Representation by Clare Christian
- Date submitted
- 5 November 2023
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
I strongly oppose this proposal on the following bases: * Lack of proper consultation. It is clear that the correct consultation process has not been adhered to, leaving local people unaware and/or unclear about what the proposal means in practical terms. Poor communication and general obfuscation has made the process difficult to follow and make informed decisions about. *The level of destruction on the proposed route. When the proposed route reaches the outskirts of Cowfold, it travels through farmland and meadow and along the Cowfold stream. These areas provide rich habitat for flora and fauna (many of which are listed as endangered) and is populated by ancient hedgerows and trees. This is the only site in the whole project where hazel dormice and otters are to be found, and one of the few where there are water voles. These habitats and their inhabitants will never recover from construction works of this scale. *The impact on local roads. The road network in and around Cowfold barely manages the existing traffic flow. The related increase in works traffic will negatively impact those living in and around the village as well as those passing through on the A272 and A281, with a significant increase in congestion, noise and pollution. *The proposed works access route. This makes use of two tiny rural lanes, Dragons Lane and Kings Lane/Moatfield Lane, the latter of which will be crossed twice, with no plans in place to prevent disruption to those living on these lanes. Our immediate neighbours are elderly, as are my parents, who I live with. We required emergency vehicle access just a few weeks ago - there seems to be no provision for this kind of eventuality and certainly no consideration for residents needing to exit the lane for school and work, or to access it for farm animal management. It is worth noting that even though we live at the end of this lane, we did not receive any of the paperwork relating to the proposal until the second round. I believe that the proposed Cowfold route compares very poorly to the alternative Wineham route which I believe was used for Rampion 1, and which therefore has existing infrastructure in place to cope with the additional strain such a project brings with it. While I appreciate that none of the alternatives is ideal, it seems more sensible to me to opt for the route that causes the least destruction and disruption.