Appeal over 191 homes at Rustington Golf centre lost by Arun District Council

Barratt David Wilson Homes now has permission to develop part of Rustington Golf Centre in Golfers Lane.

Arun District Council refused the proposals last November but the developer appealed to the Planning Inspectorate and won.

The development is set to include one-bedroom apartments and a range of semi-detached, detached, and terraced homes with two to four bedrooms.

Of these, 57 will be affordable.

Although the par 3 course would be lost, the par 70 course, 18-hole adventure golf course, café, and other features would remain.

A new access T-junction will be built and minor improvement works are planned to the Golfers Lane arm of Mill Lane roundabout.

A total of 477 parking spaces are proposed, alongside 39 garages, 191 cycle spaces, electric vehicle parking, and public open space.

A new cycleway will connect to the existing one further east, along the A259.

The developer argues that the plans will be ‘major contribution’ to the delivery of new homes required in the district, adding that it will be ‘affordable housing’ in a ‘high-quality setting’.

But council planning officers argued that the development would ‘effectively introduce a suburban housing estate into the countryside’.

Plans were met with widespread objection from more than 300 residents and Arundel and South Downs MP Andrew Griffith, who spoke at the appeal public inquiry.

“This is the wrong development, in the wrong place and at the wrong time,” said the MP.

In a decision letter published on Friday (October 21), the planning inspector outlined his reasons for allowing the development.

“In October 2021 there were 1,163 households on the council’s housing register,” he said.

“Given that the council’s housing land supply stands at only 2.4 years and there is no prospect in sight of that supply reaching five years, both proposals would be of significant benefit in helping to address the shortage.”

The inspector conceded that the proposals would be ‘visually intrusive interms of extending the urban area to the north of [the A259]’ as part of the site is a ‘gap between settlements’.

However, he concluded that the identity of Angmering ‘as a separate settlement’ would be maintained and both the council and the developer agreed the homes would ‘not affect the setting of the National Park’.

According to the decision letter, the ‘density’ – or number of homes – on the site would be ‘appropriate’ and in line with recent developments.

There was no evidence of ‘detrimental effects’ on the A27, said the inspector, and the developer would contribute towards improvements on the busy road.

Losing the par 3 course would be acceptable as it is ‘surplus to requirements’, according to the inspector.

In addition, he said that the appeal ‘would not create a precedent’ for more development north of the A259 because ‘any application must be considered on its individual merits’.

Barratt David Wilson submitted similar plans for 167 homes on the course which have also been allowed by the inspector.

An ’emergency protest’ has been organised on October 31 following the decision.