Planned holiday resort in Sussex compared to the Shire

Architects have drawn up plans to turn the former Shoreham Cement Works in Sussex into an environmentally-friendly holiday resort with 600 pods, in a design compared to the Shire.

Shoreham Cement Works, located within the South Downs National Park, has been closed since 1991 and the 118-acre site constitutes one of the largest brownfield sites in the region. The £104 million development would include an amphitheatre, a swimming pool, a restaurant, and around 600 holiday “pods”. It will be covered in solar panels that will generate 1.5 megawatts.

Robert Cheeseman, Chairman of the South Downs National Park Authority, said: “We’ve been concerned for many years about the ugliness of the Shoreham cement works. Any proposal that takes that into account has to be welcomed. Having said that we need to look at the detail of the current proposal… and consider it on its merits.”

A spokesman for the South Downs National Park said:

This is an important strategic site in a very sensitive location. It will be considered as part of the Local Plan for the National Park. We know that there are several different proposals in the pipeline, including one from the local community. No applications have yet been submitted and there’s still much work to do to ensure that any proposals safeguard the South Downs’ wildlife, landscapes and heritage and can actually be delivered. The site has the potential to make a substantial contribution towards sustainable growth, but also to accommodate innovative development which promotes National Park purposes. This could include sustainable visitor accommodation, employment and leisure uses, all of which can be served by green travel measures. But the site is not considered suitable for general market housing.

Original story: The Mirror, The Daily Mail and the BBC.