Villagers' chance to quiz developers on plans for 175 homes

Rydon Homes and Gleeson held a public exhibition for proposals for land south of Water Lane at the village hall.

While the land is not included in the parish’s neighbourhood plan, the developers have pointed to Arun’s wider housing shortage.

Arun District Council is under pressure to identify more land for housing as part of its local plan – and has described the village as a ‘sustainable’ location.

Robin McDonald, of Save Angmering Village action group said: “I don’t think anybody disagrees that more housing is required. It is the issue of where it is being distributed around the area.

“The size of Angmering has grown alarmingly in recent years.”

The exhibition identified key issues, including access, traffic impact and drainage.

Vehicular access would be via Water Lane, with the developers working with West Sussex County Council’s highways department on a detailed transport assessment.

Information boards described the greenfield site as having ‘limited’ ecological activity, with no badgers or dormice found.

‘Key benefits’ included the provision of new homes and up to 30 per cent affordable housing, while the development would ‘respond appropriately to the surrounding landscape character and ecological and heritage context’.

Principal planner for Nexus Planning Jonathan Locke said an outline planning application could be submitted in early summer – but it was not set in stone.

He said: “I think the reaction has been fair. A lot of people have expressed their concerns and these are the things we need to take into consideration.”

Parish clerk Rob Martin said the council did not currently take a stance on the plans, so as not to predetermine a planning application. But he noted the site was outside the development boundary in the neighbourhood plan.