Hundreds of villagers have protested against controversial plans by Eton College to build a new town with more than 3,000 houses that would ‘wipe out’ an old tiny hamlet.
More than 200 residents of the village of East Chiltington turned out on Saturday to protest against plans unveiled by the school – where costs exceed £60,000 a year – to build 3,250 homes on greenfield land bordering the South Downs National Park.
Eton bought the land, which is 60 miles from the site, speculatively as an investment several years ago.
But locals have raised concerns about the massive development, modeled after the In the royal town of Poundbury in Dorset, the population of the rural parish would increase fifteen times, from 400 to 6,000.
It would also swallow two other neighboring villages, creating a “sprawling” new city with a population of more than 10,000.
The location is also on the edge of the heavily protected South Downs National Park. Objections have been raised that the development would destroy wildlife habitats and bring pollution to the area through increased traffic and congestion.
It is the second time Eton – where Prince George will start next week – has attempted to develop the land, after a previous 2021 plan was rejected by planning authorities seeking to protect East Chiltington.
Now residents of the village have once again raised their concerns and headed to the entrance to Plumpton Racecourse this weekend while developers, Welbeck, had planned a meeting inside.
Hundreds of villagers from East Chiltington have protested against controversial plans by Eton College to build a new town with more than 3,000 houses that would ‘wipe out’ their hamlet.
More than 200 residents turned out on Saturday to protest against plans unveiled by the school to build 3,250 homes on greenfield land bordering the South Downs National Park
Locals have expressed concern that the massive development, modeled on the royal town of Poundbury in Dorset, would see the rural parish’s population grow 15-fold.
An artist’s impression of the new development that has caused a huge local backlash in East Sussex
The homes will be built on 450 hectares of green space next to the village of East Chiltington
Retired builder Steve Funnell, 64, described Eton’s plans as ‘shameful and destructive’.
He said the construction of the new town will have a “huge impact” on the community, as well as the environment and local residents.
Jenni Toomey, 72, said: “This hamlet has stood undisturbed for centuries. Places around here are mentioned in the Domesday Book. But at once, Eton plans to change all that, simply to fill their own coffers. It’s absolutely shocking.”
Jo White, who helps run a music charity, Wishing Well, branded the plans as ‘completely inappropriate’ for the area.
Mrs White said: “Eton College is over 60 miles away in Berkshire. Why don’t they develop land there?
‘There is no empathy for the people who live here. It seems like they’re taking the ‘out of sight, out of mind’ approach.”
Retired teacher Paddy David, 67, said the plans would represent a ‘deadlock’.
He said: “Any development around here will cause urbanization of the South Downs National Park. It is a totally inappropriate site, completely lacking the necessary infrastructure.
The new plans amount to creating a sprawling new city with 10,000 residents, opponents claim.
There are also concerns about the impact on wildlife in the nearby South Downs National Park
East Chiltington has been untouched for about 1,000 years
‘The impact on the environment would be huge, but what really concerns me is the impact on the community generated by 3,000 extra homes and the cars and vans they will drive. It will be a stalemate.
Welbeck Land, the developers working with Eton, say their public consultation – which started this weekend – will last eight weeks.
Alistair Watson, managing director of Welbeck Land, said the area needed more homes to help drive down property prices.
He said: ‘Concentrating new homes and infrastructure on one site is the best way to meet the needs of the area and can deliver far more benefits than piecemeal development.
‘Developable land outside the South Downs National Park is scarce. Brownfield locations alone cannot meet local housing needs.
‘These plans offer one of the best opportunities to create sustainable growth in the Lewes district, close to a well-connected train station.’
The protest came as the government announced last month that it would relax planning laws to allow new homes to be built on waste land near train stations.
Eton’s previous, similar proposals were thwarted by local planners who omitted it from the draft local plan as they recognized East Chiltington as one of the few remaining undeveloped areas of East Sussex.
It is the second time Eton College has attempted to develop the land, after an earlier attempt in 2021 was rejected
However, it is claimed that Eton now hopes that the government’s plans to speed up the construction of new homes will improve its chances of going ahead.
East Chiltington is two miles from the larger village of Plumpton, which has a railway station.
The new planning rules state that there will be a ‘default yes’ to homes ‘within reasonable walking distance of well-connected stations’.
James MacCleary, the Liberal Democrat MP for Lewes, has opposed the plans.
He previously said: ‘Any development would urbanise a unique part of the South Downs. It is a totally inappropriate site, completely lacking the necessary infrastructure.
‘The consequences for the environment are also very worrying: on animal life and biodiversity. But the scariest thing is the traffic generation and the CO2 impact of all those extra vehicles.”
