New housing estate near Highdown Hill would be ‘wrong for so many reasons’

The owners of Lansdowne Nurseries, based north of the A259 Littlehampton Road in Ferring, held a consultation at the weekend on plans to develop 72 homes on their land.

An agent acting for the business said it is planning to relocate to a nearby ‘more accessible’ site as part of efforts to diversify and expand locally.

On Friday (February 4), a number of Ferring Conservation Group members gathered to make their opposition to the proposals known. Worthing West MP Sir Peter Bottomley alongside county and district councillor Roger Elkins were present to hear concerns about the proposed development.

A planning application has yet to be submitted to Arun District Council, but follows similar plans floated by the owners of the nearby Highdown Vineyard.

Other planning applications at Roundstone Farm and Rustington Golf Centre have previously been refused.

David Bettiss, chairman of the conservation group, said: “We were simply amazed when we became aware of this proposal by the owners of Lansdowne Nursery to build a housing estate right on the slopes of Highdown, especially in light of the recent stance by Arun planners about the Highdown Vineyard.

“Such a plan is wrong for so many reasons – it would clearly be contrary to Arun District Council’s Local Plan, which protects the gap here from this form of development, as well as the Ferring Neighbourhood Plan, voted for by local people.

“It would destroy the iconic views both to and from Highdown Hill, we would lose even more green space and in particular more agricultural land, it would put more pressure on local services and add even more vehicles to the already overloaded A259. And they’re just some of the main reasons.”

A leaflet distributed as part of the consultation argues the scheme is ‘landscape led’, with the development designed to reduce the visual impact from both Littlehampton Road and public footpaths on and around Highdown Hill.

Of the 72 total homes, 22 would be affordable and more then half designed to meet lifetime homes standards.

Homes would also include air source heat pumps and solar panels and a pond would ‘create a focal point for the extensive amenity space to the south-east corner of the site’.

But Mr Bettiss added: “We call on the Lansdowne Nursery owners to forget this short sighted proposal, which would be massively unpopular with hundreds of local residents and would be fiercely resisted, and suggest they simply put the idea to bed now.”

Sir Peter said: “Local people have responded robustly to the public consultation on possible replacement of Lansdowne Nursery by over 70 homes.

“There were not positive answers to the question: ‘What do you most like about the proposed development?’, a representative local wrote: ‘Absolutely nothing as we do not want any development that impacts on Highdown and the Downs.’

“I thank the residents and the leaders of Ferring Conservation Group who met Councillor Roger Elkins and me on site.

“There should be just about no further development along this stretch of the A259. Preserve the green fields that give identity to Ferring and the South Downs.

Maintain our horticultural tradition. Invest in the future rather than extending the town into the country.”

Mr Elkins added: “I note the considerable opposition from residents against development in this location, and it is contrary to the Arun Local Plan. Such a proposal would be an incursion into the countryside and the Strategic Gap in this much valued landscape and the setting of Highdown Hill.”