A DEER farm near West Harting has applied to hard surface farm tracks to allow deer to move freely.

Owners of Sky Park Farm on the Harting to Rogate Road plan to hard surface tracks or ‘races’ between feeding meadows to ease the movement of deer between them.

At the moment there is about 100 red deer on the farm, but in time that number is expected to double, says joint farm owner Pierce Noonan.

In plans with the South Downs National Park Authority (SDNPA), it says that last winter the races became waterlogged and churned up, causing problems for the deer, and the movement of farm vehicles.

It also says the type of compacted surfacing being proposed is a mix of sand, gravel and clay called ‘hoggin,’ which is available from a quarry over the road from the farm.

The farm has a contract to supply venison to Waitrose. The plans can be viewed on the website at: www.southdowns.gov.uk/ planning