Plans submitted for former Body Shop and Amazon sites
Plans for the site of the former Body Shop headquarters in Littlehampton have been submitted.
The plans involve two former Amazon warehouses and the former Body Shop HQ in Watersmead Business Park, off Norway Road, and would see the three-storey Body Shop building demolished and warehouses redeveloped into nine separate retail units.
If approved, of the 12,680sqm of floorspace, 12,410sqm is set to be demolished, with 10,333sqm of floorspace and 2,220sqm of mezzanine area to go up in its place, according to the plans.
The nine retail spaces will see seven retained warehouse units (A1, A2, and A5-A9 in the plans), whilst two will be new-build infill units (A3 and A4).
There would also be changes to pedestrian-route and road layouts, planting areas including a pond, more parking spaces including EV bays, and ‘sustainable’ drainage infrastructure.
The plans say the HQ’s removal will also reduce the ‘apparent bulk’ of the site from Norway Lane and the A259.
A bug hotel is also to be constructed in a bid to increase biodiversity net gain on the site, creating ‘microhabitats’ for insects and pollinators there.
No objections have been registered by nearby residents or official bodies, like West Sussex County Council, so far.
Plans for the demolition of the HQ were given the greenlight by the council in March this year, with the demolition started in May.
The Body Shop announced it was moving out of its Littlehampton based HQ in October, 2024, to relocate to Brighton, shortly after being pulled out of administration by the Aurea Group earlier that year.
The plans are set to be decided by Arun District Council by August 28, 2025, and can be found at https://www.arun.gov.uk/planning-application-search using the reference LU/93/25/PL.