Revolting villagers!

Tonight, along with over 350 other residents (of whom approximately 250 were denied access due to Health & Safety), I attended a meeting at our Council Chambers to show opposition for a plan to build a 'new town' and bypass on the farmland and flood plain to the south and east of our cluster of three villages. If it goes ahead, this plan would double the size of our combined villages, as opposed to growing them sustainably, according to actual local need.

We gained a temporary reprieve - with Councillors voting to re-examine all potential sites across the district - but fear that the inevitable may just be delayed.

Similar battles of planning seem to be carrying on all over the country. I'd love to hear from anyone facing similar situations who wants to share their experiences and views... you can read about our campaigning at www.villagesactiongroup.org or on our Facebook page at /

(The meeting where the photo was taken was held at Arun District Council's Offices in Littlehampton, West Sussex but the BlipMap reference points to the (currently partially underwater!) fields in question, south of Barnham, Eastergate and east of Westergate.)