{"id":333293,"date":"2025-12-24T13:15:08","date_gmt":"2025-12-24T13:15:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/333293\/"},"modified":"2025-12-24T13:15:08","modified_gmt":"2025-12-24T13:15:08","slug":"vinnie-jones-plan-for-sussex-estate-prompts-anger","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/333293\/","title":{"rendered":"Vinnie Jones’ plan for Sussex estate prompts anger"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n More than 12,000 people have backed a campaign from Protect the Wild<\/a> calling on Chichester District Council to reject Vinnie Jones\u2019 scheme for Blackwool Farm, Ebernoe, near Petworth.\n<\/p>\n

\n If approved, proposals would see empty farm buildings turned into seven units of private \u201cbespoke accommodation\u201d for countryside \u201csporting activities\u201d, which will include shoots.\n<\/p>\n

\n The proposed development sits next to Ebernoe Common, a national nature reserve managed by Sussex Wildlife Trust. Sussex Wildlife Trust has formally objected to the application, warning of risks to protected species including barn owls and rare bats and expressing concerns about the \u201cintensification of \u2018sporting activities\u2019 in the area\u201d.\n<\/p>\n

\n The farm is within the South Downs National Park.\n<\/p>\n

\n The main barn which is part of the proposals (Image: Douglas Briggs Partnership)\n<\/p>\n

\n \u201cAlthough game shooting is mentioned as an existing activity, organised by a local club, no evidence is presented as to its scale,\u201d wrote a trust conservation officer.\n<\/p>\n

\n \u201cSWT is very concerned that the intensification of game bird shooting will in itself be detrimental to the wildlife of the area, through the introduction of large numbers of young game birds with the attendant risk to biosecurity that that entails, the control of predators, the provision of feeding stations and disturbance to native woodland birds, which have declined by ten per cent in the UK and 12 per cent in England in the five years since 2018.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n Responding to these concerns, Jones\u2019 agent Douglas Briggs said the 60-year-old former footballer had \u201cmade it clear that he was aware of his barn owl population and it was to be protected\u201d. Mr Briggs said Jones \u201ctreasures the landscape and wildlife of Blackwool Farm\u201d and that a barn owl expert was employed to assist with the proposals and suggest mitigations.\n<\/p>\n

\n The agent went on to say that the trust\u2019s concerns \u201chave been prejudiced by numerous false and misleading assumptions\u201d and that \u201cno game shooting club is proposed or included in the supporting statement\u201d.\n<\/p>\n

\n In other documents it was stated that: \u201cAround 20 days of shoot activity each year was established by previous owners and trout fishing at the two lakes have taken place for many decades at Blackwool Farm.\n<\/p>\n

\n \u201cThe proposals do not involve the creation of any new or the intensification of existing sporting activities at Blackwool Farm.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n But Protect the Wild said if the plan is approved it would \u201ceffectively carve off part of the South Downs National Park and hand it over for the use of paying shooters, as well as people headed to the area for activities like horse racing and trout fishing\u201d.\n<\/p>\n

\n \u00a0\u201cNational Parks exist to protect nature, not enable its destruction,\u201d an organisation spokesman said.\n<\/p>\n

\n \u201cOfficially designated in 2010 after decades of public campaigning, the South Downs National Park has a clear legal duty to conserve wildlife, protect landscapes, and promote public enjoyment of nature.\n<\/p>\n

\n \u201cThis is not rural regeneration and it does not provide community benefit. It is the commercialisation of a protected landscape, primarily for bloodsport.\n<\/p>\n

\n \u201cThis woodland is a haven for wildlife, including bats, nightingales, owls, and rare insects. Wildlife in the South Downs is already under pressure from climate change, habitat destruction, and pollution. The last thing wildlife there needs is for the area to become a more attractive draw for people who prop up the shooting business \u2013 an industrialised industry that is fundamentally incompatible with nature conservation.\n<\/p>\n

\n \u201cA shooting lodge serves a tiny, wealthy minority. The costs are borne by wildlife, the landscape, and local communities. Our national parks should restore and rewild \u2013 not become playgrounds for hobbyist shooters. The planning authority must reject this application.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n Jones\u2019 life on the 2,000 acre estate, which he bought in 2022, is documented on Discovery+ series Vinnie Jones in the Country.\n<\/p>\n

\n He is best known for his tough guy crime roles in Guy Ritchie films Snatch and Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"More than 12,000 people have backed a campaign from Protect the Wild calling on Chichester District Council to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":333294,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[6491,96,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-333293","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-celebrities","8":"tag-celebrities","9":"tag-entertainment","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom","12":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/333293","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=333293"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/333293\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/333294"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=333293"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=333293"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=333293"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}