The fundamental problem with siting a new town at Adversane is that the A29 and the B2133 are simply not up to the task. They will never be the A24 and the A272.

In 2010 Adversane was rejected as a potential site for development for this very reason. Since then, the only thing that has changed is that these roads have got busier as more houses and industrial units have been built in the local areas, particularly Billingshurst. It is difficult to see how the A29 and the B2133 could be upgraded without very significant cost. The A29 to the North of Adversane is busy and getting busier, and it is not a very good road. The A29 to the South has a major pinch point at Church Hill in Pulborough and in the summer months tailbacks can be significant. To the South of Pulborough the ‘causeway’ is prone to flooding in the winter months.

The B2133 running East is a winding and narrow two-lane road with a number of danger points. To the West there is a major pinch point at Newbridge (a scheduled monument) which is single lane and can also flood. From there the road to Guildford is getting busier with developments being built, or proposed, at Loxwood, Alfold and Dunsfold.

Adversane itself is a Conservation Area and full of houses that are Grade II listed. On the North side of the crossroads there is a listed building on both sides of the road and quite close to it. Any widening of the road, just where it is needed, is therefore not possible.

Whatever claims Our Place make regarding Sustainability, a lot of additional traffic will be created. Not everyone will be able to work within walking or cycling distance of where they live. Many people are going to want to commute to London or elsewhere. This will necessitate a drive to Billingshurst station at the very least.

Many people living in the new town will want to shop at a big supermarket, and not in the smaller local shops that are promised. Getting to a big supermarket from Adversane means driving to Horsham along the B2133 and A272 to the A24.

Adversane / West Chiltington is well outside of the ‘Gatwick Diamond’ for jobs and commuting.

Adversane is only 1 ½ miles from ‘Mens Wood’, feeding and roosting ground for the very rare and endangered Barbastelle bat.

Steepwood Farm, where Our Place want to build Kingswood, is known to be one of the feeding grounds for this endangered species, amongst others.

We are concerned that, if planning permission were to be given, when the excitement has died down, and when the Financial Director has splashed his red ink, ambitions may have to be reined in.

According to their website Our Place do not have experience of building out large towns, or even small ones. We believe that Kingswood will work with other developers to deliver their project, which will only serve to weaken the stewardship and control that they proclaim on their website. 

The idea behind ‘Planning Gain’ is that councils seek to capture some of the uplift in land value, which is generated by the granting of planning permission, to oblige developers to provide housing that is not socially or environmentally unsustainable. Developers are obliged to agree to fund the provision of public goods, including affordable housing, community infrastructure (such as libraries or parks), or environmental safeguards.

 

We are very concerned that the promises made by Our Place for Kingswood will not be delivered. That they will seek to reduce their commitment to affordable housing for example, when the profit margin begins to look a little more slender than they first thought.

 

Much is made by Our Place of their highly laudable desire to emulate Poundbury in Dorset. There does need to be a reality check here though.

On the Duchy of Cornwall website Poundbury is described as “an urban extension to the Dorset County Town of Dorchester, built on Duchy of Cornwall land…..”

Poundbury has been sponsored by HRH Prince of Wales and built on land owned by the Duchy of Cornwall.

Poundbury is on the outskirts of the large Provincial Market town of Dorchester, with all the required infrastructure in place from Day One. 

The Kingswood site at Adversane / West Chiltington on the other hand is in the middle of nowhere.

Poundbury is situated on the junction of the major road links of the A35 and the A37.

The residents of Poundbury are able to lean heavily on the benefits of living right next to Dorchester. Dorset County Hospital is barely a mile from the centre of Poundbury. 

From Adversane the nearest hospital is 16 miles away and accessed via busy A roads and B roads.

Poundbury has one Primary School and one kindergarten. All secondary education is provided by schools in Dorchester. Our Place are proposing not only a Secondary School but also two Primary Schools at Kingswood – to be built at an early stage in development.

 

It is possible that Our Place have deeper pockets, and are more altruistic, than other developers – but we don’t believe it.