Award-winning vineyard sale could lead to 121 new homes
Vineyard at foot of South Downs ‘not viable in own right’
Highdown Vineyard has been sold to a property developer, with plans for 121 homes in the pipeline.
The owners of the Ferring vineyard, Paul and Aly Englefield, said it had been a ‘difficult decision’ to sell the plot to developer Rego Property. Mrs Englefield said: “We are reaching our retirement and have thought long and hard about our future and the future of Highdown Vineyard.
“When we bought this land in 2010 it was surrounded by countryside and we brought together our two passions, wine making and events, to create high-quality wines and host charming and individual weddings and celebrations.
“We have explored options for selling the vineyard and initially looked to sell it to wine makers, but found that with the constraints around our land, where businesses have grown up around us, it is simply not large enough to be viable as a vineyard in its own right.
“Our events have subsidised our passion for wine making, but we have faced a difficult year, as have so many, with the Covid restrictions.
“We have thought long and hard and have carefully elected to sell to developers who we trust to deliver high-quality homes on the site.
“We are confident that they will create much-needed new homes with a consideration to the land and to the neighbours that we would want to leave behind us when we retire.
“We would like to reassure all our customers that all wedding and event bookings remain secure and we will not take any further bookings that we cannot honour before we leave.”
A public consultation for 121 residential units, landscaping, parking and improved access briefly appeared on the South Downs National Park planning website, but was swiftly taken down.
The Littlehampton Road vineyard which won awards for its wines, sits on the border of Arun District Council and the South Downs National Park planning jurisdictions.
The Englefields said the project is at an early stage and a planning application is likely to be submitted to Arun District Council later this year.
What do you think? Email ws.letters@jpimedia.co.uk