If Fishbourne is to be the subject of unavoidable further residential development, I would suggest that the derelict land in Clay Lane located between A27 trunk road and Salthill Road would be a more suitable prospect than prime agricultural land comprising Bethwines Farm located to the west of Blackboy Lane towards Bosham.


The declaration of a wildlife corridor north/south across the derelict land adjacent to the A27 defies logic as birds would have to overfly the trunk road at turbulent and elevated level before it starts to fall away into a cutting towards Salthill Road. Conversely, the farmland at Bethwines Farm is on gently rising ground and woodland beyond that naturally overflies the deep cutting of the A27. Take a look - it's obvious. Watch the birds! This provides a natural wildlife flightpath between the upper reaches of the harbour and the South Downs and is confirmed by our observations.


We live immediately adjacent to Bethwines Farm and have an excellent overview of the relevant area - north/south. Large numbers of gulls track this route NE/SW and barn owls and bats follow the hedgerows. Raptors also follow and hunt over this farmland. I have no experience of such wildlife activity across the proposed nominated corridor east Clay Lane/A27.


Bethwines Farm comprises highly productive agricultural farmland under the excellent stewardship of lifelong farmer Mr. Richard Strange. It is my experience that this land is of the highest quality and has reflected this criteria by producing three salad crops in one farming season. This bears good comparison with the most productive areas of
Lincolnshire fenlands. It also produces yields of good quality milling wheat in quantities well in excess of the county and national average.

For reasons of the above it follows that this land is fairly 'heavy'. At times of high rainfall, the land adjacent to the barn/farm buildings and the full width at the northern 'hollow' section
of this field suffers from local area flooding. If this flooding and subsequent natural drainage to the south is interrupted by residential development, the direction of this run-off water will be deflected onto the lower lying areas comprising Blackboy Lane and onwards towards Salthill Road and cause a hazard to all those who live in the area which has also been the subject of a lot of in-fill development in recent years.


Bethwines Farm provides an excellent strategic gap between Fishbourne and Bosham and has been previously acknowledged as such. It also is a most fully-used productive farmland area at a time when every forecast states that we must do more to provide food for our increasing population.


There is only one logical decision if Fishbourne is to be the subject of further domestic development: build on the land that no-one seems to have found a use for extending across my local knowledge of this land over some 50 years.


Anyone with local ornithological knowledge will know that this is a most illogical place to 'nominate' as a wildlife corridor - the avian crowd will not co-operate.