Campaigners hope £16m Arundel flat plans will soon be '˜dead in the water'

Plans for 45 apartments in Fitzalan Road at the site of a former Victorian brewery were recently unveiled by developer Renaissance Retirement but have drawn criticism from many in the town.

Adrian Burrows, one of the founding members of the Affordable Housing in Arundel (AHA!) campaign, said: “We find it extraordinary that Renaissance Retirement think it is acceptable to start knocking down heritage assets in nationally important towns.

“Arundel is the jewel in the crown of Arun, and proud locals and the district at large will not stand for this.”

To this end the AHA campaign was formed to push for affordable housing in Arundel and to protect the character of the town.

So far it has more than 2,000 supporters and has taken its fight to Arun District Council, encouraging members to object to Renaissance Retirement’s planning application.

Mr Burrows said the support is ‘unbelievable’: “The whole of Arundel is behind us, it is absolutely incredible.”

Mr Burrows, who lives in Fitzalan Road, said the campaign intends to push for the former Swallow brewery building listed: “That will stop the whole thing, it will be dead in the water because you can’t knock down a locally listed building

Fellow founding AHA member John Munro said: “We already have four places for elderly retired people. Most urgently the need is for affordable housing for young people.”

Peter Tanner, planning director for Renaissance Retirement has previously acknowledged residents’ concerns over affordable housing, but said: “We believe there’s a clear need for modern homes for the elderly in and around Arundel and whose numbers are only predicted to increase.”

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