Paying fields of Eton
Backlash at ‘£120m plan’ for 3,000 homes in countryside to help fund scholarships
ETON College has become embroiled in a row with the residents of a tiny hamlet over plans to sell off land to build 3,000 houses.
The school owns a large swathe of countryside in East Chiltington, East Sussex, on the edge of the South Downs National Park.
A developer working with Eton has contacted the local parish council to give notice of planning proposals to build thousands of properties on the 206-hectare (509-acre) site.
The move has angered residents, who say the land is home to rare wildlife including barn owls and great crested newts.
They claim the private school stands to make £120million from the development, which would cause a 12-fold increase in the population of the rural parish. The prostructed.’ posal comes as Eton, near Windsor, is seeking to reduce its carbon footprint by installing eco-friendly LED lights in its houses. The boarding school has also unveiled plans for a sports hall that would have solar panels on its roof.
An Eton source said the money would help to pay for full scholarships for dozens of less privileged pupils each year.
The source said: ‘We are trying to raise as much as £100million for a fund which would provide 100 per cent bursaries to up to 35 boys every year.
‘We will also use some of the money for partnerships with the state sector and to pay off debts on buildings we have already conBut Marc Munier, 43, who is leading the campaign against the plans, said: ‘Eton College stands to make £120million if they are successful in getting planning on this site, that will lead to an increase of 1,200 per cent in the number of houses within the parish.
‘That’s the equivalent of making Brighton bigger than Birmingham... The land is adjacent to the South Downs National Park which hosts unique concentrations of our most precious keystone species – barn owls, great crested newts, several rare species of bat and of course the iconic mature oak tree which supports a further 2,300 species.’
He added: ‘ Eton College don’t need the money, they have so much in assets.’ Parish councillor Mike Elms, 55, said: ‘It is surprising that a school which is all about legacy and history does not want to protect the land and instead wishes to concrete over it to make a profit.’
Eton College was founded in 1440 by Henry VI. It educates around 1,350 boys aged 13-18 and charges £42,501-a-year fees.
A full public consultation is expected this summer. However, East Chiltington parish council has already stated it sees ‘no merit’ in Eton’s planning proposal.
‘They don’t need the money’