Highdown Vineyard sale: Conservation group opposes ‘ridiculous plan’ for housing development

The Littlehampton Road site may be sold by owners Aly and Paul Eglefield to property developer Rego Property, subject to planning permission being granted on a housing estate.

The proposals are now with Arun District Council, prior to a full planning application being submitted.

Ferring Conservation Group has called for the plans to be scrapped entirely. The group’s chairman, David Bettiss, said: “We were astounded to hear of this application this week by pure accident, and particularly given the fact that Arun District Council planning officers had consulted the National Park Authority, but nobody in Ferring including the Parish Council or local Ward Councillors.

“Such a development here would be contrary to the Arun District Council Local Plan policies, designed to keep the Angmering to Worthing Gap free of development, as well as the Ferring Neighbourhood Plan, and even Arun’s own land assessment which deems this site to be not currently developable.”

The plans come hot on the heels of an application by Persimmon Homes to build 465 homes on Chatsmore Farm on the opposite side of the A259.

That application will be considered by Worthing Borough Council’s planning committee on March 10, but has already attracted more than 1,200 comments of objection.

Mr Bettiss added: “I couldn’t think of a more inappropriate place for such a large housing estate, as it’s right on the southern slopes of the visually important Highdown and borders the National Park.

“Then just imagine all the extra traffic relating to 121 new houses going to and from the already seriously congested A259. This is an area for agricultural and horticultural use, currently an active vineyard and needs to be maintained as a break between the local settlements, not to create a new one with all that goes with it.

“We call upon Arun District Council to make it very clear to the developer that permission would not be granted here and we want to reinforce the message to the developer that this would be incredibly unpopular with local residents who would without doubt object in the same numbers as the application across the road. The most sensible course would be for them to withdraw this ridiculous plan as we would fight it tooth and nail.”

Ed Miller, the secretary of Ferring Conservation Group, has submitted a formal request under the Freedom of Information Act seeking details of advice given by Arun Planning Officers to the developer.