Wildlife & environment

“The UK is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world. We urgently need to protect the important places for nature that are left.”

(From Sussex Nature Partnership)

The site of the proposed Horsham Golf and Fitness Village (HGFV) lies within the historic Denne Park estate, which runs from the River Arun in the north, climbing over the iconic Denne Hill to the lanes of the original Southwater village to the south.

It is criss-crossed with ancient green lanes, bridleways and footpaths.

Once a medieval park, the area supports an abundance of wildlife and flora in its ancient woodlands, streams and hedges. From invertebrates and birds to larger mammals such as badgers, foxes and deer.

Wildlife

There is a rich abundance of wildlife across the proposed HGFV site and surrounding green spaces which would be impacted by any further development including:

Monitored colonies of great crested newt
10 of the 18 species of bats present in the UK
A high density of birdlife such as red kites, buzzards, tawny, barn and little owls and kingfishers
And larger mammals, including deer, badgers, foxes, stoat, weasel and polecat.

Disruption to wildlife

More building and a change in land use would mean the loss of roaming space for larger mammals, including deer, badgers, foxes.

Deer move through the area. Displacing their roaming space with housing could increase the frequency of them straying onto the busy Worthing Road.

The high density of birdlife including red kites, buzzards, owls and kingfishers would be displaced by more building and a change in land use.

New street lights and floodlights would disturb and disrupt nocturnal wildlife including bats, deer, badgers and owls. The additional floodlighting from the hockey pitch would disturb bat roosts along the Denne Park avenue of lime trees which was planted in 1760 and is also home to buzzards and a large colony of Jackdaw.

A reduction in the number of trees and the proliferation of netting for golf would be disruptive to bats.

Disruption to wildlife corridors

Any development would disrupt important wildlife corridors preventing the movement of wildlife.

A number of pollinator flyways traverse the area, including the proposed site. Sussex Wildlife Trust is encouraging pollinator flyways which provide crucial food sources and habitat links to help bees, moths, butterflies, and other pollinators to thrive.

The area is a key corridor to St Leonards Forest being located adjacent to Chesworth Farm Local Nature Reserve and also the Weald to Waves corridor, a 100-mile nature recovery corridor across Sussex which will boost biodiversity.

The proposed development site is allocated as a key site of high habitat potential, and a buffer zone around the ancient woodland areas, by Sussex Wildlife Trust and Horsham District Council in their Wilder Horsham District initiative.

Local cattle

The Barrackfield on Denne Hill is home to a herd of cows.

The proposed “key pedestrian route into Horsham” goes through the cow field. Litter is already a threat to the cows and is likely to get worse with increased footfall.

Some pedestrians will be wary of walking near cows and stray off the path or end up walking a more circuitous route.

Trees and other flora

The proposed Horsham Golf and Fitness Village site is surrounded by irreplaceable ancient woods, areas of woodland that have persisted since 1600.

Ancient woods are our richest and most complex terrestrial habitat in the UK and are home to more threatened species than any other.

Ancient woodlands

Ancient woods are irreplaceable.

We can’t replace the complex biodiversity that has accumulated over hundreds of year.

Centuries of undisturbed soils and accumulated decaying wood have created the perfect place for communities of plants, fungi and invertebrates.

All ancient woodlands are unique and are distinctive of their locality.

Losing more green space will reduce areas available for wildflowers to flourish, too.

Protecting the greenbelt for future generations

Horsham Golf Club is on land considered as greenfield. “We should exhaust every single opportunity to prioritise building on brownfield land,” (Arundel and South Downs MP Andrew Griffith).

The Countryside Charity CPRE highlighted in its 2020 State of Brownfield Report that there was 1,007 acres of abandoned brownfield land in Sussex, enough to build 23,000 houses, equivalent of a large town.

Horsham does not need these new houses; they are not in HDC strategic development plan.

A golf village and residential development were not included in the Regulation 18 HDC Local Plan or the Southwater Neighbourhood Plan which was approved by over 80% of Southwater residents at the 2021 referendum.