Bognor Regis housing plans are excessive, warns councillor

Paul Wells said proposals for another 200 homes over the next 17 years threatened to be excessive in terms of crowding people into the town centre without adequate parking.

He said “There’s a balance to be had between houses and other forms of development.

“We are reaching the tipping point in Bognor.

“We are losing too many businesses and shops to housing.

“It’s very concerning that over the course of time we are going to be without the social premises and shops people need.

“It’s all very well having places where people can live, but they also need places to shop and eat.”

He added: “Spencer Street is an example of what is happening.

“There are a lot of flats being built there.

“All the small businesses have gone and that drives more and more people out of the town to find work.

“We have become a dormitory town for the whole district where people come to live and do nothing else.”

Cllr Pat Dillon, chairman of the council’s planning and licensing committee, said it had been agreed up to 200 homes would be permitted in central Bognor until 2028.

The target was set at a committee meeting with Arun District Council’s assistant director of planning services and housing strategy Karl Roberts.

The proposed housing target will go into Arun’s next draft local plan land use blueprint providing it is agreed by district councillors before it is issued for consultation next year.