Chichester housing: concerns raised over development plans

Letter from: Stephanie Carn, Whyke Road, Chichester
Housing plans are causing concernHousing plans are causing concern
Housing plans are causing concern

I was very concerned to read in last week’s Observer about plans to develop the area between Apuldram and the A27, plans so advanced that a campaign has been put together to save this area. Click here for more information.

How could anyone ever have thought it a good idea to concrete over one of the few areas that link the Chichester Harbour Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and the South Downs National Park?

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The site is also valuable as farmland, which is going to be more important in the future.

Housing and other developments parallel with the A27 mean that wildlife around the harbour has no route to the downs.

The A259 is in the process of being subject to the same sort of ribbon development that happened in the 1930s.

Surely we know better now? I’ve never questioned the need for housing for the homeless, but we all know that expensive houses near Chichester Harbour will not be available for those in need, and in fact many will be bought as second homes.

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Chichester district has at least seven per cent second homes, according to their own statistics.

In 2017 that meant that 55,150 homes were second homes.

Just imagine that if even a percentage of these were returned to being a real, permanent home for someone, there would be no need to build on the last few open areas between the downs and the sea.

On the positive side, some local councils have declared a climate emergency, and West Sussex County Council has a produced a policy to protect pollinators.

I can’t understand why we are even considering building houses, business parks, and worst of all, a new road in an area that should be preserved for posterity.

People will look back and be totally unable to understand how we could have been so shortsighted.

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