Large Westergate housing development turned down

Cala Homes wants full permission for 101 new homes and outline permission for a further 249 dwellings.

The site, north of the railway line and west of Lidsey Rife, is within the Barnham/Eastergate/Westergate (BEW) allocation for development in Arun District Council’s adopted local plan.

However council officers have refused Cala’s current application as they felt insufficient information had been provided on how the delivery of key infrastructure would be secured, specifically the bridge required to connect an east/west link road to the remainder of the BEW allocation to the east of the rife.

As well as these uncertainties, officers also felt there was not information about how the development would comply with the Joint West Sussex Minerals Local Plan, while the development had not demonstrated how it met policies around adaptable dwellings meeting the lifetime homes standard.

Also not enough information had been provided to demonstrate kerbside collection would be possible and ecological surveys were felt to be out of date.

Officers said: “Without the delivery of the bridge the east/west link would not join the existing A29 to the new A29 route. Insufficient information has been submitted to demonstrate that the proposed development of this scale could be satisfactorily accommodated in a manner which would not undermine the delivery of a comprehensively planned settlement as anticipated by policies in the Arun Local Plan.”

The plan, which was adopted in 2018, allocated 2,300 homes within BEW sites.

Cala’s site access would be from the current A29 Westergate Street, with a new four-arm signal controlled staggered junction opposite Meadow Way.

The existing Pine Close turning just to the north would be closed and traffic directed on to the development’s new access road.

Pedestrian access would be maintained.

An east-west road through the site would join the existing A29 with the future realigned A29 and form the first stage of a link road through the larger development allocation.

Key infrastructure set to be delivered across the entire BEW allocation includes a new local centre, retail, commercial and community facilities, library and healthcare.

A project to realign the A29 and build a new stretch of road is currently being planned by West Sussex County Council.

This would include a bridge over railway to the east of the Woodgate level crossing and improved access to Barnham Railway Station, bus service and cycle links.

Requirements also include new primary schools, sports pitches and employment provision.

Back in 2017 the council decided to invite applications for the first phases of sites being investigated as potential strategic allocations where these did not adversely affect the delivery of the whole allocation.

This was the basis on which the Cala application was submitted.

Since then the Arun local plan has been adopted, while a series of high level development principles for the BEW allocation were considered by the planning policy sub committee back in February. These have yet to be endorsed by full council.

Therefore the application has been assessed on the basis of whether or not it can be delivered without adversely affecting delivery of the whole allocation and that any infrastructure requirements could be delivered proportionally without adversely affecting the delivery of infrastructure required for the allocation.

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