Poynings

Introduction

34.1 The village of Poynings is located 3.5 miles to the south of Hurstpierpoint on the edge of the South Downs, and is within the Sussex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). Devil’s Dyke, the well known beauty spot and Iron Age fort, is just to the south of Poynings, providing superb views of the South Downs, Chanctonbury Ring and the Low Weald.

34.2 Poynings consists of two parts. The area to the north is a mixture of old and new properties. The area to the south is much older and is centered on Holy Trinity Church, which has remained almost unaltered for over six hundred years. The Church which has been Grade I listed is considered to be one of the finest village medieval churches in Sussex. Other listed buildings date from the 17th century or earlier.

34.3 The village is served by facilities including, pub, church, village hall, recreation ground, cricket ground and children’s play area.

Policies and Proposals

Built-up Area Boundary

34.4 A built-up area boundary is defined for Poynings in order to conserve the rural setting of the village and to protect the surrounding countryside from unnecessary development.

Conservation Area

34.5 In June 1984 the southern part of the village was designated a Conservation Area. This was in recognition of the special character and appearance of this part of the village, which contains a number of buildings listed as being of special architectural or historic interest. The area includes Poynings Manor Farm, the medieval Parish Church and all of the buildings along The Street, a number of which are listed and of 17th and 18th century origin.

34.6 The following features contribute, in particular, to the character of the Conservation Area:

• the sense of enclosure created by banks, walls, trees and hedgerows;

• the attractive rural setting on the edge of the Downs;

• views into and out of the village;

• the use of traditional building materials such as chalk and flint; and

• the presence of individual features of interest such as an impressive stone built shelter known as ‘Cora’s Corner’, attractive iron rail fencing and old petrol pumps.

Areas of Importance for Nature Conservation

34.7 The Beeding Hill to Newtimber Hill Site of Special Scientific Interest lies to the east and south of Poynings. This SSSI, situated on the scarp slope of the Downs, covers an area of 272.9ha. It is of both biological and geological importance as in addition to three nationally uncommon habitats it includes Devil’s Dyke, the most remarkable of all chalk dry valleys in Britain.

Community/Recreation Use

34.8 Poynings Recreation Ground is privately owned and leased to the District Council on a short term basis. It forms a very important facility for leisure purposes in the village. There is a pavilion and a children’s play area within the recreation ground. The site is on the northern periphery of the village, extending into the open countryside, and the Council wishes to safeguard it for recreational use.

PO1 Poynings Recreation Ground (approximately 1.3 hectares) is allocated as public open space.

Extension to the Dyke Railway Trail

34.9 Brighton and Hove Council has proposed an extension to the Dyke Railway Trail, a cycleway/ bridleway/footpath link between Devil’s Dyke and the town of Hove along the route of the former Devil’s Dyke railway line. This proposal is supported by the District Council. The route of the possible extension is shown on the Proposals Map.

PO2 The line of the proposed extension to the Dyke Railway Trail will be safeguarded from development which would prevent its implementation.