Environment Eco
February 11th, 2022INSPECTOR BACKS COUNCIL FIGHT TO PROTECT VITAL GREEN SPACES
Efforts to protect the green spaces that border Worthing have been strengthened by the support of a government inspector, a report says.Two open spaces known as the Goring Gap to the west of the town and Brooklands in the east are considered as crucial to protect the integrity of the community and prevent urban sprawl.
The report to members of Worthing Borough Council’s Joint Strategic Committee (JSC) says initial feedback from a Local Plan Inspector has strongly indicated he accepts the argument that the sites should remain undeveloped and describes this as ‘a good news story’.
Members of the JSC heard although his final report is awaited the inspector had made a strong inference that Local Green Gap (LGG) status should be awarded to both Chatsmore Farm and the Goring-Ferring Gap and that an even stronger protection Local Green Space (LGS) should be applied at Brooklands.
The timing of the inspector’s intervention was also described as very helpful coming at the time an appeal hearing against the Council’s decision to refuse a plan by Persimmon to build 475 homes at Chatsmore, north west of Goring railway station, was being heard.
A decision on that appeal is expected later this year but the Council is hoping the Local Plan inspector’s indications will work in favour of continued refusal.
Leader of Worthing Borough Council, Cllr Kevin Jenkins, said, ‘I welcome this report and the strong indications that all our hard work to produce a robust Local Plan to both protect our vital open spaces while creating opportunities for much-needed new homes on brownfield site within our urban areas is being recognised.
‘We will continue to fight tooth and nail against any attempt to fill in these much needed open spaces and we will do so armed with the tremendous amount of work and expertise that have gone into creating this Local Plan.
‘I look forward to the council being in a position to formally adopt this Local Plan later in the year once the inspector's report is published so that we get vital protection for these green spaces.’
Despite the Council being under pressure to meet government-backed house building targets the report says the inspector has indicated he wants to see proposals to allow 60 homes to be built at Titnore Lane removed from the Local Plan. The report accepts this intervention and says the number of homes can be made up by slightly increasing density at a number of brownfield sites.
The full and final report from the inspector on the Worthing Local Plan is expected in the Spring
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January 25th, 2022
Housing Targets Are Not Fit For Purpose
The leader of Worthing Borough Council today hit out at government house building targets for the area calling them ‘unrealistic and a threat to our green spaces’. Cllr Kevin Jenkins was responding to new figures which show the Council has only given permission for 784 new homes in the last three years although the government insists this should be 2268 to meet the Borough’s housing needs.
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November 30th, 2021
Plans for restoring New Salts Farm to its natural habitat to be unveiled
Local residents are invited to contribute ideas for restoring New Salts Farm to its natural habitat. The 70-acre piece of land - the green gap between Shoreham and Lancing - was purchased by Adur District Council in 2020 to protect it from housing development.
And now the Council and the Ouse & Adur Rivers Trust are developing ideas for the site to become a haven for wildlife and a green space to be used and enjoyed by the community.
They are hosting a webinar Thursday 9th December from 6 pm to 7pm, at which residents can hear about the current ideas for the site. As well as restoring streams, wetlands, hedgerows and meadows, this could include creating an educational training space and a community garden.
New Salts Farm is one of a number of areas of land purchased by Adur District Council as part of its pledge to promote biodiversity and tackle climate change. In 2019, the Council declared a climate emergency and has committed to becoming carbon neutral by 2030.
Wetlands, like New Salts Farm, help to store carbon and support an abundance of plant life, which in turn provide shelter and breeding grounds for wildlife.
Salt marshes are important habitats for many rare and unusual species of plants, birds and animals and help protect surrounding land from flooding. They also absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere which helps to decrease the effects of climate change.
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November 16th, 2021
Councils invest in solar panels at six new sites
Community centres, social housing and a historic theatre are set to benefit from rooftop solar panels as the next step in Adur & Worthing Councils’ commitment to reduce its carbon footprint.The near £190,000 investment will see six sites across the area fitted with the high-tech systems, which will generate clean energy and reduce running costs for future generations.
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