ENVIRONMENTAL campaigners worry a new flagship project will pollute residents and clog the A27.

The New Monks Farm development in Lancing is set to bring an Ikea and 600 homes to the area after it was approved last week.

But the Adur Residents Environmental Action group believes the extra commuters created by the project will cause daily gridlock on the A27.

“Traffic gridlock is already unsustainable around there,” said member Bill Freeman.

“It’s expected 14 per cent more cars will be on the roads because of this, not just because of the Ikea but also the houses.

“Highways England says the road is already over capacity and yet it’s been approved.”

Mr Freeman also worried about a possible increase in toxic pollutants created by the project.

“We monitored New Monks Farm and already we found the level of nitrogen dioxide was 40 per cent over the acceptable level,” he said.

“Two million people are expected to visit the Ikea each year. That’s going to make it a lot worse.

“We’re terribly upset that the community isn’t being cared for.”

Though Mr Freeman admitted there was not much space in Adur to develop housing, he believed building on floodplain was a bad idea.

“Groups across Sussex have expressed great concern about this and the upshot is that they weren’t listened to,” he said.

“The housing targets for Adur are unrealistic, this is land that shouldn’t be developed on.

“Deer are scattering because of the development that’s already going on.

“Right now it’s damage limitation for us.

“Now our job is making sure the developer sticks to the terms of the agreement.”

The development had been on hold due to a dispute between councils and developer The Community Stadium Ltd over how much it should pay towards funding a new school for the project.

But last week the developer agreed to pay £3.6 million towards the opening of a new primary school, clearing the final hurdle for the development.

The project will include 600 homes, an Ikea, a primary school, a community centre and a new A27 access roundabout.

Neither Adur District Council nor Brighton and Hove Albion, owner of The Community Stadium Ltd, responded for comment by the given deadline.

Previously an Albion spokesman said the club would “minimise inconvenience” to Lancing residents while works are under way to build the 600-home project.