Titnore Lane Development Worthing

Further to the posts below. As there has been outrage expressed in the messages we have received over the inclusion in the Core Strategy that 700 houses are still to be built at Titnore. An explanation will be demanded from councillors at the meeting and your presence at that meeting is important.

Following on from the council’s rejection of the West Durrington / Titnore development March 15, there are to be changes to the towns 'Proposed Submission Core Strategy' (see). These changes are to be put before a meeting of the full council starting at 6.30pm in the Town Hall on Wednesday, March 31^st. To read the complete Core Strategy before changes were made (see).

Due to the importance of any decision taken by the council on this development, and the fact that all of the town’s councillors will be present, you are urged to attend that meeting to show councillors our determination to prevent the development and that we support their decision made on March 15.

What now? A meeting has been organised for Thursday, 25 March by the Worthing Alliance to discuss the way forward. It will take place at The Jolly Brewers, 39-41 Clifton Road, Worthing BN11 4DG starting at 8pm. All are welcome.

To the great surprise of everyone the council dismissed the developers application to build. Click for a report.

Worthing Borough Council have published the Agenda for the committee meeting that will decide the fait of the Titnore area, see

Please have a read and if you see any points we can use when we speak at the meeting please send to

Finally. Please attend the committee meeting at 1.30pm, Monday 15^th March at the Assembly Hall (behind the Town Hall). This is a public meeting and you have the democratic right to witness the decision making process. Don’t be put off by anyone or anything. Put it in your diary now!

Celebrations or commiserations will be held afterwards at the Wheatsheaf around the corner in Richmond road.

Why not call or Text Wonderful Titnore FM 101.6 on 07898 70 53 67 to show your support, or ask for a request or shout out.

Camp Titnore and Titnore FM 101.6 welcomed visitors today from the local collage and housing estates.

Titnore FM 101.6 the worlds first solar powered community radio station transmitting from a studio high up in an oak tree in Titnore woods, is now on air. Click for details.

IN a scene reminiscent of the Israeli wall, Tesco have erected a so-called acoustic barrier to shield close-by residents from the din created by the operation of the massive new store in Durrington.

Interviewed today, a near by resident commented: This wooden wall is one thing, but the pile driver used has caused serious cracks in most of the houses along here. Fortunately mine is not to bad, but the surveyor who looked at one of my neighbours believes the foundations have shifted.

We say shame the house doesn’t belong to one of the councillors who approved the store!

The Open Spaces Society, Britain's oldest conservation society, has today issued a press release (see ) and done radio interviews strongly backing our campaign to save the farmland / woodland west of Durrington near Worthing. This very respected society has also been instrumental recently in reversing a decision by Worthing Borough Council to sell off National Park Downland close to the Iron Age fort at Cissbury Ring (see)

The present Tesco store at Durrington will be closing Sunday, 7 February. If that was the end we would be happy, with the drinks on us. However the replacement monster shed being built on Durrington's Greenbelt is said to open Thursday, 25 February - that is if it hasn't sunk in the swamp they've created.

If this shed does open, then I'm afraid the Marie Curie Cancer Care shop won't be moving there. As we understand it, due to the high demand for the shops within the new monsters 'Mall' there's no space for Marie Curie. More likely Tesco are afraid the charity shop will sell better stuff at a lower price than them!

We've mentioned before the closure, due to work on this Tesco, of the footpath that linked North Durrington with Northbrook, well now they've gone one better. The alternative, albeit longer, route has also been shut with the result both communities are completely cut off from each other by foot, unless that is you're young and fit enough to walk the 1.5 mile road alternative to the previous 100yd path. Every little bit hurts.

The Facebook Group called ' Save Titnore Woods: The battle is on!' started just a few weeks ago has already attracted over 1000 friends - please visit today.

A date for the rescheduled council meeting has been announced. It will be on Monday, March 15 at the Assembly Hall, Stoke Abbott Rd Worthing (around the corner from the Town Hall). We understand there will be a protest meeting outside at 1.30pm.

Postponed. Yes the meeting due to take place 28 January at which the Worthing planning committee were expected to rubber stamp the outrageous Titnore Greenfield development, has been put back to 15 March. So please put the word around not to turn up until then.

However we have not won yet! If you have not done it so far, please write to:
The leader, Worthing Borough Council, Cllr Paul Yallop (paul.yallop@worthing.gov.uk) and object to the 'West Durrington Development that will be built on a Greenfield site - Durrington's Green Belt' or words to that effect. Please also ask him to have a local referendum on this very controversial development.

We may have won a postponement but the battle is defiantly not over.

Whilst the country ground to a halt due to a bit of ice and snow and most of it's population were huddled around the fire watching a mind numbing soap, 10 heroic woodland defenders were camped out in Titnore woods in case the chain saw gangs of the developers arrived to trash the ancient trees.

Lets be very clear. If the developers think they are going to remove people who are prepared to suffer temperatures normally only found in the Artic from these woods easily, they better think again and leave the woods alone.

A Facebook group called: ' Save Titnore Woods: The battle is on!' has been set up.

As we're now starting the end of this long battle, lets fight to the end and get as members as possible to join this group. We can make the new year a very happy one.

Tesco have now trashed the wooden bridge at the top of Fulbeck Ave and erected fencing to prevent any access into the field.
Not only has this illegally prevented an ancient Right of Way from being used, it has also severed access between the communities of Northbrook and North Durrington etc.

It also means that the only way for visitors to camp Titnore is either along Titnore lane and enter via the track to Somerset lake, or across the fields via the top of Tasman Way. If any of those is inconvenient it may be possible to climb over the concrete blocks at the top of Fulbeck Ave but you need to hack through brambles and watch out for flooded potholes.

Following a call from a reporter we can now confirm that our 5 December posting below is correct. Sorry about this so near to Christmas but will everyone please write to the council again with their comments. This must be done before 8 January. Click for all details.

Dozens of well-wishes interrupted their Christmas shopping at the supporters stall in Montague St today, thus ensuring that the protectors of the precious Titnore lane area of Worthing were not forgotten by donating festive cheer. Despite Worthing council agreeing the mega ugly new Tesco shed on farmland nearby, the protectors vow to fight on and urge everyone to be at the council meeting mentioned below. (for a copy of the flyer handed out click here)

News has reached us that Worthing council are to meet at 6pm, Thursday 28 January 2010 to determine the Titnore development. Clearly we must all be prepared for the news that the woodland etc development will be approved. If that happens it is to be expected that contractors will attempt to enter the site shortly after January 28 and we must be prepared.

As usual this Christmas those supporting the good folk who have been camped out in Titnore woods since May 2006 are holding the ‘Hamper for a Camper’ stall near to McDonalds in Montague Street next Saturday, December 12 from 11am and donations of tins of all kinds will find a good home.

Finally we know many of you out there have a wealth of knowledge on a host of subjects. Will you please visit:

and see in the list of documents if there’s one you can review for us. It might be that hiding in one will be a killer fact that will scupper the whole nasty plan.

Many thanks to everyone who came along to the meeting and Downland walk organised by the Stop Cissbury Sell Off campaign despite the horrendous weather. As many of you will have seen on TV and in the local papers nearly 400 sent a powerful message to Worthing council of don’t sell this land.

All the latest can be found at http://www.scso.co.uk/ and you can get e-mail updates by sending an e-mail to info@scso.co.uk with 'Add Me' in the subject heading.

A meeting was held recently between West Sussex County Council (WSCC) Worthing Borough Council (WBC), The Worthing Society and the consortium of builders who plan to build within the woodland and on the farmland.

At that meeting it was announced that WSCC had agreed to allow a T junction instead of a roundabout where it is proposed access will be to the development from Titnore Lane. It was also stated that the previous requirement for that junction to be lit would not now be required.

A further development is that the full development application (including all the modifications) will go out for the pubic to comment on within the next few weeks. It is then expected that the WBC development control committee will meet later in January 2010 to make a final decision whether or not to allow the development.

Despite the announcement by Worthing council that they will review their decision to sell off the Cissbury Downland, the public meeting / protest will still take place in the car park at the top of Coombe Rise Findon Valley at 11am this Saturday 14 November. See below and http://www.scso.co.uk/ where there is a window poster for you to download.

Hilary Benn, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs announced today the creation of a new National Park for
the South Downs - including Castle Goring and a large part of the ancient Titnore Woodland we campaigned for. The South Downs National Park will come into being on 31March 2010. Click for more information.

Outraged by Worthing councils decision to sell off Downland? Well why not download a window poster from here.

Not good news I'm afraid. I suppose it was to be expected, but nethertheless we are disappointed that our petition to the Prime Minister for a Public Inquiry into the monstrous plan to destroy the ancient Titnore area has failed. However our campaign to stop this wanton vandalism will continue. The No10 reply can be read here. A big thank you to all those who signed the petition.

Continuing the vandalism theme, a public meeting / protest is to take place in the car park at the top of Coombe Rise Findon Valley at 11am on Saturday 14 November 2009 in response to the sell-off by Worthing Borough Council of Downland it owns - see below and http://www.scso.co.uk/ where there is a window poster for you to download.

Speaking at the meeting will be Kate Ashbrook, general secretary of The Open Spaces Society. Author and South Downs conservationist Dave Bangs and local Historian Chris Hare. As all the TV and print media have been invited the campaign is hoping as many people will come along and show how angry we all are at this sell-off.

Carrying on from the story below campaigners are asking all countryside lovers to write en masse to Worthing council and object to the sell-off Click for more information. They are also planning to hold a meeting locally - details to follow.

Further to the Downland sell off below, we understand that the decision to sell was made by Worthing Council late last year – seems though they forgot to tell local residents about it!!. Furthermore this worthless council have spent taxpayers’ money on obtaining ‘professional advice from agents’ and had to pay compensation to the estate of the former tenant. So at the end of the day it’s likely the money raised from the sale will used to pay those items and Worthing folk will have lost the right to roam over that part of the Downs for ever.

Dave Bangs, our good friend, Downland conservationist and author has written the following:

The Worthing BC Downland forms the greater part of the landscape context of Cissbury Ring. It can sensibly be described, in fact, as ‘the Cissbury Ring landscape’.

This Cissbury Ring landscape is heavily used by Worthing folk, as well as regional, national and international visitors. Indeed, when I visited last Friday (a gray October working day) every field bar one[1] of the Mount Carvey land – both that which is currently marketed and that which is still subject to an agricultural tenancy – was being walked over by dog walkers, bird watchers and ramblers. People were using it as though they had a right to be there - as though they had a ‘right to roam’.

Similarly, the Tenants Hill land, which is not yet on the market, is heavily used by the public both on and off the rights of way network, particularly at its northern end.

All the Worthing land at Cissbury connects the built up areas with the Ring. This land is the way in which folk get to the Ring, and their ‘gateway’ to the wider Downs.

The Worthing land is used as a ‘public landscape’, which was, indeed, the purpose for which it was given to the Borough.

3. Cissbury Ring itself: a ‘precious fragment’ made vulnerable by its small size and isolation

Cissbury Ring itself is of national importance as an archaeological site, and for its wildlife (as an SSSI – Site of Special Scientific Importance). Yet it is extremely isolated. It is a ’precious fragment’ whose landscape setting has lost its Down pasture mantle, with which it was once coterminous. It is the Ring’s misfortune that most of the high grade old Down pasture that surrounded it until the mid-20th century has now been lost.

This makes some of the wildlife resources of the Ring extremely vulnerable in the long term, unless some of that wider landscape can be restored.

Over the past three decades there has been a sea change in national thinking about countryside conservation, which has driven a series of policy initiatives intended to address biodiversity, archaeological and recreational issues on a landscape wide scale, not merely by policies of isolated site conservation[2].

These policies attempt to integrate farming with nature conservation, access and historic landscape conservation. They embrace a concept of landscape restoration which seeks to stitch back together the tattered surviving fragments of heath, old Down pasture, meadow, woodland, hedgerows and shaws, and so on, into far more sustainable wider landscapes.

A series of national budgets exist that can fund the enhanced management by WBC of the Cissbury Ring landscape.

The chief of these is Higher Level Stewardship funding (HLS), which is now available to local authorities as well as farmers. This brings in funds for chalk grassland restoration at a base rate of £200 per hectare per annum – a very considerable sum.

Brighton & Hove City Council is developing a very extensive and ambitious HLS project for the return of Downland sheep grazing on its network of old Down pasture sites, and on a series of other sites, too, where the strategy is for the return of flower-rich semi-natural grasslands.

Ms Sue Simpson, of Natural England, has confirmed to me that ample funding is still available for new projects, such as Worthing could undertake.

The coming National Park is likely to prioritise urban fringe landscapes, and they are an existing priority for the SDJC, of which you are now a member.

Other funding schemes exist for SSSI enhancement, for rural recreation management, and so on.

The SDJC and the forthcoming National Park Authority will be willing and able to offer management expertise to WBC. In Hove (where I come from) the Downland rangering was always undertaken by the SDJC (then the SDCB) ranger, who worked closely with Borough Council senior officers, councillors and community groups.

The National Trust will undoubtedly offer support and partnership to WDC. Indeed, the Trust is currently managing a parcel of WBC land at Mount Carvey within its own site boundaries.

You will find no shortage of applicants for farming partnership with the Council, as graziers, and perhaps for other local farming initiatives. Eastbourne Council used to (and perhaps still does) manage the grazing of its in-hand Downland via a partnership with a local grazier, as well as by directly employing one shepherd itself.

- It is nationally important for its wildlife, with a series of vulnerable and charismatic species, like Dark Green Fritillary and Adonis Blue butterflies, as well as national importance for its lower plants, and widespread fame as a bird migration site.

- It urgently needs enhancement by the re-creation of a landscape setting of higher quality.

- It is an urban fringe landscape in a conurbation with a relatively low ratio of urban green space to built development.

A project of landscape enhancement and restoration at Cissbury could be a core project for the new National Park and a benchmark for the management of iconic national landscapes.

a. The sale of the Mount Carvey land has significant negative implications for the National Trust.

The Trust’s strategy for a long time (and I have no reason to believe it has changed) has been to change the main route of entry to the Ring from Nepcote Lane, Findon, on the Ring’s north side, to the Findon Valley south car park, on Worthing BC land. The reason for this is that the existing entry point at Nepcote Lane encourages direct access over the ramparts of the Iron Age hill fort, which thus incur extensive erosive damage. By contrast, the Trust’s preferred main entrance on the south side brings visitors directly through the original South Gate of the Iron Age hill fort, and avoids erosive damage to the ramparts.

Furthermore, the southern entrance encourages visitors to access the Ring directly from the Worthing built up area, and thus by public transport or on foot, which is a healthier and more sustainable alternative. It also enables visitors to experience the wider landscape of the Downs, rather than just go in-and-out of the ‘honeypot’ attraction.

b. Most future private owners will feel unable to maintain the present informal freedom to roam, and may challenge the statutory right to roam that exists on the north eastern for sale field at Mount Carvey.

c. The land is most likely to be of interest as horse grazing paddocks. This could entail much more fencing, build field shelters, storage cabins, dressage arenas, artificial lighting, and other detractions from the core landscape qualities of that landscape – of openness, of uninterruptedness, of smoothness, of the gentle organic curves and surfaces of the chalk landforms, and so on.

d. Other intensive recreational uses may be proposed, particularly on the more remote parts of the sold land, for instance at Tenants Hill.

e. There may be many incremental environmental detractors generated by future owners: inappropriate plantings, intrusive constructed features, stored materials, intensive agricultural practices, and so on, which, taken singly, may be minor, but taken in aggregate further cramp the ‘unspoilt’ character of the Ring at the landscape’s expense.

a. Consultation. The Cissbury Downland was acquired by Worthing BC as a public resource for public purposes. It is heavily publicly used. It is necessary for there to be widespread and proper public debate and consultation before any irreversible decisions are made by WBC about this land.

The Council will pay a cost in terms of legitimacy if this necessity is ignored.

b. Constraints upon sale. My understanding is that it was a requirement of the gift of the land to Worthing BC that the National Trust be offered the land if WBC wishes to rid themselves of it. I have this on good authority from my time as a National Trust trainee. The land needs to be withdrawn from sale until the truth of this matter is verified, otherwise there is a risk of legal challenge.

c. Marketing of the land. The current marketing of the land at Mount Carvey makes no mention that the north east field has a statutory right of public access. This statutory right of access will reduce the market value of the land. Currently Worthing BC is ignoring their legal obligation to open up this land to public access.

d. Covenants. The for-sale land is subject to covenants, I understand. It is argued by WBC officers that these covenants will protect the character of the land. This is not so. The National Trust used the acquisition of covenants as a major conservation tool for three quarters of a century after its founding, yet has now dropped this strategy. They correctly judge covenants to be a weak legal form, to be expensive to implement and defend, and to bring none of the benefits of ownership, in terms of revenue and hands-on management control.

This land was acquired as part of a widespread and widely felt response to the multifold threats which the Down landscape faced in the early twentieth century. These threats were of built development, fencing, encroaching tillage, pollution of the chalk aquifer, encroaching eyesores (such as signage, pylons, landmark building), and loss of public access. Since then, some of these threats have receded, but others have been exacerbated (such as damaging agricultural and recreational practices).

The coastal Downland municipalities have played a vital progressive role in anticipating and managing these threats, and their public Downland holdings have been critical to this[3]. Eastbourne Council and – more recently - Brighton Council, have managed their Downland estates profitably and with great gains for their public values. By contrast, Lewes District Council and Worthing have sold much of their land. Yet the Worthing and Lewes/Seaford Downs bear some of the most damaged Downscapes on the whole of the eastern, open Downs. They desperately need the implementation of programmes of landscape enhancement for public purposes.

Historically, Worthing played an exemplary public role in powering the acquisition of both Highdown Hill and Cissbury, part-donating the first and running the subscription campaign for the latter. Since then they managed Cissbury Ring until the Trust assumption of management in recent decades.

Worthing needs to reclaim that pre-eminent position and claim credit for permitting and supporting a landmark landscape enhancement project on its Cissbury landholding.

[1] Paradoxically, the one WBC owned field that has as statutory right to roam as ‘Access Land’ remains fenced and out of bounds to Worthing folk.

[2] One of the first such initiatives was Selwyn Gummer’s ESA (Environmentally Sensitive Areas) scheme of 1987, which brought a measure of landscape scale support to the tattered fragments of surviving old Down pasture on the South Downs for the first time.

[3] They have tended to buy urban fringe Downland of immediate proximity to their citizens, whereas the National Trust, and, more recently, the Sussex Wildlife Trust, have tended to buy more remote sites, which are only accessible by motor transport.

Over the past few days we have learnt that Worthing Borough council intend selling off land that they own on the South Downs close to Cissbury Ring Iron Age Fort. We intend to do a feature on this breaking news so watch this space.

There was some confusion today at a meeting of the Worthing council's Development Control Committee who were sitting to determine an Order in connection with an application by Tesco stores to divert a Public right of Way so they could build a bridge for HGV's to access their new mega sized store, being built on high grade Titnore area farmland.

In an address to the committee by the footpath secretary of the Worthing group of the Rambler Association, it was argued that as Tesco didn't own the land on which they proposed to build the diversion, it would be unlawful for the committee to approve the Order. In the following exchange council officers tried to explain that it wasn't really an order after all.

Unfortunately the chairman rudely cut short what was an important debate and asked the committee to vote, it was unanimous in support of making the Order.

The government are due to give their response to the petition we have had running on the Number 10 website since October 9 last year. At the last count there were 519 countryside lovers who had signed it, however I think this is a disappointing number when you consider how important Titnore Lane and the Ancient Woodland is.

The petition will close Thursday, 8^th October so there is still time to sign here if you haven’t already done so. You might also like to consider asking those in you address book to sign.

The Inspector who held the Hearing into the suitability or otherwise of the northern part of the Titnore Woodland, together with Grade 1 listed Castle Goring it’s Parkland and conservation area being included in the South Downs National Park, submitted his report to the government on Friday 28th August 2009. We understand it will be several weeks before the government’s decision is known.

Everything possible has now been done to get Titnore Woods into the South Downs Park.

The final stage was played out at a hearing in Worthing on Thursday, August 18 when Mr Robert Parry heard the Objections / Representations relating to 6 additions to the Park including the Titnore / Castle Goring one. This update will only deal with the Titnore / Castle Goring issue.

As expected the Somerset family, owner farmers of the land, were there. Also present were David Sawers for the Worthing Society and others wishing inclusion of the land and two representatives from the West Durrington Consortium - the conglomerate who want to build on the farmland / woodland to the south – they were a landscape adviser and a planning adviser. Mr. Parry was helped by two experts from Natural England.

First to speak was Clem Somerset who tried to convince Mr Parry that the land was not of sufficient landscape value to warrant Park status. He also added that land referred to as Castle Goring Park was not a Park but just farmland. Finally after stating that neither the land nor the Castle could be seen from viewpoints on the Downs, Mr Parry asked him if the Woodland could be seen from those viewpoints. Mr Somerset replied yes but denied it had the characteristics of a National Park.

Next to speak was the landscape adviser who continued the debate about the Castle Goring parkland but also expanded it to the land east of Titnore Lane, stating that it was not a cohesive unit and should be excluded from the Park as was agreed at the 2004 Public Inquiry when Titnore Lane itself was deemed the boundary of the National Park. There then followed detailed discussions over the conflict between the National Park boundary and the Titnore development boundary. This point was resolved by Natural England who confirmed that the development boundary would be the rule.

David Sawers was the last to speak. He forcefully pointed out that new legislation confirms that Castle Goring and the land recommended for inclusion met the criteria for National Park status. In disagreeing with Clem Somerset and his assertion that land south of the Castle was not a Park, Mr Sawers presented an 1879 Ordinance Survey map that marks it as a private park, adding. that the crucial point is that the landscape of the park is the setting in which Shelley and his architect chose to locate the house.

Mr Sawers concluded by stating that the boundary submitted by the Society and others was the most logical and invited Mr Parry to confirm that to the Secretary of State. Mr Sawers submission to the hearing can be read here in full.

Mr Parry thanked everyone for turning up adding ‘you must all be mad on such a hot day’ he concluded by saying his report would be ready in 10 day’s.

To celebrate the end of what has seemed a life long struggle to get the land included, we have decided to have a bit of a ramble to show everyone what it has been about.

So will you please join us in the northern car park of the ‘Trout’ pub / restaurant, Fulbeck Ave Durrington Worthing at 12 noon on Sunday, August 30 for a leisurely jaunt to see the wonderful landscape we now hope and expect to be included within the Park. It will also be an opportunity to meet and talk to the people involved. (Strong walking shoes advised)

Final details of the jaunt will be decided on the day but it’s envisaged a 2-part stroll. The first part a round trip of about 2 miles along a farmland footpath 3114 that will show the extent of the damage the proposed development will do – Tesco has already started. We will then go on to view the Castle Goring conservation area and much of the Titnore Woodland.

At this point the decision can be made either to return to the pub for refreshments or to continue on the 2^nd part, past Castle Goring, onto Highdown Hill and maybe the camp the protectors of Titnore Woods have built.

I hope you can join us 12 noon on Sunday, August 30 for a relaxing day in the wonderful countryside while it’s still there. Children of course welcome.