West Bersted 225 homes refused again

Landform’s first outline application for the homes, open space and vehicular and pedestrian acces for nursery fields, to the north of Chalcraft Lane and behind Chalcroft Nursery, was turned down in April.

Officers said the developer had failed to demonstrate there would not be a ‘severe cumulative residual impact on the road network’.

There was no transport assessment to address the off-site capacity requirements and the local road network and a failure to demonstrate that the transport effects could be ‘satisfactorily mitigated’.

The application also failed to sufficiently encourage the use of sustainable modes of transport.

The developer is appealing against this decision but in the meantime resubmitted plans to provide the council with the ‘opportunity to reconsider its position’.

It said the application documents had been amended to include provisions relating to a future connection to land to the north.

Back in 2018 Arun’s 20-year local plan included the West Bersted strategic allocation for at least 2,500 homes.

Meanwhile an application for 20 homes and commercial space on the nursery site itself has already been approved.

But officers have turned down Landform’s second outline application.

In their report they explain that the main reason for refusing the first application centred around the site failing to make a contribution towards the spine road for the wider strategic allocation.

The applicants have now offered a contribution, but officers do not consider it adequate.

They said: “The absence of sufficient infrastructure contributions will prejudice the delivery of the spine road which is identified within the adopted strategic allocation policy, which is then likely to result in longer term severe impacts on the highways network until the delivery of the spine road is fully realised.

“On the basis of the above, the development fails to achieve a masterplan led approach and fails to secure the necessary infrastructure.”