‘Desecration of landscape’: the fight over development in areas of outstanding natural beauty

Residents of Woodgate estate in West Sussex enjoy its open spaces and wildlife but conservationists say it has set worrying precedent

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A flock of goldfinches circle before settling on a rooftop as Sue takes her morning walk around the Woodgate estate in Pease Pottage, West Sussex. Rounding a corner, she reaches a large wildlife pond where eight signets and a swan are feeding. Dragonflies circle overhead.

For the last three years, the estate a few miles south of Crawley built within the High Weald area of outstanding natural beauty (AONB) has been Sue's home. Her son and daughter-in-law also live on the estate, where the 600 homes range from shared ownership flats to 1.4m luxury detached houses.