URGENT: Sussex protest camp eviction imminent

[marksimonbrown]

Tree camp eviction may start this week? 

'Nearest railway station is Goring by Sea on the main South Coast 
line with direct trains from Brighton, Portsmouth and London. There 
is a camp phone - 07804 245324.'

A CALL-OUT for help has been made by the Camp Titnore protesters 
protecting an area of ancient woodland north-west of Worthing, West 
Sussex, who fear an eviction attempt is likely to be made this week. 
A possession was served on the site on Saturday. On Tuesday morning 
the 29th, an appeal hearing is to be held into the eviction order 
issued by the High Court in London. And if that is lost, it is 
possible the High Court bailiffs with their specialist climbing 
teams and cherry pickers, backed by police, could move in straight 
away - either later that day or early on Wednesday morning. 


Please help resist this eviction in any way you can directions are 
available here 
 http://www.protectourwoodland.co.uk/tea.htm 
(directions also at bottom of this message)

The battle to save Titnore Woods from a massive 875-home housing 
estate, road widening and associated new Tesco hypermarket has been 
waging locally for around five years. The protest camp has suffered 
constant police harrassment however they have vowed to fight to the 
end. 

This suspicion was strengthened on Saturday when a police helicopter 
hovered over the camp for some time, clearly assessing numbers on 
site. About 30 people managed to avoid detection by hiding in various foxholes.

Those with experience of other sites say this usually happens a 
couple of days before eviction. Indeed, the helicopter also visited 
Camp Titnore two days before the original court hearing, on July 
27th, at which the starting pistol could well have been fired for 
eviction itself, had it not been for the unexpected leave to appeal. 
The protest camp, against an 875-home development, road widening and 
new Tesco on green land, including ancient woodland, began on May 
28th. 

It has attracted huge public support locally, with Worthing 
residents disgusted at the way Worthing Borough Council has ignored 
overwhelming opposition to the plan and meekly bowed down to the 
interests of the landowners and the property developers. 
Protesters have vowed to stay in the tree camp to the bitter end, 
deploying "passive resistance" to the small army of hired thugs 
expected to be sent in against them. 

Anyone who can help is urged to get down to the camp in time for the 
possible eviction. Exact dates are not likely to be provided in 
advance by the authorities! 

SAVE TITNORE WOODS
RED ALERT!

Help fight to save one of the few remaining ancient woodlands in 
sussex.

Titnore Woods in West Durrington near Worthing is one of only two 
ancient woodlands surviving on the Sussex coastal plain. It is home 
to a rich diversity of wildlife, including protected species like 
great crested newts, bats, baadgers, skylarks and corn buntings.

Greedy developers plan to trash all this and build around 900 homes -
while in nearby Worthing more than 1,000 stand empty. Convicted 
criminal Gerald Ronson - head of the Heron Group - is the cuddly 
face of the developers alongside Bryant Homes (part of Taylor 
Woodrow) and Persimmon Homes.

Local campaigners Protect Our Woodland! tried to get the support of
ex-environment minister John Prescott, but he rejected a public 
enquiry. Now full permission is a formality, with a Tory council 
boss telling the local rag that work was expected to start in the 
summer. A report in local newspaper The Worthing Guardian a few 
weeks ago quoted Worthing Council's assistant director of planning 
James Appleton as saying final outline permission for the 
development was "two to three weeks away", with an agreement 
envisaged between landowners, council and developers.

A report by the Woodland trust and the WWF shows that more than 100 
of the country's most important ancient woods are facing the chop, 
despite planning policies which seek to protect them. campaigners 
will keep fighting to the very end. Join them.
www.eco-action.org/porkbolter


DIRECTIONS:

The camp is in woods just north of "Somerset Lake", a fishing lake 
east of Titnore Lane. Easiest access is from Fulbeck Avenue, off 
Titnore Way. Take the path at the far east of Fulbeck Avenue, then 
turn left until there is a large gap in the hedgerow on the left, 
opposite a cleared square of ground on the right, and cross right 
over to the far side of the field, keeping the clump of trees to 
your left.

It can also be reached via the car park at Tesco's in Durrington, 
which is served by no 3 and 4 buses from Worthing central railway 
station. Basically head straight on from the entrance to the fields 
at the back end of the supermarket car park, reaching the gap in the 
hedgerow mentioned above.

Nearest railway station is Goring by Sea on the main South Coast 
line with direct trains from Brighton, Portsmouth and London. There 
is a camp phone - 07804 245324.

Financial donations can be made at the camp (ring number above if you
can't find it!) or by sending a cheque payable to "The Porkbolter" 
to PO Box 4144, Worthing BN14 7NZ.