Consultants look again at plans for West Bank homes

GL Hearn and BACA, working on behalf of Arun District Council, invited a select group of town officials and interested parties to view draft plans on May 6, as part of ongoing work into its local plan.

It followed guidance from a Government inspector last year that Arun needed to provide more clarity on its policy in order to be accepted as part of the key housing delivery document.

It is understood consultees at the presentation of the draft plans were initially given just a week to add their thoughts, ahead of another meeting on Tuesday.

But after concerns were raised, the deadline for responses has now been put back, with a final report to be published in June.

An Arun spokesman said: “While the council acknowledges that the time frame for responses to the draft was short, Arun is working to a tight deadline regarding possible modifications to the Arun local plan.

“Furthermore, the people giving the feedback are aware of the background to the study and are able to follow its development.

“However, the public will have an opportunity to have their say when the public consultation takes place in the autumn.

“The work on the Littlehampton Economic Delivery Study continues. The study will be published along with other material being produced as part of the examination into the local plan.”

The key to unlocking development will be an estimated £30.4million of flood defence work.

The consultants’ draft documents, seen by the Gazette, suggest ‘ballast dredged offshore’ could be used to build up the land by up to five metres to reduce flood risk.

While the focus of the study is on the West Bank, the draft document mentioned a number of sites on the East Bank for potential development, including the former hospital and Littlehampton Health Centre site – with relocation of the centre – and the marina.

However, the draft plans may change once consultees have responded.