'Vital' South Downs car park wins reprieve from closure

Kithurst Hill car park near Storrington – described as a ‘vital link’ to the South Downs for walkers and riders – has become the centre of a wrangle over who looks after it.

West Sussex County Council, which has maintained the car park on privately-owned land for years, announced that it could no longer continue because of mounting costs and the South Downs National Park Authority also said it could not help.

The car park was due to shut on December 21 – but local residents launched a battle to save it and thousands signed a protest petition, winning support from South Downs MP Andrew Griffith and Councillor James Wright, cabinet member for rural affairs with Horsham District Council.

And now the car park has been given a stay of execution – its closure has been deferred until January 2023 to try to find a solution.

Councillor Wright said: “I am encouraged that WSCC has agreed to keep the car park open until the end of January 2023. This extra time is to allow several organisations who are negotiating with the landowner to secure the long-term future of the car park.

"The next nearest car park is five miles away – if the car park was to close it would mean a large part of the community would lose access to this stunning area of the Downs.”

Andrew Griffith said:“It is excellent news that the community campaign has secured a lifeline in the campaign to keep this crucial asset open, ensuring we can all enjoy what the South Downs has to offer.

"The campaign has my full support and I have been in touch with all parties involved to encourage a solution to be found.

“We hear a lot from the National Park Authority about ‘inclusion’, yet the closure of this facility would hit the disabled, the elderly and those with young children the hardest.”

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Councillor Wright, who visited the car park with Andrew Griffith on Saturday, added: “There is still time for the South Downs National Park Authority, who so far have rebuffed attempts to keep the car park open, to work with the community to meet its mandate for delivering accessibility to the Downs and would encourage them to get in touch if they would like to do so.”