Dame Anita Roddick has joined a residents' crusade to protect a beauty spot from a development scheme drawn up by one of Britain's oldest aristocratic families.
Relatives of the Duke of Norfolk want to dig two large fishing lakes, covering 13 acres, and build a car park on downland at Warningcamp, near Arundel.
Dame Anita and nearby residents have objected to Arun District Council, claiming the development would ruin the land, which is in an area of outstanding natural beauty.
The plans have been submitted by trustees of the Angmering Park Estate, which was established by the daughters of the 16th Duke of Norfolk, who died in 1975.
They are Lady Anne Herries, racehorse trainer and widow of cricketer Colin Cowdrey; Lady Sarah Clutton, wife of Nigel Clutton whose firm manages the estate; Lady Mary Mumford; and Lady Jane Ancram, wife of Tory MP Michael Ancram.
Body Shop founder Dame Anita, 60, who lives in nearby Slindon, said: "I have a relationship with the land here. It is a walker's paradise. It is a wildlife paradise.
"Aren't the aristocracy supposed to protect the land and the environment for future generations?"
Other opponents include the Society of Sussex Downsmen and the Sussex Downs Conservation Board.
David Penell, a partner at Cluttons, said: "We must do our best to maximise the income of the estate we represent."
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