Factory Boss Slams Council

The managing director of Smith and Jewell Ltd claims the houses, under construction for Chichester Diocesan Housing Association, will be too close to his depot at Lineside Way and says the noise created by heavy machinery will disturb tenants.

"It is ironic that this new development is so badly planned. The authorities concerned are merely developing more slums to replace those they have recently demolished," he said.

When he approached Chichester Diocesan Housing Association, he claims he was told that if a noise problem presented itself in the future, it would be dealt with then.

He is now worried that a noise restriction order could be made against Smith and Jewell.

The company makes welded structures and machine parts using industrial presses, drilling equipment and grinders, and are legally entitled to operate their machinery 24 hours a day.

In a blistering attack on Arun District Council planning department, Mr Glass claimed Arun had not consulted Smith and Jewell during the planning application and said he found this very disappointing.

When the old council flats in Clun Road were built, Mr Glass explained, they were 250ft away from the factory and were screened by a line of mature trees to prevent noise disturbances to tenants.

He is now concerned because the nearest houses on the new development will be only 35ft away from the factory and the line of trees has been felled.

"The trees didn't just protect tenants from the noise, they were also a very effective visual screen our factory doesn't provide a particularly attractive outlook.

"We have built industrial structures and they are really not very aesthetic at all," he explained.

And Mr Glass also fears the houses nearest the factory will become impossible to let because of the noise and unappealing views.

He fears antisocial families with nowhere else to go will be housed there as a last resort.

He said the effect could be catastrophic, as it would have a domino effect on the rest of the development, bringing the neighbourhood's standards down.

He has written to the chief executive of CDHA and the group chief executive of parent company Hyde Housing Association to express his feelings about what he described 'a seriously flawed product'."

He added: "If the people who planned this development were working for me, I would take them to task over this."

But, in a joint statement to the Littlehampton Gazette from Arun District Council and the Hyde Group, it was said that all necessary steps had been taken in the planning process.

It went on to say: "We did receive a letter from Smith and Jewell Ltd objecting to the application and those objections were taken into account by the development control committee before a decision was taken.

"As we previously discussed with Mr Glass, we have noted and are acting on his concerns.

"Chichester Diocesan Housing Association and Arun District council are currently investigating the situation and possible solutions.

"We are taking all necessary steps to improve the situation."