An earlier scheme was thrown out, but planning officers recommended that permission should be granted for the new one, which they said had been 'comprehensively redesigned.'

In response to local representations, planning officers told yesterday's (Tuesday, May 13) county planning committee there would be discussions to see if a reduction in the height of the proposed buildings could be achieved.

Vinery Management Ltd had sought consent for a building to house a composting unit, including a maturation area and bio filters, and an administration/canteen building/canteen, at The Vinery, in Arundel Road.
Local residents appeared at the meeting to oppose the project.

One of them, Tony Mercer, chairman of Poling Parish Meeting, told the committee: "This is the largest hangar outside Gatwick, and has no place in our village."

They were being asked to accept a monstrous building, with inadequate screening and landscaping.

Cllr Deborah Urquhart, the county councillor representing the local area, said: "This will be a blot on the landscape - a monstrosity that will be seen for miles around."

The committee approved the project subject to a string of planning conditions covering issues including hours of operation, traffic and access, landscaping, design, smell, lighting and noise. No retail sales will be allowed from the site.

Cllr Peter Green said: "This is an improvement on the previous scheme which we turned down."

And Cllr Owen Davies said: "This is an industrial site, and anything built there will probably be an improvement."

Cllr Andrew Barrett-Miles said this would be a huge building, but the proposed screening was adequate.

Site owner Michael Coleman told the committee that the earlier rejected scheme was the subject of appeal. But he felt the revised scheme was better, and his intention was to implement this one, if permission was given.

Angmering Parish Council said the scheme was 'totally out of scale' for this rural site, but there was no objection from Arun District Council, the county council, the Highways Agency or the South Downs Joint Committee.

Letters of objection and a petition were received from local residents and PACT - Poling Against Composter Threat - and concerns were expressed about the impact on the Chestnut Tree Children's Hospice.