Manhood Peninsula Action Group meets with Chichester MP to discuss housing concerns

The group, which represents 30,500 residents in 11 parishes, left Mrs Keegan with a list of questions to answer.

Leader Joan Foster, chairman of Hunston Parish Council, said: “This was a constructive meeting with full opportunity for concerns to be raised.

“Representatives of the majority of the 11 parishes on the Manhood Peninsula were present, along with district and county councillors. Councillor Susan Taylor, from Chichester District Council, provided helpful information.”

Mrs Foster gave a presentation outlining key points relating to the proposed 1,933 new houses to be built on the peninsula.

She said: “The housing allocation is much too high. Houses can only be built on 30 per cent of Chichester District land, yet the allocation is made on the size of the whole district. Houses cannot be built in the South Downs National Park or the Chichester AONB, so they are all going to be squeezed on to the Manhood Peninsula and the Harbour villages.

“The sewage and waster water treatment plants are at capacity and the environment will be threatened, damaging biodiversity corridors, generating nitrates discharge and losing flood plains.

“With climate change, a two degrees Celsius increase in average temperatures would increase sea level by 4.7 metres. This will result in many areas, currently classified as flood zones 2 and 3, particularly near the coast, being completely inundated.

“The A27 is not fit for purpose. The 1,933 houses means 3,866 cars, 980 houses in Pagham means 1,960 cars, 2,500 proposed houses north of Chalcraft Lane, Bersted, means 5,000 cars, a total of 10,826 more cars fighting to get off the Manhood Peninsula.

“Traffic from Pagham comes up through Lagness and North Mundham, joining the Selsey Road through Sidlesham and Hunston, just south of Chichester Free School. Queues in rush hour are already back to at least The Walnut Tree in North Mundham and through Hunston to Sidlesham.

“We left Mrs Keegan with a list of questions and look forward to her reply.”

The action group asked if Mrs Keegan would renegotiate Government housing figures to 30 per cent of the current allocation.

Other questions were as follows:

- How do you and your Government plan to balance the potentially unsustainable environmental repercussions of further development on the Manhood Peninsula against the national housing crisis?

- Will you work to protect the unique coastal plain by incorporating Environment Agency guidelines on flooding and sea levels into the National Planning Policy Framework as legal requirements?

- Will you work to establish Coastal West Sussex as a Coastal Change Management Area?

- Will you work to protect coastal waters from nitrate and sewage pollution with legal enforcement?

- Do you recognise that the Manhood Peninsula will not survive an A27 upgraded southern route?

- Will you confirm Government plans and timetable for a transparent traffic consultation?