Titnore’s Blog

The application to build a housing estate in and around Camp Titnore was rejected at the planning meeting on the 15 March. This came as quite a surprise, as the council have always seemed determined to go ahead with the development despite strong local objections.
The Worthing council planning committee discussed the many and varied objections, and seemed agreed that many of them were quite valid, but the one they found most compelling, apparently, was the impact it would have on the ancient woodland and the protected species in the area.
A whole bunch of people turned up to the planning meeting to call for the development to be rejected. There was a beautiful Save Titnore Woods banner.
So does that mean it’s all over? Unfortunately, life is never so simple. The full council meeting has still allocated the land at Titnore for housing development in the near future, in the Local Plan, which is the guidelines for how they’ll make future decisions. There’ll probably be slightly less houses. It might be a different company building the houses but what difference will that make to the wildlife in the woods?
So life on the camp continues, sometimes agitating a bit at the ridiculously big new Tesco, sometimes enjoying the peace, sitting under the trees. There are some new structures built, from recycled timber. Some of the older and less useful things have been taken down.

Postponed. Yes the meeting due to take place 28 January at which the Worthing planning committee were expected to rubber stamp the outrageous Titnore Greenfield development, has been put back to some time in March. So please put the word around not to turn up.

However we have not won yet! If you have not done it so far, please write to:
The leader, Worthing Borough Council, Cllr Paul Yallop (paul.yallop@worthing.gov.uk) and object to the ‘West Durrington Development that will be built on a Greenfield site – Durrington’s Green Belt’ or words to that effect. Please also ask him to have a local referendum on this very controversial development.

We may have won a postponement but the battle is defiantly not over.

Now is the time we need to start pulling together all our resistance to the development and coming up with new tactics to oppose it. We need everyone who thinks they have something to contribute to get together and over the next couple of months build up our opposition to the planning permission.

Come to the woods its good for you!

The picnic was great. A group of lovely people gathered near the existing Tesco, made friends and then started a picnic right in the gateway of the building site for the new mega Tesco. Two women dashed through an open gate onto the site and ate their picnic while locked to a dumper truck. Most work on the site was stopped, and most workers went home early. Several lorries arrived with deliveries, but had to turn back, when faced with the unusual gathering.

Those picnickers inside the site unlocked and left peacefully after the police said they’d have to arrest them if they didn’t. Soon after that, the rest of the picnic moved off to a more relaxing spot.

Meanwhile, some more people ran a information stall to tell shoppers at Tesco about the protests. This was quite well received – in a town with seven Tesco stores, most people have already noticed how difficult it is to find independent local shops. This stall followed on from a long weekend of running a stall about the campaign at the Out of the Ordinary festival.

The Worthing Herald came and have written it up with photos and a short video, on their website http://www.worthingherald.co.uk (Apparently the full article will be on Thursday)

We told a lot of people about Titnore Woods and Tesco, we slowed the building just a little bit, costing more for Tesco and the contractors, Kier. Also we showed what can be done with a few sandwiches and a bicycle D-lock, when we decide to stand up to the power of a massive corporation trying to take over the world. Well done to everyone who took part!

For those who were wondering, the picnic was on a weekday because there would be no-one working on the site at weekend. Some home-educated kids were lucky enough to come and join in. The contractors are not allowed to work at weekends, so if anyone does notice them breaking the rules, maybe you should let the council know, and us too.

If anyone’s considering doing something similar, you’d better get there soon, as the construction is racing along pretty fast.

On Tuesday 22nd September, there’ll be a Family Picnic Day to stop Tesco at Titnore. We will meet at 12 noon at the roundabout in front of the existing Tesco Extra. It’s the where Romany Road joins New Road, in West Durrington. At about 1230 we’ll move to a better picnic site in the fields behind the Tesco car park, where building work for the new Tesco has begun. Bring food to share and anything else that you think will help make the point that we don’t want Tesco destroying our landscape and our communities! Please tell your friends and bring them along. There should be a poster to download soon.

There is also this open invitation from Protect Our Woodland:

Celebration Ramble

To celebrate the end of what has seemed a life long struggle to get to get much of the Titnore Woodland included in the South Downs National Park, we have decided to have a bit of a ramble to show everyone what it has been about.

Please join us in the northern car park of the ‘Trout’ pub / restaurant, Fulbeck Ave Durrington Worthing at 12 noon on Sunday, August 30 for a leisurely jaunt to see the wonderful landscape we now hope and expect to be included within the Park.

The protest site in Titnore Woods was set up by a group of environmental activists in May 2006. The camp is situated in West Durrington in Sussex. The site is a wet semi-ancient woodland under threat from a proposed housing development and Tesco mega store.

Although the housing plans have been put on hold for now, Tesco started preliminary archaeology for their part of the site last week. The camp itself is not directly threatened but residents are obviously concerned about this turn of events. Apparently the proper construction work for the new Tesco starts in April or May.

On other matters, there’s been lots of work at the camp to make paths to stop the woodland floor getting trampled, as everyone tries to skirt round the mud. The vegetable garden is expanding this spring, using all organic methods. Last year the plot produced some lovely pumpkins and a whole range of other veg. Also an agreement with the farmer meant there’s some young trees allowed to grow along the edge of the older woodland.

There’s lots more info about the important habitat of this woodland, the campaign to save it and the ‘development’ plans at http://www.protectourwoodland.co.uk