We wish to express our deep dissatisfaction with your Draft Interim Housing Policy document. We have lived in Bosham for the last 23 years, sandwiched between the Harbour AONB and The South Downs National Park. The ribbon development of housing within this thin corridor has been accelerating over the past few years, to the detriment of the environment and quality of services and life in general.

9 years ago our house was flooded, not by the Bosham stream which runs through our garden but off Ratham Lane, where flooded fields and blocked road drains caused water to run down the lane to flood our garden and then our house. We note your plan takes no account of climate change and the Environmental Agency’s own prediction as to flooding levels in our area. Indeed, The National Policy Planning Framework states that “development in areas of risk is inappropriate and should be avoided”.

Our five chalk streams, of international importance as a rarity and vital to the environment and natural wildlife, are not sufficiently protected by your plan. They form the connectivity required between the Downs and the Harbour protected areas, particularly with regard to corridors for wildlife to be able to access both sides of the ribbon development.

It is believed your plan for future developments should be to require much nearer carbon-neutral constructions, as well as being nutrient-neutral, especially as the Harbour is an SSSI, and is reported by Natural England as declining unfavourably in its condition.

For all these reasons we believe your Draft Interim Housing Policy Document is unsustainable and therefore requires considerably more work and adjustment.