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Plans were submitted to Arun District Council for the change of use of Climping Campsite, Brookpit Lane.

But officers refused the application and said they were ‘not satisfied that the buildings are structurally sound, of permanent construction and capable of conversion without rebuilding or significant alteration or that the resultant buildings will not have an adverse effect on the rural character of the area or be sympathetic to its setting in terms of its visual design’.

They said the Flood Risk Assessment did not adequately assess flood risks posed by the development.

Plans have been refused for the change of use of a Climping campsite into two holiday lets

It had not been adequately demonstrated that bat roosts do not exist within the site or that any existing or potential roosts would not be disturbed.

They said it had not been satisfactorily demonstrated the site can be accessed by fire appliances or that adequate fire hydrants are available.

Four objections were received saying the ‘site sits in a vulnerable location of a vulnerable flood plain with a deteriorating coast’.

They said the access road has a history of winter flooding, the access is very narrow, causing objections from the fire service, they were concerned about the hedgerows and trees and how the construction and delivery traffic would access the site without needing to widen the lane.

A planning statement submitted by Philip Wagner Architects said the field, surrounded by farmland, was a children’s campsite from the 1930s until 2003 when it closed due to reduced demand.

It has a main building with a kitchen and communal eating facilities, a shower and toilet block and a large shed for storage, which would all remain but be repurposed.

“Such a picturesque site should be put to use in a way appropriate to this protected location and camping (which these days means caravans) is not appropriate for a site clearly visible from public footpaths,” the statement said.

It would also generate an unacceptable level of traffic on Crookthorn Lane and Brookpit Lane, which were busy at school drop off and pick up times.

To view the decision go to the Arun District Council planning portal and use the search reference CM/57/21/PL.

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Plans to turn a former Climping children’s campsite into holiday lets refused