It is incomprehensible how anyone who lives in this area would contemplate permission for the number of homes that are being forced upon the local communities when this part of the country is so special. One would have to be blind not to look at a map of the South East of England and realise its slow death from concrete and congestion and here - especially west of Chichester is the last remaining foothold of sanity along the coast.
Chichester, a beautiful County Capital, is a Roman walled city with a Georgian centre - its roads reflect this wonderful heritage - THEY WERE NOT MADE FOR MODERN TRAFFIC LEVELS. This has a knock-on effect upon nearby villages including FISHBOURNE. The position of the Chichester Plains including FISHBOURNE is that it is caught between the SDNP and the sea. But that is no reason to concrete it over. All this is in YOUR CARE.Y

FISHBOURNE - The Present State
Fishbourne cannot be accused of Nimbyism - it has built more than the required number of houses requested on sensitive, sustainable sites and therefore there is no moral justification whatsoever to inflict the community with 250 more. There has been no explanation as to why this number and why Fishbourne from the CDC. Apparently the CDC has decided to classify Fishbourne as a 'service village'. Has anyone actually been to Fishbourne to verify this classification?
The truth is:
Fishbourne Parish Council has already submitted and enacted upon the Neighbourhood Plan with the full involvement and support from the local community.
Fishbourne has already reached its boundaries. It is crucial to the well being of communities and in the spirit of the Government's policies to prevent 'coalescence' of villages.
Fishbourne is a Conservation Area and the FISHBOURNE MEADOWS are a crucial part of it.
The Primary School is already filled with children from the catchment area. The Fishbourne Centre is so popular it is functioning at full capacity. The local church and its hall is likewise functioning at full capacity. The Fishbourne Playing Field facilities provide not only tennis courts, bowls, croquet, cricket, etc. and a fully equipped children's outdoor secure play area. All these are used on a regular basis. There is no doubt that Fishbourne is a thriving and active community and therefore there is NO CASE for further growth.

The Disastrous Consequences of Mass Unnecessary and Unwanted Development
If this is 'forced' upon the community it will break every democratically arrived at Policy of the Parish Council and anger the vast majority of residents for, by permitting a few houses on Bethwines Farm will open up the floodgates to 1000. This will destroy valuable green field agricultural land. It will exacerbate flooding. Will cause untold traffic congestion for with every household there will be two cars as a minimum creating gridlock on local roads. Will heighten the already dangerous levels of air pollution. The local sewerage plant in Apuldram is already at breaking point. All this on top of the already permitted 1600 homes at Whitehouse Farm north of Fishbourne. The chaos and damage to the roads, the noise, the mud, the dust, potential danger to locals due to confined sites etc during construction which could take years not months. The agricultural land in this area is of special importance to the national production of horticulture. It provides employment to 9,000 and creates £1 billion in sales - substantial statistics.
CHICHESTER HARBOUR
Is an AONB, an SSSI, a Ramsar, an SAC, an SPA, an SINC/SNCI, a Conservation Area, a Local Wildlife Site, and a Local Nature Reserve. This is the JEWEL IN THE CROWN. It is the duty of every citizen, especially those in Authority, to safeguard this valuable, irreplaceable asset, unharmed for the nation and future generations. NOTHING should be permitted that would endanger it in any way. So why is the Chichester District Council not fighting the Government to protect it? To protect it from:
Mass Developments that are not NEEDED that will damage the waters through flooding - including Apuldram sewerage outflow, will create pollution from additional traffic, will disturb the wildlife and tranquillity from growing disturbances, will create light pollution, and with the growth in population create damaging levels of litter, and many more.
A259 -Main Road
This is the only access for all the developments being planned and being built in Bosham, Chidham, Nutbourne and Southbourne (hundreds and in some instances thousands) that will accumulate at Fishbourne roundabout in order to access the A27 and the City. This route is the only one that all delivery trucks and all agricultural machinery can use. The traffic will continue to grow along this road as the bus schedules are being cut and the SW train service seems to be in permanent decline. This road is also the boundary to the Chichester Harbour Trust. How then will the CDC enforce the protections of the Trust? AIR POLLUTION
AIR POLLUTION
The UN in June 2017 is quoted as saying: 'Air pollution is Europe's leading environment killer'.
NAEI have a map of the Chichester Plains where the average levels are 0.1 - 0.3 but Fishbourne and Donnington roundabouts already reach 25!
Friends of the Earth are quoted as saying 'Costs to the UK of air pollution runs to £20 billion.
Living Streets say '80% of toxic nitrogen oxide concentrations are found at roadsides from motor traffic'.
'40,000 deaths annually are attributed to air pollution'
'38 out of 43 UK zones exceeded legal levels of nitrogen oxide emission in 2013.'
The UK is breaking the law with its current air pollution levels.
We now have children dying with 'air pollution' on their death certificates.
THE LEVELS AT FISHBOURNE ROUNDABOUT ARE ALREADY BREAKING LEGAL LIMITS
So what will these levels reach :
When all these 2250 scheduled developments with two cars per unit take place using the only road available - A259.
When the TRAFFIC DOUBLES OVER THE THREE SUMMER MONTHS creating gridlock down to the Manhood Peninsular
When your proposed Stockbridge link road - whose construction will break all the criteria laid down in the CDC policies by building across major flood plains, by restricting the protected views of the Cathedral, by building on the protected Fishbourne Meadows and into the AONB of Chichester Harbour, and end up TAKING ALL THE TRAFFIC ON TO THE FISHBOURNE ROUNDABOUT.
WILDLIFE CORRIDOR
The last minute offer of a Wildlife Corridor in an attempt to mitigate the horrors being inflicted upon this community you have placed in a narrow strip to the east of the village. This will immediately be irrelevant for it is too narrow, will pass through a built up environment which will lead to disturbances throughout the day, will lead to noise pollution, will lead to light pollution and will therefore NOT PROVIDE a safe haven for any wildlife. The obvious position for such a corridor would be to the WEST of FISHBOURNE where the open agricultural green field sites will enable all forms of wildlife to access both the Harbour Conservancy and the National Park safely.
THE A27
What is the point of this whole exercise when there has been no decision on the route of the A27. Until the CDC issues correct data on present traffic flows, until the CDC issues correct data on 'projected' traffic flows, until the CDC recognises that this is a NATIONAL STRATEGIC road and NOT A LOCAL road, until the CDC re presents the NORTHERN option, then no permissions for further developments should take place.
The Secretary of State for Housing is quoted as saying: 'The message it (NPPF) sends is clear and direct; we want the right number of homes in the right places. CENTRAL TO THIS IS THE VOICE OF THE COMMUNITIES.'
As the community's elected representatives it is your duty to protect the National Assets in this area. It is your duty to provide 'sustainable' developments that do not create or add to the highway safety, air pollution or any other damage to your communities. This area does not NEED new three/four bedroom houses. What it does need is AFFORDABLE housing. Part of the relief could come from allowing Affordable housing in the SDNP which would halt the decline of the communities, fill the empty schools, and provide continuing regeneration. Jake Berry MP in the Ministry of Housing has said that WHERE HOUSING IS NEEDED IS IN THE NORTH where the region is undergoing regeneration and businesses are relocating.
THE FISHBOURNE COMMUNITY
The Fishburne community has acted in good faith throughout this whole exercise. It is now up to the CDC to support it.