Plan for West Sussex homes to be occupied before development is complete is refused

The proposal relates to the 200 home development at Tars Farm, located south of Barnham Station.

A current planning condition states that the development cannot be occupied until a railway crossing order has been made and confirmed. It requires the existing public footpath to be legally diverted or removed, with a new footbridge to provide a safe alternative route over the railway lines.

The application proposed to amend the condition so that it allowed for no more than 20 homes to be occupied before any such rail crossing order had been confirmed.

This proposal is almost identical to one put forward in May which looked to amend the condition by 10 houses not 20.

However, Arun District Council planning officers say there is still not enough evidence that the planned footbridge can be delivered within the required timeframe.

The application suggests that it could be built within 8-10 weeks.

Officers said there was also no evidence that the developer had secured the necessary licence from the Church Commissioners, who own the adjoining land, to allow the bridge works to proceed.

The council said it has asked for this evidence to be provided twice.

The original application for the 200 home development was refused but later allowed on appeal. The planning inspector gave significant weight to the railway crossing plans, saying the footbridge would provide a safe walking route for residents.

Officers said that allowing homes to be occupied before the route was secured would undermine the purpose of the condition.

Barnham and Eastergate Parish Council objected to the latest application in July, saying that the original condition should remain on safety grounds.

The application was refused on September 18, due to a lack of certainty over its timeframe, an absence of the required licence and concerns over the safety and wellbeing of future residents.