Housing plans for North Bersted

Developer Orchard Enterprise Southern wants to put 13 dwellings and a new retail outlet at the Chalcroft Nurseries and Garden Centre.

The firm's planning agent, Paul Collins, said in a report to Arun District Council the area now proposed for development was restricted to the

1.1ha part of the plot which is already used by retail outlets.

All the sales buildings, comprising 500sq m, would be combined into one larger garden/aquatics building of 605sq m to make a more efficient and effective use of the land.

"Rationalising and rearranging the retail area in this way frees up part of the existing site for residential development, without loss of retail space, comprising 13 dwellings laid out as two attractive and relatively-spacious cul-de-sacs which also provide vehicular access to the grazing paddock at the rear," he states.

The request for planning permission comes after three proposals for up to 140 homes on the land on Chalcraft Lane were rejected. The last of these was by Orchard Enterprise Southern last year for 70 dwellings.

This was refused permission by the council after fierce opposition by councillors, residents and businesses. A government planning inspector backed the decision.

The revised scheme has reduced the housing to about 20 per cent of that originally proposed. It will also comprise about 1,100sq m of landscaped open space with improved public access to adjoining public footpaths and the countryside.

The owner of the site, Chalcroft Associates, is clearing the remaining 1.4ha behind the proposed development site to get rid of the debris which had built up under previous owners. It is intended to use this land as a grass grazing paddock.

Mr Collins says he believes the site now to be developed is more urban than rural, to make redevelopment more acceptable.

The housing is proposed to comprise six two-bedroom bungalows, five three-bedroom houses and two four-bedroom houses. The houses will be centrally located and the bungalows in the site's south-eastern section.