'Save Our Sompting' plea

An Adur Development Plan exhibition was held at Sompting Village Hall, in West Street, Sompting, on Wednesday, April 25.

Adur District Council has been charged with finding land for up to 2,000 homes in the area, and has been looking at numerous possible sites.

People in Sompting feared the council was planning to build on land in the village.

Nigel Howard, of the Save Our Sompting campaign, said: "We are trying to stop 50 tonne lorries coming through our village. There is no discussion at this stage about infrastructure. It seems to be destroying this little community.

"These are all local issues for the local community to get involved in and do something about. We need to have our voice heard."

But Colette Blackett, planning policy manager for Adur District Council, moved to calm residents' fears, explaining the Adur Development Plan was not focused on one specific area.

She told the Herald: "I think people think it is all to do with Sompting. It is for the whole district. We are right at the beginning stages of consultation."

She added 80 per cent of the homes are likely to be built east of the River Adur, and that the plan also included provision for other developments, including schools, doctors' surgeries, and shops.