Mayday Action Group pen open letter to prospective councillors regarding environmental concerns ahead of protest

The Mayday Action Group are calling for action against the urbanisation of the harbour and the east and west corridor in the district.

On Saturday, March 25, from 10am to midday, residents will line the streets across the A259, from the Saxon Corner to the Fishbourne roundabout, Hayling beachfront to Langstone and along the A286 from West Wittering to Apuldram to protest.

The open letter stated: “You either have or will shortly have the honour of presiding over one of the most beautiful regions of the UK; a region rich in cultural heritage, supported by our rolling downlands, meandering rivers and stunning coastlines going back thousands of years.

“Yet, the natural beauty and resources that draw so many to our local area – to live or to visit – are being degraded at an alarming rate due to neglect and small mindedness.

"The lack of planning and investment around our local infrastructure has led to wide-scale pollution of our coastal waterways and our roads are ever more frequently choked with traffic, leading to increasing and irreversible health risks to local wildlife, residents, and visitors alike.

“We are at a tipping point… and we risk losing the very things that make our region so special and unique.

“We are asking each of you to consider the responsibility that you have or will have to protect our local natural heritage and to include, in your upcoming manifestos, bold and actionable policies that will enable our unique area to remain beautiful, clean and safe for future generations to enjoy and from which they will flourish.”

“We do not wish to stand in the way of progress, but only ask that future development is carefully and sustainably future-proofed, planned and executed, and that those who look to damage or destroy our environment and well-being are halted and/or held to account.”

“On the morning of March 25 for just two hours from 10am to midday, we shall be staging a peaceful protest to call for:

- Future-proof and innovative planning regulations and governance;

- Sustainable housing with adequate supporting infrastructure: including water and waste management systems, transport, schools and healthcare;

- Robust and fully protected and meaningfully sized wildlife corridors;

- Clean landscapes and waterways;

- Flourishing and biodiverse marine and terrestrial ecosystems;

“To find out more, please visit our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/maydayactingroup or contact us via [email protected]

“We are asking you to think holistically and originally about how our region evolves over the coming years to ensure its natural beauty and resources can thrive into the future.”

Residents are being asked to bring banners and items to make noise, and wear high vis and colourful clothing to make themselves as seen as possible at the protest.

In 2021, protesters from coastal villages near Chichester Harbour and the Manhood Peninsula braved the soaring to resist plans for more than 6,000 new homes in the area.