Development plans for Midhurst’s former Grange Centre site are pulled again

The sale of the land in Bepton Road to build a care home was agreed by Chichester District Council (CDC) all the way back in 2018 and would be completed once Montpelier Estates secured planning permission.

But this has been contentious in the town as many believe the prime site could be put to better use.

An initial application for a care home was submitted then withdrawn last summer and revised plans for a 69-bed facility were due to be discussed last Thursday (January 20).

However prior to the South Downs Natonal Park Authority (SDNPA) planning committee meeting the application was withdrawn as officers were recommending the plans be refused.

They considered the design ‘unacceptable’ as it had failed to take a landscape-led approach and also felt the building would have a harmful impact on the landscape/townscape as well as Midhurst’s conservation area and setting of listed buildings.

Officers also raised concerns about a failure to demonstrate an acceptable standard of sustainable construction.

This week Carol Lintott, chairman of Midhurst Town Council, has written to CDC urging it to take the opportunity to bring the site back in hand and work with the community to ‘identify a realistic development project for the site’ if it can legally do so.

Her letter describes how after six years ‘we still have a major site at the centre of our town which is getting more and more dilapidated’ and says the town council is becoming ‘increasingly frustrated and concerned for the fate of this site’.

She believes the SDNPA officers’ report made it clear the proposed care home design is not appropriate in an important site in the centre of town and was the second time the developer ‘has not understood straight-forward planning requirements’.

The letter added: “We are sure that Chichester District Council is aware of the strength of feeling among the majority of Midhurstians who wish to see the site of a former community asset developed into something both appropriate for the conservation area in which it sits, but also into something that will be for the benefit of the town and surrounding parishes.

“Several ideas have been put forward, not all realistic, but some, including the possibility of affordable housing, must now be pursued by Chichester District Council by taking the site back to market and properly targeting developers who can deliver something that both the district council and Midhurst can be proud of.

“Affordable housing preferably with work/live units, a supermarket or community facility to compliment the Grange Centre are all ideas worthy of pursuit. Indeed, the SDNPA Local Plan identifies this site as a possible supermarket development which is a widely held ambition of the community and a need for the surrounding area, revisiting this would give the district council an opportunity to support those north of the downs.”

In response, a spokesman for CDC said: “Naturally, we are disappointed that the developer has withdrawn their application and we are continuing to liaise closely with them in their efforts to secure planning permission.

“The developer remains in contract with us for the purchase of the land and this situation has not changed. Since exchanging contracts with the developer, a great deal of work has been undertaken by them behind the scenes in relation to the planning application for the site.

“As many people will be aware, the process to sell and develop a site of this nature can be a complex and long process, and is something that we are closely monitoring.”

Montpelier Estates has been approached for comment.