THE battle against a development of houses in Camelsdale is engaged for the third time following a new outline plan to build 21 houses and flats in the village.

The new application follows one for 18 homes which was thrown out by Chichester District Council last September because of perceived drainage and traffic problems and a lack of social housing.

But the developer, SC Properties from Loxhill, near Godalming, has submitted new plans for the controversial site for an additional three homes and details of a scheme to overcome flooding problems.

The application is a mix of houses and flats on land to the rear of 26-46 Camelsdale Road and Sturt Avenue. This week, residents have again voiced their objections.

Angela Boyle, who helped lead previous campaigns, told The Herald that the plans were not very different from the other two.

"We think a lot of people in Camelsdale think we have already won the fight and the plans have been thrown out. But we are still going to keep on fighting and urge the people of the village to spend just 20 minutes to put pen to paper and object to the latest scheme," said Mrs Boyle.

"We have leafleted the whole of the village again. I know people are tired of this and busy with their holidays - and this is the third summer in a row that we have had to fight this - but we can still make a difference," she said.

"It is not just the development; the land is so waterlogged that the foundations are going to be pile-driven 30 feet down. The impact of that construction traffic on the village and road safety will be enormous."

She declared: "We have to urge people that this is still worth fighting for and by giving in now we will be playing into the developers' hands," said Mrs Boyle.

Local resident and former Fernhurst parish councillor, Dr Mamdouh Salameh has also sent a strong letter to CDC about the outline planning application.

"I am astounded at the temerity of the developer," said Dr Salameh in his letter.

Dr Salameh said he was objecting to the new application "on exactly the same grounds on which I rejected the previous two".

His objections include severe traffic and parking problems in both Sturt Avenue and Moorfield Road, as well as in Camelsdale Road.

He is also concerned about the risk of flooding and the inability of the present drainage system to cope with the extra housing, as well as overdevelopment of the land and a change of character of a rural village.

"The risk of flooding is a real one," Dr Salameh declares in his letter.

A spokesman for Chichester District Council said that the Environment Agency had withdrawn its previous objection and the previous objection from the Highways Authority had also been overcome in the application which is expected to be discussed by planners in September or October.