The Woodcote restaurant-with-rooms that used to be The White Horse pub is seeking approval from the South Downs National Park Authority (SDNPA) to triple its size by building on protected agricultural land.
It wants to demolish its recently renovated six guest suites where former farm outbuildings once stood and erect 16 replacements in new lodges in a field further to the south.
The current main building, the former century-old pub, would be converted into a bar and bistro with a new thatched structure erected in what is currently a buttercup meadow at its side as a new fine-dining restaurant aiming for Michelin Green Star credentials.
The restaurant, bistro and private dining rooms, which would double up as an entertainment space, would be able to seat total of 96 – equivalent to around one in five of the village’s entire population – against the current 35.
These buildings would be linked by a single-storey block containing a new bar, kitchen and other support facilities, topped by a flat, green roof with a footprint of around five times that of the old pub. A new car park, with spaces for some 75 vehicles would also be created in the buttercup meadow, landscaped with trees and plants to break it up visually and to provide cover to vehicles. Additional parking for events would be in an adjoining field.
Locals fear this would mean them losing one of the village’s few unobstructed roadside views of the South Downs and threaten rare flora and fauna in a wet area historically known as Graffham Marsh.
Neighbours have regularly complained about the restaurant’s bright night-time lighting. Under these plans, the new car park and the pathways around the buildings would be lit by what the developers describe as discreet dark-skies compliant lighting.
The rest of the meadow to the west of the buildings would be converted mainly into a market garden to supply the kitchen with field-to-fork produce, along with flower and shrub garden areas, including a new pond. The field to the east of the buildings, on the Graffham village side, would be sewn with wildflowers, with an additional footpath through it opened to the public and an orchard and woodland strip planted between it and the Woodcote buildings.
SDNPA has ‘called in’ the submission, meaning that it itself will decide on whether to allow the proposal to proceed, rather than delegating the matter to Chichester District Council, as “it may have a significant effect on the purposes for which the national park has been designated”. A ruling is expected by 1 August.
The planning application was posted on Friday 2 May – directly before the early May bank holiday weekend. SDNPA has set Tuesday 3 June as the deadline for the public to comment on the lengthy application document and its 55 supporting appendices and plans. The period between the application being posted and the deadline for public comments has been eroded by the two May bank holiday weekends and school summer half-term holidays. Local residents Martin and Mary Taylor criticised this timing as “clever and cynical”.
The formal filing followed a public consultation in February, with a site open morning and afternoon hosted exhibition – staged at short notice on St Valentine’s Day, a Friday when school’s again broke up for spring half-term, limiting, local resident say, their ability to attend and ask questions of the developers.
Graffham Parish Council has asked SDNPA to extend its deadline for public comment on the proposal. A response was awaited at the time of writing.
The parish council has called a meeting to discuss the proposals, on Wednesday 4 June, the earliest date its councillors could achieve a quorum because of work commitments and long-planned holidays.
All 12 public comments filed with SDNPA at the time of writing objected to the proposal, including from three former Graffham councillors.
Martin Taylor described it as “inappropriate, unnecessary and a gross overdevelopment”. Nicholas Lobley noted: “Graffham is a small quiet unique village nestling at the foot of the South Downs and is unsuitable for such a large speculative commercial and suburban venture. There is no need or benefit for the village at all.” Richard Davidson agreed: “The development is not needed within this unique area of the national park. The disadvantages are many and significant.”
Neighbour Susan Hill said: “I am so unhappy with these plans – they are horrendous and completely out of proportion.” Fellow Graffham resident Sam Major noted: “There is no need for a development of this scale in this location. Although I applaud the desire to obtain a Green Michelin star, this can be done with the current restaurant and lodging facilities.”
You can see The Woodcote’s plans in full on the SDNPA’s planning portal at bit.ly/woodcote-planning