‘Enough is enough’ say councillors and residents at plans for 480 homes on Bognor Regis Golf Club

Councillors Elaine Stainton (Con, Felpham West), Francis Oppler (LDem, Orchard), Gill Madeley (Con, Felpham West) and Matt Stanley (LDem, Marine) submitted a letter of objection to Karl Roberts, director of planning, stating their ‘grave concerns’ before the plans even went on to the council’s planning portal.

They said it was ‘another nail in the coffin of what used to be Felpham’s beautiful and balanced environment’.

Previous developments in the area had given ‘false promises of infrastructure improvements which were never delivered’, they said.

Other concerns were flooding, flora and fauna, the A259 already being at capacity and the effect on Downview Road, which had already experienced an ‘enormous increase’ in traffic.

On Tuesday alone 26 letters of objection were published to the portal with some residents calling the plans ‘disgraceful’.

They raised concerns including the volume of traffic, drainage and schools and doctors being oversubscribed.

The outline plans for the golf club in Downview Road, Felpham, have all matters reserved, except means of access, for up to 480 new homes, the formation of a new means of access onto Golf Links Road, together with the creation of new surface water drainage, new landscaping and habitat creation, ground works and other infrastructure and the retention and re-purposing of the retained club house.

See also: https://www.sussexexpress.co.uk/news/people/felpham-resident-creates-art-in-cuttlefish-bones-3593231|Felpham resident creates art in cuttlefish bones}

Another application would see the golf course moved to a site south of Grevatt’s Lane.

A planning statement with the application said this is a 39.6ha site and would include 30 per cent affordable housing, 4.23ha of woodland and trees, 3000 sqm of new communal growing space to the north and three new play spaces.

The application includes the repurposing of the existing club house for a new community facility, enhancing public rights of way and bus stops.

There would be a new junction of Downview Road, Golf Links Road and Shirley Drive creating a crossroads with priority afforded to north/south traffic rather than east west as current.

The statement said: “The applicant Hallam Land Management Limited is working in partnership with Bognor Regis Golf Club to secure the long term future of the golf club through relocation to a benchmark new venue at land south of Grevatt’s Lane that will be facilitated by redevelopment of the existing site at Felpham for 480 new homes and extensive areas of publicly accessible parkland.

Have you read...: What facilities would you like to see at Aldingbourne sports centre?

“The club faces a number of fundamental challenges at the existing site including drainage, health and safety issues, outdated and limited facilities, high operational costs, need for extensive investment in refurbishment and encroachment from external development pressures.

“In order to ensure the club’s long-term financial sustainability it will be necessary for them to relocate to another larger site as there is no space available at the current site to grow.

“The proposal will enable the club to relocate to a modern venue that provides golf, service and hospitality that are recognised as the benchmark for Sussex.”

Neither development would happen independent of the other.

Although in the Bognor-Felpham gap, the statement said, it doesn’t preclude new development but requires it to reflect the importance of maintaining separation between the two settlements so that they retain their individual character.

This would be a significant contribution to the need to increase housing land supply.

Housing would be contained in the eastern body of the site and western, northern and southern areas would be green infrastructure.

In April 2017 the club voted overwhelmingly to enter into a promotion agreement with Hallam, the statement said.

To view the plans and comment go to the Arun District Council planning portal and use the search reference FP/274/21/OUT.