityFibre’s area manager for Littlehampton, said: “We are currently working hard to deliver a full fibre network that will future-proof Littlehampton’s digital capabilities for decades to come.

“This is a major undertaking, which is why we constantly review and adapt our rollout to ensure it is delivered as efficiently as possible.

“On this occasion, we have decided to withdraw our planning application for the site at Linden Park and pursue alternative routes. We’d like to apologise for any upset caused.

“We continue to work closely with our contractor and Arun District Council to deliver this transformation of the town’s digital capabilities and want to thank residents for their patience and continued support.”