Re-opened Public Inquiry

The South Downs National Park Inquiry was re-opened on Tuesday, 12 February, 2008 at the Chatsworth Hotel in Worthing.  It heard evidence for the last day on Wednesday, 28 May, 2008.  The closing statements of West Sussex County Council and Hampshire County Council were submitted in writing on 6 June and the inquiry was formally closed in writing on 4 July, 2008.  The Inspector expects to hand his report to Government by the end of November (2008).

Details of the Inquiry can be found on the Planning Inspectorate's website.

South Downs Campaign Inquiry Evidence

The South Downs Campaign has been extremely busy gathering evidence and writing proofs to submit to the Inquiry.  The Campaign has focussed its energy on four areas:

  1. The Western Weald
  2. Ditchling
  3. Lewes
  4. The Inspector's proposed additional areas

In the first three cases, the Campaign has produced new evidence to show why these areas should be included and firmly rebutted any reasons for their proposed exclusion.  With the proposed additional areas, the Campaign has broadly supported their inclusion, although it has sought boundary changes in a few instances.  It has also rebutted evidence submitted by objectors to these areas, particularly at Ryngmer Park (addition 8), Gote Farm (addition 9), Wilmington (addition 11) and Toads Hole Valley (addition 23).

All the submissions that the Campaign has made can be found on the Planning Inspectorate's website although not all the annexes / appendices have been digitised.  The Campaign's Inquiry number is #1147 and all its documents are labelled with this number.  The Campaign has submitted a number of Core Documents which can also be found on the Inquiry website.

The Campaign has already appeared to give evidence to the Inquiry on Ditchling, Lewes and the ramifications of the legal changes on the South Downs National Park, on the 14 February, 2008.  It presented its evidence on the Western Weald on 15 - 17 April, 2008 and then on Tuesday, 22 April with Professor Robert Tregay, from LDA-Design, the landscape consultant that the Campaign hired to rebut the advice of the Inquiry's Landscape Assessor, as well as to present new evidence.

On Wednesday, 28 May, 2008 the Campaign presented its closing statement to the inquiry.