Campaign to save 'vital' South Downs car park wins more support

The link – a rural car park at Kithurst Hill near Storrington – is set to close next month following a wrangle over its mainenance.

The car park is on privately-owned land at the top of Kithurst Hill and has been managed by West Sussex County Council for a number of years. However, the council has said it cannot continue – and the private landowner cannot obtain public insurance cover without it.

Now Storrington and Sullington Parish Council has written to the South Downs National Park Authority asking it to re-start talks about taking over responsibility for the car park.

The council says that it was told two years ago that discussions were underway between the authority and the landowner about investment and improvements to the car park.

In its letter, the council says: “It seems that the SDNPA has pulled out of these discussions at the final hour, leaving the landowner with no choice but to close the facility within the next few weeks.

“The closure of this car park will have a severe impact upon our local community and economy. The facility is used widely by various groups such as dog owners, horse riders, ramblers, cyclists and families with young children.

"Whilst the SDNPA’s ethos to encourage visitors to access the Downs by foot is laudable, the reality is that this is simply not achievable for some of these groups.”

Horsham District Councillor James Wright is also backing the campaign to keep the car park open. “The car park is a vital link to the South Downs for residents of Storrington and visitors from further afield, allowing for easy, safe access to our beautiful countryside,” he said.

"The South Downs National Park which pulled out of a commitment at the last minute to take on the car park, must work with the owners to come up with a sustainable solution.”

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A spokesperson for the SDNPA said: “We understand this is a difficult and emotive issue. The private landowner of Kithurst car park was supported by West Sussex County Council, which has taken the decision to withdraw its support.

"When the private landlord stated that they would need to close without this support, the Authority was clear that unfortunately it could not take on responsibility for the car park."

The independent South Downs National Park trust looked into whether it could manage the car park, but decided it was not able to take on the long-term substantial financial liabilities.

A West Sussex County Council spokesperson said: “The county council’s agreement with the landowner to manage the car park at Kithurst Hill expired in 2020. We did not plan to renew the agreement - in line with our approach of focusing resources on county council-owned land. However, a third party expressed an interest in taking on the management. To allow time for the landowner to negotiate a new agreement, we put a temporary agreement in place, running until December 2022.

“Unfortunately, following discussions, the third-party was unable to take on the management of the car park, so now the council will be exiting the current temporary agreement when it ends on December 21 2022.”