Nine-bedroom home near Westbourne turned down

Plans to build a nine-bedroom home in the Chichester countryside have been refused by the district council.
The proposed exterior of the nine-bedroom homeThe proposed exterior of the nine-bedroom home
The proposed exterior of the nine-bedroom home

The application for land south of Foxbury Lane, Westbourne, was turned down by the planning committee following a lengthy discussion on Wednesday (January 5).

The committee deferred the plans twice last year – first to allow for a site visit and then to ask for more information about its access and design.

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The meeting was told that the new home would have an energy performance rating of ‘A’ and would include 60 solar panels, recycled newspaper insulation and triple-glazed, triple-sealed windows built to Passivhaus certification standard.

Illustration of the home's interiorIllustration of the home's interior
Illustration of the home's interior

While several councillors complimented the look and energy efficiency of the building, calling it ‘outstanding’ and ‘exciting’, they were not convinced that construction should be allowed to go ahead.

Questions were asked about the safety of the access point, close to the junction with Foxbury Lane – though no such concerns were raised by West Sussex County Council’s highways team.

There were also concerns from some that placing one house on a nine-hectare site was a ‘very inefficient use of land’.

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The plans were finally turned down on the grounds that the scale and prominence of the building – along with the creation of an ‘overly domestic’ access on to Woodmancote Lane – would have an adverse impact on the rural character of the area.

The committee also decided the application had failed to demonstrate that it would meet national planning policy requirements in respect of raising the standard of design in rural areas.

Roy Briscoe (Con, Westbourne), speaking as an objector rather than a member of the committee, questioned the sustainability of the site and said he thought the access was ‘dangerous’.

He added: “This is a greenfield site we should be protecting as open countryside as it currently is.

“A very large building complex here would do nothing to enhance the location.”

To view the application in full, log on to publicaccess.chichester.gov.uk and search for 20/01569/FUL.