On the 12th May there will be a protest in opposition to the proposed IKEA and New Monks Farm development. Local residents have, in response, expressed their concern at noise pollution, emissions and the lack of direct access to Lancing village centre by car. The New Monks Farm development is a subsidiary of Brighton & Hove Albion. The club submitted plans to the north of their Lancing training ground. The proposal includes 600 new homes, a school, community centre, an IKEA store and a country park. Much like all new developments happening across the county, locals are not happy about what it will mean for their local infrastructure and connections to wider Sussex. Brighton & Hove Albion are campaigning heavily for support of the project with reasons such as “the development would create 875 jobs”, “Brighton & Hove Albion would be investing £42 million in local infrastructure including £6 million to safeguard the future of the airport” and that “74% of traffic going to IKEA would approach from the east which is on the section of the A27 which flows freely”. However, locals have disputed much of what the football club has said and some see it as a big business coming into a small area without properly looking at the sustainability issues that surround it.
The protest from local residents will start at 10am along the east side of Grinstead Lane and the A27 through Lancing and then on to Shoreham where Tim Loughton, MP for East Worthing & Shoreham, will hold his regular Shoreham Farmer’s Market Street Surgery. Barb O’Kelly, chairwoman of Adur Residents Environmental Action (Area) Group, told The Argus “this is not an objection to new development or housing, but it needs to be sustainable, needs to have the infrastructure and should not be to the detriment of our health and environment. Many people are deeply worried about the health problems that the growing levels of pollution will bring and that the traffic congestion will create further problems for commuters and businesses.” The plans are still yet to be approved even as councillors voted in favour it last year. Adur District Council will be discussing official plans in June.
A group on Facebook titled ‘New Monks Farm Development’ has been on the site since early last year and details the significant issues they see as standing in the way of the project progressing. O’Kelly said “IKEA belongs in a business, not on a flood plain which is vital to the area’s drainage”. The project has been met by over 1000 official oppositions compared to only 50 people in support. If you feel as though you also oppose the project then head into Lancing on 12th May to protest the, somewhat, detrimental plans.
