Pollution fears delay plans for Brighton national park Traveller site - Sussex

From the Argus

Plans for a new £1.7 million Traveller site in the South Downs National Park have been submitted nine months late due to concerns over water pollution.

Brighton and Hove City Council was due to submit the proposal for a 12-pitch site in Horsdean, near Patcham, at the start of this year.

But, after fears from campaigners that developing the area north of the A27 would pollute the underground water resources which supplies the city’s water, a series of environmental checks are now complete.

To alleviate concerns, developers will drill under the major road to link up the site, as well as the adjoining transit site, with the mains sewer in Vale Avenue, Patcham.

Pete West, chairman of the council’s environment, transport and sustainability committee, said: “We have worked with landscape advisors who are specialists in the national park to prepare a scheme which not only minimises the visual appearance of the new site through using the location at the bottom of the valley and by screening with new planting.

“It also reduces the visual impact of the existing transit site, so offering benefits to the national park setting.”

The council has identified a need for 14 to 16 permanent pitches in the period up to 2016.

To help provide them, it was awarded funding from the government to create a site for Travellers with local links to permanently live on. Horsdean was chosen after a search of 50 potential sites.

Tenants will have to sign a lease that will, like all social housing, ensure any anti-social behaviour will not be tolerated. All residents will pay rent and be responsible for bills and council tax.