One of Felpham's oldest buildings could be demolished to make way for a school sensory building

Caretaker’s Cottage in Drygrounds Lane Felpham, could be demolished by West Sussex County Council to make way for a specialist sensory building for Felpham Community College.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

The cottage is believed to have been constructed sometime in the mid to late nineteenth century and is believed to have been used as the farmhouse for the Drygrounds farmstead. A non-designated historical site, what remains of the farmstead was incorporated into the Felpham Community College site during the school’s expansion in the late twentieth century. This includers the cottage itself, alongside the similarly historic boundary walls and a number of other former agricultural buildings. Save for a single-storey extension built in the 1960s, the cottage has had very few external changes, although a historical survey found no evidence of original fittings or fixtures.

If demolished, the project archive developed from the building will be deposited to Littlehampton Museum. This record keeping, plans say, has been accepted as a form of mitigation for the impact of the demolition.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

There are also plans to demolish or alter parts of the original wall in order to make way for the proposed specialist sensory building.

Caretaker's college, FelphamCaretaker's college, Felpham
Caretaker's college, Felpham

Current plans mandate the rebuilding of the south wall and construction of a new entrance, removal of the north end of the east wall, demolition of the east wall and construction of a new wall on a new alignment, and the demolition of all sections of the north wall.

An assessment of significance conducted by Wessex Archaeology concluded that the boundary walls are neither designated nor included on any local list, saying that the significance of the walls would be severely impacted by the loss of the cottage itself.

Despite the conclusion of the archaeological report, some residents have filed objections to the plans. One resident said: “We have very few buildings left in Bognor and this caretakers cottage has a long history with Felpham.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

"It is all too easy to demolish old buildings of character and replace with drab square buildings.”

In an education statement provided alongside the plans, a spokesperson for Felpham Community College said this was the ‘only viable option’ to accommodate the number SEND places required, adding: “This SSC will enable (the school) to support more pupils and support West Sussex in keeping children with social communication needs in their local communities.”

Although sympathetic to the needs of SEND students, Arun District councillor Elaine Stainton (con), who represents Felpham West – the ward on which the cottage is located – said the historic building is ‘not the right place’ for the proposed facility.

"I have lived here all my life and I’m passionate about the old buildings in Bognor,” she said. “And that old cottage and flint wall is just lovely. I’m often trying to get them listed, because I think they’re quite a big part of our heritage here in Felpham. It seems cruel to just tear it down.”

Read more