Revised plans to demolish Rustington pub and redevelop site for retirement living are revealed
Revised plans to demolish a Rustington pub and redevelop the site for retirement living accommodation have been submitted.
A previous application from Churchill Living for The Windmill Inn, in Mill Lane, was refused by Arun District Council in February 2025 and the appeal in July 2025 was dismissed due to the effect of the development on drainage and flooding.
Planning Issues, an in-house planning and design consultancy for Churchill Living, has now submitted a new application to demolish the existing public house and one dwelling, and build 28 retirement living apartments plus three retirement living cottages, including communal facilities, access, car parking and landscaping.
The planning statement explains the revised submission for an identical scheme follows new ground testing and winter groundwater monitoring at the site. A drainage strategy approach is proposed for ground infiltration.
The pub closed down permanently in September 2024, a month after a devastating fire in the early hours of August 17. The electrical fire started in one of the storage sheds.
The initial planning application to demolish the pub and build retirement accommodation had been submitted by Churchill Living on August 2, 2024. These proposals followed a public consultation in July 2024.
The planning statement says: “The UK faces a rapidly growing and ageing population. The government aims to ‘significantly boost the supply of housing’. The Planning Practice Guidance (PPG) is unequivocal in its message that the ‘need to provide housing for older people is critical'.”
It goes on to say: “There is a clear need for older persons’ housing in the Arun district.”
It states the brownfield site is in a ‘highly sustainable location’ and offers a ‘fantastic opportunity’ for the future residents to walk to local shops and services in Rustington.
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