Tim's Letter to the Worthing Herald

Sir

Areas of East Worthing are under greater threat from developers now than at any time since I was first elected as the constituency MP in 1997.

Last week together with several residents I gave evidence to the planning appeal hearing by Hargreaves to push ahead with the development of up to 90 houses and flats on green fields at the top of Beeches Avenue, behind Lyons Farm. For all intents and purposes this site is at the foot of the Downs. This would mean even worse gridlock on one of the most congested parts of the A27; destruction of attractive views of the Downs; the loss of a much cherished amenity used by many local residents, walkers and children; yet further pressure on the infrastructure where local health services have just announced bed cuts and incredibly we approach Christmas with a hosepipe ban still in place; and worse of all it would signal a green light for bulldozers to rip up and concrete over a whole string of green sites along the Downs at the northern perimeter of Worthing, Adur and beyond.

The Beeches Avenue Action Group under Karl Heryet have down a fantastic job in rallying local people against this development and putting forward their arguments in a clear and powerful way. Local people do not want this development; the local councillors do not want this development; I do not want this development. Surely local voices should count for something yet the final decision will rest with John Prescott, who appoints the inspector hearing the appeal, and whose insistence on an unsustainable level of house building in the south-east has led to this surge in speculative developments.

Resident's groups have also been formed to fight proposals to knock down existing houses, concrete over gardens and create clusters of densely populated, and no doubt highly unaffordable, flats in Broadwater Street West, Grove Road and Charmandean Road. Effectively the whole northern corner opposite Broadwater Green could become a massive development site, crammed full of new dwellings putting yet further pressure on the local infrastructure. I fear it would also mean the unique character of Broadwater village would be eroded yet further. That is not what people choose to live in this lovely ancient part of Worthing for, where community spirit has been particularly alive and well.

The recent well attended public meeting organised by residents at the Broadwater Parish Rooms showed the strength of local feeling against these developments. The drop-in surgery I held with councillors there last Saturday confirmed it .Together with Broadwater Councillor Kevin Skepper and other Conservative councillors I will be taking every opportunity to campaign against these proposals and impress upon the developers that they have chosen the wrong corner of Worthing to make a quick buck by doing John Prescott's bidding and destroying the quality of life for many of our constituents. I hope that councillors of all parties, residents and all interest groups will actively join an alliance to resist these developments to Keep Broadwater Special.

Unfortunately the planning system is stacked against us and that is why it needs to be changed to give a greater say to local people and their locally elected representatives where the balance of power weighs too heavily with the developer who has deep pockets. I have suggested as a start however that residents should write to the developers responsible for these sites to make their feelings heard. A bit of 'naming and shaming' never goes amiss ! I hope too that the Herald will back this campaign and ensure that the people of Broadwater and Worthing as a whole have their say in no uncertain terms.

Yours etc

Tim Loughton MP House of Commons