Sandgate Conservation Society

A TCV Community Group website

Latest News

Phase 1 of Sandgate Country Park

We are please to be able to tell you that both sections of phase 1 of Sandgate Country Park are now open to public access.

Some of you may be aware that a condition of the planning approval given for the development of the RMC Workshops site north of the A283 between Storrington and the Washington roundabout (east of Hampers Lane) as Millford Grange housing development was that two former quarry areas would be made accessible to the public as Phase 1 of Sandgate Country Park.  These areas are the former quarry north of the Millford Grange housing development and the area between the Cemex Sandgate Park Quarry (off Water Lane) and Sandgate Park.

The area north of the Millford Grange housing development became open to the public in early 2017 and, with the path provided by the National Trust across its adjacent field,  provides a largely off road walking route from the BT telephone exchange (next to the fire station) in Storrington to Washington, the on-road sections being mainly quiet roads.  This area is usually referred to as Millford Grange Country Park

The opening of the Water Lane area was promised for Autumn 2017 but that date came and went with no activity on the site.  The Society continued to raise the matter with the Horsham District Council Planning Department and eventually there were small signs of activity on the Water Lane site, such as new fencing.  More time passed with little visible progress.  The Society continued to press HDC Planning for updates and in the Autumn work started on the creation of the paths and access points.  The site became safe for public access in October 2018.  This area is usually referred to as Water Lane Country Park

You can enter Water Lane Country Park from a gate on the corner of Water Lane and Sandgate Lane.  There are two access points into Sandgate Park but both of these are currently difficult to use due to inclines, a stream and encroaching vegetation.  The Society is currently liaising with HDC Parks on what can be done to improve accessibility.

The new area provides good, wide paths and a fascinating view of the Cemex and Britanniacrest quarries as well as a wonderful  view across to the South Downs.

Please respect the area and its wildlife by picking up and disposing of dog waste and litter responsibly. There are no bins in the area so please take all waste away with you  – discarded plastic bags full of dog waste have, unfortunately, already appeared.

New Chair of the trustees’ committee

We are pleased to be able to tell you that Chris Barrow has agreed to take over as Chair of the trustees’ committee.Photograph

Chris is a regular volunteer at our Sandgate Park work mornings and was elected onto the trustee committee in May 2018.

Repairing the 39 Steps

We have been sent this photograph of the National Trust and its volunteers repairing the 39 Steps.

The timber used was chestnut coppiced from Warren Hill.

Thanks to the guys for repairing the steps and making them safer to use.

National Trust & volunteers repairing the 39 Steps
Repairing the 39 Steps Summer 2018

Heath Common Design Statement 2018

Earlier this year the Society contributed to the consultation on the new Heath Common Design Statement produced by the Heath Common Residents Association.

Design Statements are produced by local communities and provide guidelines for new developments to encourage new developments that fit in with the area and are in keeping with local character.

The new Heath Common Design Statement was adopted as a Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) by Horsham District Council on 19th July 2018.

The adopted Heath Common Design Statement and ancillary documentation can be found here https://www.horsham.gov.uk/planningpolicy/planning-policy/detailed-planning-guidance/design-statements

Sullington Warren field day tasks in Autumn 2018

You may be aware that there has been a change of local National Trust personnel in the last couple of months.  We have said a fond goodbye to Andy who has taken another job in in different part of the country with another conservation organisation.  We wish him and his family the best of luck for the future.  In July we welcomed Ashley, who has been seconded from his permanent job in the Birling Gap area to cover our local ranger post until the end of the year.

In the short time Ashley will be with us he is keen that Sandgate Conservation Society field day volunteers carry out a couple of projects that have an identifiable conclusion, provide a visible improvement and give a sense of achievement.  Much of the work we do on the Warren can seem invisible or require a long time before the benefits materialise.

The two tasks we will be working on are

  • clearing the area in front of the small wooden bench that overlooks the Green (up from the stony path towards the windmill shaft). This will open up the view from the bench over the Green. This work was started in July and is expected to continue in September and October.
  • clearing gorse from around the stone seat on the large barrow to open up views from the stone seat.  You can see from photographs published elsewhere on this website that the view from the stone seat used to be clear across to Chanctonbury Ring.  It will be interesting to see how much of that view we will be able to recreate!  The additional benefit is that as the barrow is a scheduled ancient monument English Heritage require that it be kept clear of large shrubs and trees which obscure and damage it.

With both tasks completed it may become possible to view the stone seat from the wooden bench and the wooden bench from the stone seat across the Green.

Photographs of Sullington Warren between the 1930s and 1980s

Sullington Warren is an area of rare and treasured lowland heath.  Surrounded by development and increasingly heavily used by people to walk their dogs or just enjoy the peace and quiet, maintaining the Warren’s habitats for reptiles, birds and invertebrates is a challenge.

Little can be done to prevent harm to the Warren caused by erosion of the delicate soil by wear and unwanted fertilisation of the low nutrient soil by dog waste except to appeal to the users of the Warren to keep to established paths, to respect the by-laws and not ride bicycles, horses or any unauthorised motorised vehicle on the Warren and for dog walkers to clear up after their dogs and dispose of the waste responsibly.

What can be done is to check the growth of unwanted trees and shrubs, remove some of the unwanted vegetation already there and encourage heather to regrow on cleared areas.  The Warren also boasts several Bronze Age barrows which are scheduled ancient monuments and which need to be kept  clear of trees and shrubs to meet the requirements of English Heritage.

The felling of trees is sometimes unpopular.  On the Warren the trees that are felled are mainly Scots pine, not a locally native species and mostly have only appeared on the Warren in the last 60 years or so.

These photographs show how the Warren has become gradually more wooded over the past few decades.