Chichester bypass could be re-routed past Lavant

Leaving the existing dual carriageway north of Fishbourne, it would cross the A286 between Lavant and Chichester – straight through the popular ‘daffodil field’ – and go along New Road near Goodwood airfield and rejoin at the A285 junction near Tangmere.

Lavant Parish Council chairman Ian Hutton said the move would have ‘no advantage and lots of disadvantages’.

“It would do us no good whatsoever,” he said. “It would be a great big eyesore.”

Boxgrove’s chairman and district councillor Henry Potter told a parish meeting on Monday that in his opinion Highways England had given up on the ‘existing mess’ on the current dual carriageway and was now looking quite clearly at a northern bypass.

A spokesman from Highways England said he had to stress there were currently no preferred options, but a northern bypass was one of the routes being considered.

He said there were six options under consideration.

“Those options aren’t fully developed yet, because we have to look at things like environmental impact,” he said.

“At this stage it’s still a bit early to talk about any specific option.

“At this moment there are no preferred options as we don’t have the data to be able to support that.”

He said a public consultation on all the options should take place in the winter.

A northern bypass was discussed many years ago but never taken further. It now seems to be an option Highways England is seriously considering.

Cllr Hutton added: “My concern is that this certainly offers no advantages to Lavant and in fact cuts straight through the boundary between Chichester and Lavant with what’s apparently to be motorway-standard road.

“It has no access point so it can’t be used to relieve traffic or other things.

“It offers no advantage and lots of disadvantages.”

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