Author: LocHist

Iconic views


The Sussex Express reports the Director of Planning for the South Downs National Park, Tim Slaney, as saying:

The Rampion wind farm proposals would harm the landscape and cultural heritage of the South Downs National Park introducing 175 turbines into the iconic views from the Sussex Heritage Coast and cause large scale disruption to the landscape of the National Park through the construction of a 14km long and 30m wide cable corridor.

The South Downs National Park Authority (SDNPA), which attended 11 days of public examination and submitted in excess of 270 pages of evidence, recommended that the Secretary of State should refuse to grant permission to ensure that the landscape and cultural heritage of the National Park is conserved.

Wealden wins

Wealden CSLP
The Sussex Express reports:

A consortium of landowners have failed in a High Court bid to tear up Wealden District Council’s housing plans for the next 16 years and force it to go back to the drawing board.

One of the country’s top judges dismissed the challenge brought by the group, known as Ashdown Forest Economic Development LLP, to the Council’s Core Strategy Local Plan (CSLP.)

The group claimed the Council, the South Downs National Park Authority and a Government planning inspector who had cleared it to be adopted had been too cautious and protective of the environment and nearby Ashdown Forest. However, Mr Justice Sales today rejected all of the group’s grounds of complaint.

More details at the link.

“New haciendas and gin palaces”

George Cruikshank The Gin Palace
The Midhurst and Petworth Observer reports:

A House of Commons debate on national parks .. was called in response to a government proposal to allow the conversion of up to three dwellings, or the replacement of existing farm buildings, without planning permission.

Mr [Nick] Herbert warned the proposals could lead to ‘the creation of a suburbia .. and inappropriate development — new haciendas and gin palaces — instead of maintaining the character of the parks and the landscape, which was precisely why they were created’.

A number of Conservative MPs, many representing constituencies that lie partly or wholly within national parks, spoke against the proposals. Concerns have also been raised by the South Downs Society and the Campaign for National Parks.

Annual Parish Meeting alert

Woodland Trust sites near Fulking
Woodland Trust sites near Fulking
The Annual Parish Meeting will take place on 1st May and the Parish Council has arranged for a speaker from the Woodland Trust. If anybody has any questions, or areas that they would like the speaker to cover, please contact me. And put the date in your diary!

Andrea Dickson
Clerk to Fulking Parish Council
01444 451 060
andreadicksonfpc@gmail.com

Studio Shards

Studio Shards Pauline Findlay
The March issue of BN5 has an article [PDF] about Fulking fused glass artist Pauline Findlay. Pauline is running a series of two-hour workshops in March to introduce people to her techniques (Saturday 8th March 10:00–12:00; Wednesday 12th March 5:30–7:30; Tuesday 18th March 10:00–12:00; and Saturday 29th March 10:00–12:00). More details at her website.

Mayfield runoff

The LAMBS flood gallery
The LAMBS website has another interesting article, this one on the implications of the Mayfield development for the regional hydrology:

“Every time it rains there would be massive floods which could wipe out Shoreham,” says Frank Preston who worked on the river for 30 years, as a Flood Defence Agent for Southern Water Authority. “The extra impervious run-off from houses and roads, that sort of thing, would just overpower the river.”
..
John Donaldson, former Operations Manager for the Environment Agency, with 35 years of experience in the water industry, says he was “horrified” when he heard of the plan. “The impact of the drainage system and surface water run-off will be a nightmare,” he says. “We can hardly manage the run-off that we’ve got at the present time. There’d be even greater flooding without doubt – to land, to property, to road systems and transport – everything. The upland catchment already has enough water in the meadows and fields – we cannot take any more water.”
..
[Peter Haworth Booth:] “The implications of Mayfield are enormous. I think a lot of houses just won’t be habitable. I don’t know what the quantities of water are but the speed of the run-off is going to cause mega problems from here down to Bramber.”

Read the rest at the LAMBS website.