Chichester braced for '˜substantially more housing' in Local Plan review

A review of the Local Plan – a blueprint for where thousands of homes are being built and will be built – is required in Chichester by 2020.

Tony Dignum, Chichester District Council leader, said: “Some progress has been seen at the strategic sites, though I’ll be honest not as much as I’d have liked.

“Not a house has come along in Tangmere, not a house in Westhampnett or Whitehouse Farm, the only place where construction is really underway is Shopwhyke.

“It’s something for all of us to be concerned because without the five-year housing supply, a coach and horses can be driven through our Local Plan by developers.

“We have to review the Local Plan by 2020 and one thing I can be clear about is the number of houses required will exceed the 435 per year in the current plan.

“Just look at the numbers being discussed in Arun and Mid Sussex, the figure is likely to be substantially higher.”

At next Monday’s CDC cabinet meeting, councillors will be asked to examine ten new sites allocated for potentially a large scale development exceeding 500 homes.

They are (as shown on the map):

S1: East of Chichester/Shopwhyke

S2: South-east of Chichester (south of A259)

S3: East Wittering/Bracklesham

S4: Selsey

S5: Southbourne

S6: Tangmere

S7: Broadbridge area

S8: West of Fishbourne

S9: Hambrook/Nutbourne area

S10: Oving/Drayton area

Cllr Dignum said the developer appealing the 100-home application south of Oving Road claims Chichester’s Objective Assessed Need (OAN) is 650, not the projected 505 figure.

“We got away with a number lower than the OAN because we were able to point to things like the A27, national park and waste water treatment,” cllr Dignum said.

Becauase this lower figure fell lower than the Government’s full housing need of the area, a review of the Local Plan was ordered to have to take place within five years of it being adopted in 2015.

It will allocate where housing should go up to 2034.

The leader gave a 30-minute presentation on the district council’s priorities over the next two years at Tuesday’s overview and scrutiny meeting.

He said he was excited to see the number of Community Land Trusts progressing, with the requirement for affordable homes in new developments 30 per cent.

Finding a charity to take over the Novium Museum, which costs £600,000 a year to run but would benefit from a £100,000 rates reduction and increasing the district’s recycling from its current level of 42.3 per cent were also named as key priorities.

Mr Dignum named progressing the Chichester Vision and cutting air pollution as other targets. “We can balance our budget by raising income from other sources (such as rents, car parking and waste collection),” he added. “By spending wisely we can keep council tax down, we have the second lowest rate in West Sussex and continue protecting frontline services.”

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