Development of 30 homes on Earnley Concourse site allowed at appeal

Back in 2019 Summix ECC Developments applied to Chichester District Council to knock down the buildings in Drove Lane and construct 30 homes.

It was a residential centre offering leisure courses and activity weeks but closed back in 2011. It was then used for foreign language students and later advertised as a conference centre and wedding venue.

A fire broke out in part of the site in October 2019, requiring a large emergency response.

Officers at CDC raised concerns about several elements of the proposed development with the applicant, who lodged an appeal on the grounds of non-determination in the middle of 2020.

A resubmitted application was refused by council officers last summer.

An appeal over the first scheme was held in late March and in a decision notice published today (Monday May 30) planning inspector Graham Chamberlain has granted outline permission.

He noted at present Earnley has around 35 homes so the appeal scheme would almost double the size of the settlement, but felt the site was close to established village and would not prejudice a viable agricultural operation.

He also suggested the scheme would have ‘reasonable accessibility’ to local services and facilities in Bracklesham and East Wittering with the provision of the proposed new footway.

Mr Chamberlain also highlighted how CDC’s Housing and Economic Land Availability Assessment had identified part of the appeal site as one that could possibly be developed.

His report said the appeal site ‘reads as part of the fabric of the village albeit a generally alien one’, with the current buildings having a ‘noticeable and harmful presence in the landscape in views from the south and east’.

But given the ‘large and generally unattractive buildings’ he felt a proposal of 30 homes ‘need not inherently fail to balance an efficient use of land with the impact on the character and appearance of the area’.

He was content the proposal would not harm the integrity of the nearby Medmerry Reserve and based on the information before him was also content the scheme would not have an adverse impact on sewarage capacity.