A vacant Bognor Regis school could be replaced with 21 homes

The application seeks to demolish the vacant Bartons Infant School in Romney Broadwalk and build new homes, car parking, cycle parking and landscaping.

A design and access statement by Morrison for West Sussex Property Development LLP said: “The site of the former Bartons Infant School in North Bersted represents an ideal opportunity to provide much needed homes (including affordable home) within Arun District Council.

“This site presents a unique opportunity to promote brownfield development into a location that is well suited to a residential development of a type and scale that is proposed in line with the Bersted Neighbourhood Plan which allocated this site as being appropriate for a minimum of 20 homes.”

The planning statements said the school was vacated in 2014 after being found surplus to requirement by West Sussex County Council and has been the subject of frequent vandalism and anti social behaviour over the past few years.

The initial brief for the site was for a combination of single dwelling houses and a small apartment building to achieve 25 units in total.

But site capability exercises showed it was not viable for an apartment block or bungalows.

The brief then evolved to include 21 detached or semi detached single family houses in a mix of two or three bedrooms with one larger four bedroom home, with a shared open green space in the heart of the site.

A public exhibition of the plans was held in February. Issues raised included a preference for bungalows, the location of affordable house and tree retention and planting.

To view the plans go to the Arun District Council planning portal and use the search reference BE/40/22/PL.

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