Conservatives criticise plans for Brighton traveller site

Conservatives have criticised plans to create a permanent traveller site in Brighton within the boundaries of the South Downs National Park.

They called on the South Downs National Park Authority to reject the planning application submitted by Brighton and Hove City Council.

The council has applied to build a permanent traveller site next to the existing transit site just north of the A27 Brighton bypass at Horsdean in Patcham.

The planning application was submitted on Monday (23 September) and will be decided by the national park authority’s Planning Committee.

A public consultation is expected to begin in two weeks’ time.

Brighton and Hove Conservatives have raised a number of concerns. They said that the plans would

• set a dangerous precedent for further development in the national park
• locate the traveller site on top of the aquifer that supplies much of Brighton and Hove’s drinking water, leading to serious risk of contamination
• require costly infrastructure to connect the site to the mains sewer, involving drilling piping under the A27 Brighton bypass
• create traffic and costly management problems because the permanent and transit sites together would attract high numbers of people and vehicles in one place, particularly with access off the busy A27

Councillor Geoffrey Theobald, the leader of the opposition Conservative group on Brighton and Hove City Council, represents Patcham ward where the site will be located.

He said: “The Patcham Conservative councillors are astonished that the Greens, supported by Labour, are still going ahead with this planning application given all the problems.

“Residents campaigned long and hard for the national park and I don’t think they will be too happy if one of its first big decisions is to give the green light for a large and unsightly caravan park.

“We still have serious concerns about the potential for contamination of the water aquifer that supplies much of Brighton and Hove and the proposed solution of building a pipe under the A27 will be extremely expensive.”

The Conservative parliamentary candidate for the Brighton Pavilion constituency, Clarence Mitchell, said: “As usual, the Greens, with Labour’s support, appear to be putting ideology before the wishes of the electorate.

“The residents of Patcham and Hollingbury are united in their opposition to this extension of the existing transit site. Nor will the plan do anything to solve the ongoing problems caused by unauthorised traveller encampments.

“This is an unnecessary, expensive and unwanted proposal from a party of the environment that at times appears intent on damaging it.”