Truce in war of words over plans to build thousands of homes in Sussex villages

Developers want to build 3,500 houses at Buck Barn, West Grinstead, and another development company wants to build 3,000 houses at Adversane near Billingshurst.

Residents in both villages are putting forward opposition to both proposals - on green field sites - and have formed action groups in a bid to halt the developments.

But a row broke out between the groups last week after the Save West Grinstead Action Group said that The Adversane development was a preferable site for development and their area - Buck Barn - should be left alone.

The Adversane group called for the West Grinstead group to withdraw their statement.

However, this week the Adversane group says it stands ‘side by side’ with Buck Barn residents in resisting both proposals.

A spokesman for the Adversane group - known as BigSTAND - said: “Untold damage to the Knepp Estate rewilding project {at West Grinstead} will result from the developer’s plans to build 3,500 houses on neighbouring land at Buck Barn.

“Just five miles down the road from Buck Barn, another new town of 3,000 houses is proposed at Adversane and West Chiltington, continuing the concreting over of ancient Sussex Wealden landscape and causing yet more loss of natural habitat.

“Adversane is also close to Mens Wood, which is a Special Area for Conservation (European Habitats Directive), a Site of Special Scientific Interest, a Grade 1 Nature Conservation Review site, and the home of the rare barbastelle bats, whose foraging ground coincides with the Kingswood site {at Adversane} where 3,000 new houses are proposed by the developers Our Place.

“Of all the sites being considered for development, the least appropriate of all the sites is Adversane because it has the least suitable infrastructure.”

BigSTAND chairman Julian Trumper said: “We urge the Government to stop the wanton destruction of the countryside.

“We need to build the right homes in the right places and stop this frenzied destruction of rural landscapes.

“There are better ways to build the homes that we need.

“The Government must reverse the pressure to build in the countryside by its unsustainable house building targets.”