Villagers demand housing is rejected

The Villages Action Group’s members believe the applications for housing on farmland in controversial locations should be rejected.

They have accused developers of capitalising on a delay in progressing the district council’s new local plan.

As reported, Hallam Land has applied to build 79 homes on land between Aldingbourne Primary School and Hook Lane in Aldingbourne.

Another application has been submitted by David Wilson Homes for housing in the Barnham-Eastergate gap. A further application for Hook Lane is anticipated.

Action group chairman Mike Turner said the companies were starting to realise Arun District Council was unlikely to support its previous idea of a large development in the villages.

“They are trying to earn a quick buck where they can with these speculative and inappropriate applications,” he said.

“The Hallam Lane application is for over twice as much housing as the 15-year allocation in Arun District Council’s local plan for the parish of Aldingbourne, which is 30 houses.

“It proposes access on to a narrow, winding, unlit rural lane which is well used by pedestrians, horse-riders and cyclists, including children.

“The David Wilson Homes application is a slightly smaller version of a previous application which was rejected by Arun.

“Both applications are being strongly opposed by local residents. They both have serious questions of sustainability as well as the likelihood of increasing the flood risks to existing nearby properties.”

The parish councils in Aldingbourne, Eastergate, Barnham and other parish councils are also preparing their neighbourhood plans.

These will set out where and what type of development should take place in each village and which areas should be enhanced for environmental and recreational purposes.

“Arun and the government’s Department for Communities and Local Government need to give these developers the clear message they need to wait until the neighbourhood plans are finalised, which will be a matter 
of months.

“When the public consultation for those takes place, it will be clear how much housing growth should take place, where and of what type of design and which infrastructure facilities the villages which to support with developers’ funding.”