Fighting planning appeals to cost Chichester District Council £420,000

The decision was made during a meeting of the full council on Tuesday (July 16), where it was also agreed to release a further £74,100 to cover any legal costs which may surface in 2024/25.

Three appeals all relate to large-scale developments at Crouchlands Farm, Plaistow, which were either refused by the council or had yet to be decided.

They will all be determined by a planning inspector via a public inquiry.

Deputy leader Jonathan Brown said the need to spend so much on defending appeals was ‘an indictment of the complete failure of the planning system’.

Mr Brown added: “Rather than allowing councils to plan – requiring statutory authorities to give us the evidence we need in a timely manner – we have planning by appeal in this country which is awful for everyone.

“Even for the developers – it’s bad for them because they can’t plan either.

“The planning system ought to be reformed to allow us to plan.”

The council’s budget for external legal fees for 2024/25 was £63,300 along with another £35,500 for professional services.

That money has already been used – and another £95,000 has been released from reserves to cover the cost of two major appeals at Stubcroft Farm, East Wittering, which will be heard this month.

Officers also anticipate at least three more appeals will be submitted before the end of the year.

Bill Brisbane, cabinet member for planning services, said: “It is essential that the planning team are able to secure the legal representation and specialists to support the council’s case at appeal.

“If we’re going to go to an appeal, we’ve got to win it. And to win it we need good specialists and good legal advice.”

Any of the money not spent will be returned to the reserves.