A conservation watchdog wants more time to consider whether to back the building of a car factory on a greenfield site near Chichester.

The Sussex Downs Conservation Board wants an extended deadline for its comments on the proposed £60 million Rolls Royce factory on 30 acres of farmland at Goodwood.

The site lies less than one kilometre south of the Sussex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), on land identified for rural use in county and district planning guidelines.

Sussex Downs officer, Martin Beaton, said the watchdog was concerned about the impact of the site on the AONB and would like more time to consider the proposal.

He said: "We are still in the process of considering the application so it would be wrong to try and pre-judge."