Petition set up as Pagham planning dispute continues - ‘We are desperately fed up and stressed’

ks190324-1 Pagham Caravan Protest phot kate...Abi Hudlass Galley, middle right and residents living near the Roundstone nursery worried about the possibility of having caravans sited on land very near their houses.ks190324-1

People living on Pagham Road have been angered by the plan to house seasonal workers on site at Newlands Nursery.

The application outlines plans for 31 caravan units, housing between 93 and 186, working between February to November at the site. Read more here

Resident Abi Hudlass-Galley, who has been at the helm of the group of residents opposed to the plans, said: “So here we are again, and as we expected to be, worrying about a seasonal workers hub being installed along the busy and dangerous Pagham Road.

“This time it has been submitted under certificates of lawfulness and separated into three different ‘seasonal’ applications.

“We are desperately fed up and stressed by these continual applications and their attempts at sneaking a workers’ village into the community.”

Newlands Nursery in Pagham Road is part of the Roundstone Group, which employs 350 seasonal workers over 11 sites across the south coast.

Some of these are currently living at the former South Downs Holiday Village in Bracklesham Bay, but this is due to be redeveloped for housing.

According to the application, agricultural holdings already enjoy permitted development rights for seasonal workers’ accommodation during the growing season and Roundstone would be able to take advantage of this at Newlands.

A petition, which has been signed by more than 100 people, intends to urge planners to issue an Article 4 directive to ‘remove the permitted development rights of Newey Nursery, Lagness’.

The subject was discussed at a Pagham Parish Council meeting on Tuesday night.

Abi said: “I explained our view that ultimately this will not go away until the permitted development rights have been removed.

“I said that we had already written to Arun [District Council] requesting they look at this and that we would be following up with a letter forwarding the online petition soon.

“We were all in agreement that although this does not stop Newey (Newlands Nursery) from having a permanent campsite, it does mean they would have to make a full planning application which can be submitted with all the relevant impact assessments on the road, the environment and the residents.”

Have you read?: Pagham planning dispute: Three more applications put forward

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