Threat
to the National Park?
It is now becoming
increasingly clear that the plan by West Sussex County Council / the Highways
Agency to upgrade Titnore lane, west of Worthing in West Sussex, into a major
road linking the A27 with the A259 and western parts of Worthing, will weaken
the case for the area to be included in the South Downs National Park.
This worrying fact, has been
mentioned in a letter from the Council for the National Parks, during weeks of
argument between campaigners fighting to save the last block of ancient woodland
in this part of Sussex - and through which Titnore lane runs - and Worthing's
Development Control Committee, together with planning officials at
both West Sussex County (WSCC) and Worthing Borough Councils (WBC).
In what appeared to be a
matter of straightening a bend in the lane with the loss of several hundred
trees, could now turn out to be a monstrous upgrading of the lane
involving the wholesale destruction of the ancient woodland due to the scandalous
under estimate in traffic volumes generated by new housing and industrial
development in the area.
Horrified by this threat to
the area, members of Worthing's Development Control Committee (WDCC), who
were originally in favour of the plan as first mooted, have twice deferred a
decision for their concerns to be addressed, for instance:
a) How is it that a reduction
in the speed limit in the lane from 60mph to 40 would increase accidents? As
this is an illogical statement, how had the traffic experts come to that
conclusion?
b) Why is the Highways Agency
refusing to allow a roundabout on the A27 to give direct access to the new
housing etc?
c) Why isn't there any
traffic speed data to support the positioning of a roundabout in the lane?
d) Why did WSCC take so long
to admit that its accident data was so wrong?
John Clark speaking for
Protect Our Woodland, an alliance of environmental and conservation groups
fighting to save the wood said:
" We see this as
the continuation by West Sussex County Council to put as many obstacles in the
way of the creation of the National Park. Ever since the plan to create a Park
was mentioned, the council have used every trick in the book to block it. Given
half a chance they would welcome a dual carriageway across the South Downs from
the A24 and use Titnore lane as a western bypass for Worthing.
Thankfully we have been able
to alert Worthing's councillors to the threat, with most now refusing to pass
the application if it means that the lane will be destroyed. However a
major obstacle is the refusal of John Prescott to hold a Public Inquiry and
examine why so much misleading evidence has been presented to the Development
Control Committee. Surely it's in public interest to find out why
council officials were so un-economical with the truth over the alleged 'A'
classification and the future strategic use of the lane. Also there is the
question of why the original plan for the new section of the A280 to take
traffic way from Titnore lane hasn't been implemented".
>>>>>ENDS<<<<<
Editors’ notes.
The Protect Our Woodland
alliance is comprised of: The Worthing Society. East Preston and Kingston
Preservation Society. Worthing Friends of the Earth. Worthing and West Sussex
Green Parties and South Coast Against Roadbuilding (SCAR) together with many of
the residents of Durrington, Worthing.