The outline planning application was submitted on 4 February 2022 for: the demolition of existing structures and mixed use development to provide residential dwellings, a care home/senior living accommodation, flexible retail and community floorspace, a primary school, plus associated open space, landscaping, drainage and all other associated ancillary works; and realignment of the A29 and early connection to existing A29, including construction of a new road carriageway, junctions and associated infrastructure.

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The application includes the land north of the railway line and the A29 realignment south of Barnham Road to the Lidsey bends.

 

The application is pending determination. A number of comments have been received on the outline application, both from members of the public and statutory consultees (e.g. National Highways/Southern Water/Arun District Council’s Ecology Officer). In July 2022 an initial response was issued which is available in the list of documents below; this provided a response to statutory consultees, Parish Councils (Annex 1) and public comments (Annex 2) received at that time. Since then, the project team continues to liaise with statutory consultees, the BEW Advisory Group and Arun District Council Councillors to address the final remaining technical matters relating to:

 

1. Highways (responding to comments from National Highways and West Sussex County Council (WSCC) Highways)
    

2. Flood risk/drainage (responding to comments from the Environment Agency and Southern Water)
    

3. Education  (responding to comments from WSCC Education Team)

 

Good progress has been made and updated drawings will be submitted in due course to make some minor changes to the highways layouts. Once submitted, the updated drawings will be reviewed again by consultees.

 

Discussions have also started between The Southern Consortium and Arun District Council in relation to a legal (S106) agreement to secure financial contributions towards necessary infrastructure required to support the development, if the outline application is approved.

 

Arun planning officers and The Southern Consortium are keen to move the application forward to consideration at Planning Committee in Summer 2023. Applications for outline planning permission seek to establish whether the scale and nature of a proposed development would be acceptable to the local planning authority, before a fully detailed proposal is put forward. It sets parameters for future development and is supported by a full suite of technical assessments (as available in the documents).

 

Once outline permission has been granted, detailed design information will be required to be submitted as Reserved Matters applications and further technical information will be submitted to discharge planning conditions attached to the permission.

 

The outline application is available to view under reference BN/11/22/OUT on Arun District Council’s Planning Register. Here you can comment on the proposals or view the comments already made on the application. The application documents are also available to view below: