Titnore Woods Chopped from Park

 

THE Inspector's report into the South Downs National Park will recommended to government that it should be smaller than the Countryside Agency had proposed, concentrating it on the chalk landscape. The Low Weald in north west Sussex and Hampshire should therefore be excluded. He has also recommended against including all the Woodland east off Titnore Lane, Castle Goring and the southern slope of Highdown Hill, and has indeed recommended that Titnore Lane should form the eastern boundary of the Highdown section. He did also recommend that Tortington Common  should be included in the Park, but that all the water meadows south of the A27 along the Arun and the town of Arundel should be excluded.

 

The report is therefore a major blow to our Save Titnore Woods Campaign. The Inspector's report shows that the main reason for excluding Titnore Woods east of Titnore Lane and Castle Goring is the absence of any right of public access to this land, so that it cannot be used for recreation, and the limited views of this land from any public right of way. The Inspector also considered that the woods east of Titnore Lane had fewer Downland characteristics than the land west of the lane; and that Titnore Lane made a clearer boundary than that along the edge of the woods proposed by the Countryside Agency. He did also say he took this decision with some regret and that if the boundary extended east of the lane, it should include Castle Goring Park.

 

The Inspector's reason for rejecting the addition of the southern slope of Highdown was the quality of the landscape; the presence of glasshouses, equestrian centre and pick your own farm, with the associated changes in the landscape from that expected in a Downland landscape. He considered that the Countryside Agency's proposal for a boundary along the track half way up the slope provided a logical and clearly marked boundary.

 

At Arundel, the Inspector concluded that the quality of the water meadow landscape south of the A27  was not good enough to justify inclusion in the Park. He therefore concluded that the town should be excluded and proposed a boundary resembling that of the AONB except that some houses on the north of the High Street should be excluded. The castle and park would therefore be in the National Park.

At Tortington Common, he concluded that the area met the statutory criteria. He attached importance to the woods forming part of the large area of woodland that covers the dipslope of the Down west of Arundel. However, he accepted that if the Highways Agency's review of routes for an Arundel bypass led it back to the route safeguarded in the Arun Local Plan, it would be sensible to exclude Tortington Common from the Park.

CLEARLY as you would expect we are not going to take this news lying down. Over the next few days we are to prepare a further list of reasons why the Woodland east of Titnore Lane should be included in the Park. When this list is ready a sample letter for posting to the relevant minister will be made available to everyone - please contact us  However if you want to go-ahead now, click and you'll find the report and how to make representations. The deadline for all comments is 13 August 2007.

Home