West Sussex beach landowners told 'several considerations need to be addressed' amid plans to move car park, café and toilets

More than 40 objection letters have been submitted against the proposed inland Climping Beach Visitor Centre, off Brookpit Lane – a project that has divided local opinion and drawn both criticism and cautious support.

A planning application (CM/34/25/PL) was submitted in October to Arun District Council for land south east of St Marys C of E Primary School in Crookthorn Lane.

Proposed is the relocation of visitor facilities, including car parking, toilets, café and ancillary development. This application is described as a a departure from the development plan and ‘may affect the setting of listed buildings’.

The applicant – Baird Farming Partnership – has been told to expect a decision by November 27, with application comments permitted until November 6.

The application was described by one resident, in an email to this newspaper, as ‘very contentious’ – with it ‘drawing a great number of local objections’.

Among the concerns raised was road safety, due to the number of additional cars, as well as a loss of privacy and increased disturbance.

One person went as far as to say this is a 'completely unsuitable and dangerous location'.

An objection letter – signed by three people who live directly next to the proposed site – read: “The proposed development would have a significant and harmful impact on the local area and residents.

"The proposed development is directly in front of our gardens. We moved to this location almost a year ago for its semi-rural setting, peace, and privacy. The proposal would result in greatly increased noise, footfall, and traffic, destroying the quiet character of the area.

"The local road network simply cannot accommodate further pressure without compromising highway safety for residents and visitors alike.”

Climping Parish Council offered constructive feedback. The representation letter read: “This is a significant development in terms of both scale and the area it covers, but could ultimately be a valuable asset to the locality.

"The architectural design is attractive, and it is clear that effort has been made to integrate the scheme with its surrounding environment.

"However, several considerations need to be addressed more thoroughly in the application.

“While the development may appeal visually, the distance from the beach could deter some visitors from walking. This could lead to ongoing parking pressures on Climping Street, where enforcement is already an issue.

“Increased traffic is inevitable, particularly with the introduction of a new car park. While there is mention of school-related parking provision, more clarity is required on how this will operate in practice.

“The application is noticeably light on detail concerning transport impacts, especially regarding the Church Lane roundabout and how traffic flows will be managed particularly north-west.

“Further information is needed on how the car park will be managed. Specifically, it is unclear how the ‘free parking’ for school parents will be regulated, or what impacts this will have during peak school drop-off and pick-up times.

“There is no mention of how the current informal one-way system around the school will be affected or maintained, which is a concern.

“In summary, while Climping Parish Council do not object to the development in principle, a more detailed transport and access strategy is essential to fully understand and mitigate the potential local impacts.”

James Baird, of Home Farm, Climping, said he has read every objection letter in their entirety.

He said: “On the positive side there are no statutory objections, we had a positive meeting with school governors the parish council have not objected and the National Trust supported our application being submitted.”

He clarified that there would ‘no conflict’ with Clymping C of E Primary School, adding: “The commercial side of the car park is summertime and weekends – always at times when the school is not functioning.

“We're very happy for the school to use it.

"There has been some amount of objection about the Bairds commercially profiting here.

"You're not going to build a facility like this unless it's viable. It wouldn't be built.

“We would of course want this to be welcomed by the community as an asset for the community. We would want mothers who are dropping off kids at school to stay longer and have a coffee and sit down and enjoy the facility.

"So we're not looking at being abrasive with the school. We're looking at working with the school."

Mr Baird addressed concerns that ‘we didn't consult with the community properly’.

“People have said this particular location – on Bread Lane – wasn't on the community consultation and that's correct,” the landowner said.

"When we consulted, it was further to the south. But we scanned the field for archaeology and we found what we think is Roman or Bronze Age remains settlement there.

"So we wouldn't have got planning permission there or it would have been enormously expensive to lift and shift the archaeology. The National Trust also didn't support a building going into the open countryside.

“They wanted it grouped up with the existing buildings. So that's why we took the decision to move it marginally north from where we'd consulted. It wasn't that we were, as some people are saying, that we tricked the community.

“It wasn't about that. It was about narrowing down to find the most suitable location. That's what we did and we took everybody's comments on board.”

In response to road safety concerns, Mr Bard pointed out that highways consultants said that the new junction arrangement for Crookthorne Lane onto the A259 ‘was more than adequate’.

He added: “They said it’s more than suitable. There was some suggestion about us applying double yellow lines because of greediness or whatever. That's nonsense.

"There's been some really sensible, supportive letters too.

"People have enjoyed coming here and we want them to continue to enjoy coming here.

"We really want this facility to be part of the community, be welcomed by the community and enjoyed.

"We're going to be developing the countryside for nature."

To see the full application, and have to have a say, visit https://www.arun.gov.uk/planning-application-search and search for reference CM/34/25/PL.