Uproar erupts over riding stables’ ‘unlawful’ school

Villagers say not enough has been done to stop Jewels’ Stables, in Crossbush Lane, from operating as a riding school – a venture for which the stables does not have planning consent.

Trevor Sim, 62, who has lived in Crossbush Lane for 23 years, said: “As a community we were really excited to get national park status. We celebrated it.

“But now that we have it, we feel that we don’t get enough support from the authority. There is a stable here which is operating outside of its planning permission and that shouldn’t be allowed.

“If it was a housing developer doing this on that land someone would surely step in and stop it.”

Action could be taken

A spokeswoman for the SDNPA said: “We will take action, where appropriate, to ensure that planning legislation is complied with throughout the national park.”

Jewels Stables was granted planning permission to operate as a domestic stables in 1994, by Arun District Council, long before the national park came into being.

However, in 2011, an application was submitted to Arun, by the owner of the site, Samuel Langmead, for a change of use of the land, for the siting of a horse ménage, two additional stables and eight holiday lodges ancillary to an existing equestrian-related development.

This was later refused in March, 2012, by the SDNPA’s planning committee and dismissed on appeal in March, this year.

A further application, in December last year, was also submitted to the SDNPA, by Mr Langmead, for a lawful development certificate for commercial livery stables and riding lessons on adjacent paddock, which was refused by the authority in February.

Mr Langmead launched an appeal last month against the decision.

He was unable to comment about the situation.

The owner of Jewels’ Stables insists she was unaware of planning permission being needed to operate the school.

Confusion

Tutor Julia Richards said the stables had received a riding licence under the Riding Establishment Act, from Arun since 2011. She believed this gave her the right to operate as a riding school – which she said has about 60 pupils.

Ms Richards said: “Arun District Council has issued me a licence to run a riding establishment for three consecutive years, they have charged me an annual fee and performed an on-site inspection.

“I’ve had the vets in each year to inspect all the horses and premises on the basis that I was running a school and the horses are used in the school and listed on my licence.

“We had been using the land for livery and to give lessons for years prior to applying for the licence to run a riding establishment. Why would they continue to issue the licence and charge me if I was unable to operate as set out clearly on the licence guidelines?”

A spokeswoman for Arun said: “It is a well-established principle that holding a licence for an activity does not permit activities in breach of planning or other regulatory controls, which it is the responsibility of the licence applicant to fulfil.”