MP calls public meeting in Angmering to discuss housing proposals
Arundel & South Downs MP Nick Herbert has called a public meeting in Angmering to hear views from the local community about proposed housing developments in the village.
The meeting will be held on Friday 16 November from 7.30pm to 8.30pm at Angmering School.
Mr Herbert wrote to Arun District Council last month objecting to the higher housing target proposed in their draft Local Plan, which would mean raising the allocation in Angmering to nearly 500 houses.
The MP has also written separately to object to the planning application by Barratt David Wilson (Southampton) Ltd to build 150 houses east of Roundstone Lane in Angmering.
Mr Herbert's principal objection to the Barratt's application is that it pre-empts both the Local Plan and Angmering Parish Council's Neighbourhood Plan. He has argued that these processes should be allowed to run so as to reach a correct determination both of the right level of new housing in Angmering and where that allocation should be located.
In his letter, Mr Herbert says: "I fear that this speculative application will trigger a chain of development on nearby sites, including the Rugby Club, regardless of the Councils' plans, potentially leading to a level of housebuilding in an area which would neither receive local support nor be appropriate for the village."
The MP also expresses concern about the inadequacy of local infrastructure in the village, pointing out that "The population of the village has already grown by over a third in little over a decade without the necessary improvement in infrastructure. It is essential that the new local plans address these issues before random further development on a significant scale is permitted."
Nick Herbert has already discussed this issue with local councillors and representatives from the Save Angmering Village group. The public meeting gives the whole village an opportunity to raise their concerns.
The meeting is open to all local residents.
Ends
Notes for Editors
1. Nick Herbert's response to the Barratts application submitted to Arun District Council can be viewed here: http://www.nickherbert.com/media_centre.php/568/planning-objection.
2. Nick Herbert's submission to Arun District Council in response to the Draft Local Plan can be viewed here: