Save Van Diemen’s Wood 

Van Diemen’s Wood is under threat.
West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service have expressed serious concerns about the fire risk posed by the proposed Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) at the former quarry site. As a result, an additional emergency access route has been proposed—one that would cut directly through Van Diemen’s Wood and permanently alter the character of Tinwood Lane.

Possible reasons to object (please frame them in your own words):

1. Van Diemens Wood is listed as a Priority Habitat by Natural England and lies within an SSSI Risk Assessment Zone. It is part of the Bat Home and Movement Network, and its western edge forms a Barn Owl habitat. Any disturbance to this area could be ecologically detrimental.
2. Tinwood Lane is designated a Historic Rural Road in the Boxgrove Neighbourhood Plan. Development here must not reduce biodiversity, landscape quality, amenity, or historical character.
3. An existing access via Eartham Road, where NJS Scaffold currently has a compound, could serve as a simpler, cheaper, and less intrusive emergency route. Has this been considered?
4. Emergency vehicles could access the quarry via the existing gate adjacent to Public Right of Way (PROW) 3575, near the location of the proposed BESS electrical connection. This would use only a portion of Tinwood Lane and avoid Van Diemens Wood entirely.
5. Creating the access road through Van Diemens Wood will require heavy machinery to remove trees, grade the land, and lay a Type 1 compacted surface. What ecological surveys have been undertaken to protect this sensitive environment?
6. Tinwood Lane is a well used route for local people to access the countryside. How will access be controlled during the extensive construction works? 

Possible conclusion:

The proposed siting of the BESS in the restored quarry is ill-advised and unsustainable. The proposed emergency access route through Van Diemens Wood compounds the problems. A more suitable location, such as the existing substation at Crockerhill, would avoid ecological and landscape issues and allow for direct electrical grid connection.

To make your comments to CDC

Go to:

https://publicaccess.chichester.gov.uk/online-applications/search.do?action=simple&searchType=Application and use application reference 24/02040/FUL in the search field

or write to : 

Chichester District Council
East Pallant House
Chichester
West Sussex
PO19 1TY