News

27th February 2025

A new article has been published online reporting on our protest on Saturday 22nd February: https://www.sussexexpress.co.uk/news/politics/council/campaigners-continue-to-protest-against-plans-for-191-houses-in-west-sussex-village-5008968

We were delighted to see around 120 supporters on the day, and here is our full statement for anyone who couldn’t make it:

“The campaign to save the fields behind us has gone from strength to strength and continues to grow as more and more people realise what they stand to lose if the Gleeson’s Planning Application is approved. Over 1300 people have objected to the application and fewer than 100 people have supported it. This is amazing and we would like to thank every single one of you who have submitted your objections. You are the true stars of our Campaign.

It would be very easy for us to rest on our laurels and wait for the Planning Committee in May but PFWBR know that we need to keep our profile up locally so that our voice is heard. The Village of Angmering has seen 22 housing schemes approved by Arun District Council with 1,263 houses built in the last 3 years.

It is now abundantly clear to us that there isn’t sufficient infrastructure to support this growth. Our roads are jammed with traffic, our health services are on their knees, our schools are over-subscribed – it is quite simply unsustainable. The 190 new homes proposed by Gleeson on prime agricultural land will be the straw that breaks the camel’s back. We cannot stand idly by while those in power make the decisions for us.

Gleeson’s Planning Application for Land West of Bewley Road could be decided in May. However, there is a glimmer of hope! On 31 January, the government launched its consultation on the Land Use Framework (or LUF) for England which they say will give “ decision makers the data they need to protect our most productive agricultural land, boosting food security in a time of global uncertainty and a changing climate”.

PFWBR are excited by the LUF, which is likely to be ready this summer, because we believe it will have significant bearing on the determination of Gleeson’s application. The LUF together with devolution, which will create a unified Sussex region, will enable Arun District Council to strengthen its emerging Local Plan by protecting prime agricultural land like the fields behind us. Arun District Council, will also be able to advocate more strongly for a proportion of its housing targets to be achieved in more suitable sites across the wider region.

We have therefore written to the Case Officer, who is also the Head of Planning, to respectfully request a meeting to discuss whether the Outline Planning Application can be deferred until the final version of the LUF is published later this year. We hope our request will be viewed favourably, in the light of the vast number of objections that the application has received to date.

Thanks, once again, for all of your brilliant support. We will continue to keep you updated on our Campaign via the Village Facebook but do feel free to contact us via our email and website if you have any further ideas to promote the Campaign.”