Plans to redevelop Chichester industrial estate

Chichester District Council wants to knock down the existing buildings in the St James Industrial Estate off Westhampnett Road and create a range of new business unit types and sizes in their place.

These would be available on flexible letting terms ‘within a high quality environment with shared facilities’.

According to the planning application: “Based on the scale of this development and the current economic climate the proposed units will provide opportunities for a variety of new start-ups and existing Chichester based companies to locate to and/or expand into the redeveloped units.”

The estate was developed in the 1980s around the old 1950s council depot to provide accommodation for small and start-up businesses.

Brick-built premises were converted with more modern steel frame units. These have low energy performance ratings, poor wiring and in part awkward levels.

Adaption and extension of the buildings over time has led to a ‘somewhat ad-hoc layout’ with smaller units on the perimeter and a larger block in the centre of the site.

Existing circulation routes are undefined and parking is unformalised which ‘further compounds the site’s inefficiencies’.

The application says: “The state of repair combined the issues noted above means that the estate is not attracting the businesses it needs to sustain its purpose.

“The new proposals aims to reprovide the uses within modern more sustainable premises in a more functional & formalised arrangement.”

The layout would see a large block in the centre of the site, with four around the perimeter split up into multiple separate units.

To comment visit www.chichester.gov.uk/planning using code 20/01914/FUL.

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