High Street, Angmering, is an idyllic spot. Trees sprout from either side of the picturesque country lane, which leads to historic Highdown Hill.

Families enjoy the beer garden of the nearby Spotted Cow pub, which backs on to open fields.

A few hundred feet away stands Ecclesden Manor, a magnificent country house set in beautiful grounds.

It is a picture postcard rural scene, but the tranquillity enjoyed by people over the centuries is about to be shattered.

Work is scheduled to start on a £5.1 million bypass linking the A27 and the A259, the two major east-west arteries in West Sussex.

The road will run through countryside from the A259's junction with Old Worthing Road to Water Lane.

Supporters of the scheme say it will take the heavy lorries, which currently plague Angmering, out of the village.

But there is a price to pay in the form of 600 new homes destined to be built over the next few years on the site of derelict nurseries off Roundstone Lane.

That means Angmering will expand by 25 per cent, from 2,600 homes to 3,400.

Parish councillor Terence Kay has watched the bypass take shape over the past decade and is closely involved with the planning.

Work is expected to start no later than July, 2001, and will be completed over the following 18 months.

Coun Kay said: "It has been reported by West Sussex County Council that 29 per cent of the vehicles passing through Angmering are heavy goods vehicles, and that's greater than the national average."

He admitted there were "mixed feelings" about the bypass, adding: "Whatever scheme is proposed to any parish council, half the population likes it and the other half hates it."

But coun Kay believes Angmering will be a more pleasant place to live once the road is open.

Coun Peter French, chairman of the parish council, agrees.

He said: "Traffic currently builds up in Station Road during peak periods and it can be completely jammed from the A259 right back into the village.

"We hope the bypass will restore the vitality of the village shops."

Developers, who are paying for the bypass, have also contributed £50,000 towards the cost of a community centre.

But critics are dismayed, pointing out that any reduction in traffic through the village will be undermined by hundreds of cars owned by families moving into the new homes.

Protester Mike Pearn believes lorry drivers will simply bypass the bypass and use the village as a rat run.

He said: "Within a very short time of the bypass opening, traffic through the village will be greater than it is now, which is a complete nonsense.

"That's my view and the view of a lot of people in the village. "

Paul Moore, landlord of the Spotted Cow, said a bridge would be built over the bypass where it crosses High Street so access for walkers and horseriders to Highdown Hill, site of an ancient fort, could be maintained.

He admits 600 new homes would probably be good for business but doesn't fancy the prospect of a bypass running past his back door.

Mr Moore said his regulars were split 50-50 for and against the scheme, but added: "At the end of the day I am against it. I don't think it is a good idea."

One elderly woman resident said: "I loathe the idea of a bypass here. It just isn't necessary. It is a very quiet spot and it is going to be totally ruined."

David Boreham, head teacher at St Margaret's Primary School, Angmering, said: "We do have some space in the infants department but in the juniors we are totally full.

"We don't have any space whatsoever for people moving to the village, and that is something the governors have under review."

Jane Robinson, spokeswoman for West Sussex County Council, said: "We are holding a series of meetings with schools in the area to decide what is the best way forward."