Storrington & District Museum

SOUTH DOWNS www.wscountytimes.co.uk, February 12, 2010

Action to protect land

ACTION was taken this week to protect small plots of land in two downland parishes that are up for public auction by an undisclosed company in London. There is widespread concern in both Thakeham and West Chiltington that potential purchasers may believe that the land will get permission for housing development. They stress that this is extremely unlikely, and now Horsham District Council has acted to ban unsuitable use of the land and prevent gates or fences being put up.

Bernard Marcus will be auctioning the plots on behalf of a company on Tuesday next week at The Grand Connaught Rooms in Great Queen Street, London. Plots of farmland and woodland in Thakeham between Crays Lane and Dukes Hill have been given an auction guide price of £15,000- £20,000 each for one to two acres. According to the latest RICS survey of agricultural land values, pasture land sells for £4,500 per acre. Woodland sells for less.

According to Thakeham Village Action, the land is in the open countryside and has practically no chance of ever being developed. The campaign group fears purchasers might think the land will get permission for housing development, seeing it inflate in value. The strips are crossed by very well-used footpaths for which access has to be maintained, adding to the purchaser’s costs. Much of the land is poorly drained, with water often lying on the surface in winter months. The land is also close to the proposed rotting rubbish landfill tip at Laybrook and, many residents report that their land is already much devalued.

Residents fear that purchasers will be tempted to buy land of little value, and the land itself will then go to ruin, full of litter or worse. One resident said: “With absent owners, the land will be neglected, with problems such as fly tipping, squatting and vandalism following, blighting what is now attractive farmland and woodland.”

At this sale, not only are strip plots being sold in Thakeham, but seven plots of between 1 and 1.3 acres in nearby West Chiltington are being offered for sale for the third time. The catalogue details for these say ‘the plots offer an opportunity for a purchaser to acquire parcels of land previously utilised for agricultural purposes, but would be ideal for pony paddock, leisure use or future development, subject to the necessary consents’.

West Chiltington Parish Council clerk, Tony Thomas, said: “The land was previously owned by West Sussex County Council and bought by a company. When the plots were first offered for sale a local resident bought one for personal use possibly for allotment/garden. “I was contacted by a woman asking if she could build an eco home if she bought one of the plots, because the land had been billed as having ‘planning potential’. If there had been any chance of developing the land, the county council would never have sold it in the first place. People should realise that they could never buy potential housing land for £10,000 an acre. The cost for a building plot in West Chiltington is around £400,000.”

He added that both the county council and the landowning company had ‘clawback’ agreements for any plots sold, with significant sums of money to be paid to them by anyone buying the land if planning permission was to be given in the future. “Unfortunately there is nothing we can do about the land being offered for sale. Only one of the seven plots has been sold.”

Local suppliers get a boost from new supermarket
by JANET PHILIP
janet.philip@sussexnewspapers.co.uk 26 February 2010 County Times.
LOCAL suppliers will be strongly represented when Storrington’s new Waitrose store opens on Thursday.
Coombe-based ‘yummy mummies’, Sarah Smith and Zoë Meredith [pictured below right], are celebrating after securing a new contract to supply their ice lollies to the store. Twelve months ago the pair, who set up Yummy Lollies! Ltd three years ago while on maternity leave, saw their lollies introduced into just one Waitrose supermarket. The ice lollies have become hot property ever since and the opening of the retailer’s Storrington store on March 4 will see their product now available in ten Waitrose shops. Their business has grown at such a pace that Sarah and Zoë have now both given up their part-time jobs to concentrate on growing it further.
Director Zoe Meredith said: “It is fantastic to be included in another local store. Waitrose’s reputation for selling high quality produce fits well with our commitment at Yummy Lollies to providing healthy, 100 per- cent real fruit treats to our customers.
“It was a really proud moment for both of us when we walked into the first Waitrose shop we supplied in Worthing, only 12 months ago, to see on the shelves our lollies that we lovingly hand-make on Applesham Farm, near Lancing. As a small producer, the ongoing support we receive from Waitrose is not only vital in terms of increasing our sales but also enables us to be more accessible to our customers.”
Waitrose Storrington branch manager Andrew Walker comments: “We always strive to source the highest quality local and regional produce when we open a new shop and shoppers here in Storrington have a real passion for food from their area and a strong desire to support lo- cal small businesses.
“We’re also in a fantastic position of being able to increase orders from other existing local Waitrose suppliers in the region, including specialty beers from Arundel Brewery and pickles from The Relish in Spice Company, both based in Arundel, wines from Bookers Vineyard, Bolney and cooking oils from Sussex Gold, Partridge Green – all located within 12 miles of the shop.”
The opening of the store will come as a relief to villagers who were left without a supermarket for three weeks after Somerfield closed its doors on February 10 and has been welcomed by local councilors and charity workers.
Horsham District Councillors, Ray Dawe, Chris Mason and Jim Sanson said they were delighted to see the arrival of the new store.
Mr Walker said: “Everyone is very excited about the opening and staff have been undergoing extensive training in preparation. Our in- vestment in the area has been substantial and we are looking forward to introducing new shoppers to our brand.
“On opening day, we will be launching our ‘Community Matters’ scheme, which will see us donate £12,000 a year to 36 good causes that make a real difference within the local community. Our partners have chosen the first three causes, including the Storrington Community Minibus Association and the Rainbow Pre-School. I’m looking forward to seeing lots of nominations for other worthwhile causes from our customers in the coming months.”
The branch will be opened by Barbara Hall, a Storrington resident, who has worked at the shop for 21 years and is one of the 41 Somerfield employees who will become Waitrose ‘partners’.