Car showroom bid promises 250 jobs

Backers of the outline planning application, including three motor dealerships, will put their case before Arun councillors next week.

However, a similar scheme, on the same site south of the A259 and opposite Rustington Golf Centre, was turned down 18 months ago, and planning officers are recommending that the new proposal is also refused planning permission.

Frosts' Cars, of Ferring, Richmond Cars, of Felpham and Harwoods, which has dealerships across Sussex, have joined forces to submit the plans for a "high-quality car showroom development", and claim it would benefit the commercial image of the district, attract investment and benefit other nearby businesses.

Frosts and Richmond say their existing sites are too small for expansion to meet the demands of car manufacturers, and they have been unable to find suitable premises elsewhere in Arun. The two businesses claim around 70 jobs could be at risk because of this.

Those jobs would be saved, and another 250 created, it is claimed, through the partnership with Harwoods, which has been looking for a site in Arun for some time.

The site, a long, narrow, 15-acre field, is between the railway and the A259, immediately west of Mill Lane, and in open countryside outside the built-up area. Development on such a site would be against Arun's planning blueprint for the district, unless it could be proved there was an overwhelming need.

Planning officers say such a case has not been established.

The car dealers point out that the "isolated and unused" land has been recognised as being unsuitable for farming or as public open space, and described as "an unsuitable and dangerous" place for children to play.

A spokesman for the applicants said: "Although it falls outside the council's defined built-up area boundary, the local plan does allow for new commercial buildings to meet local need, and we say that clearly is the case for these well-known local companies.

"A Government inspector has also confirmed that a specialist commercial development could be a beneficial use of the site, and create a high profile and landmark scheme in one of the main traffic corridors in the Arun district."

Gary Taw, of Richmond Cars, said: "Given that dozens of jobs were lost with the closure of the mushroom units at Poling, and that Chandlers BMW, a major local employer, has said it is looking to move to Worthing, the prospect of losing more jobs would be very bad news for Arun district.

"The future of Richmond Cars and Frosts Cars dealerships is now firmly in the hands of the council's planning committee."

In a report to Wednesday's meeting of the development control committee, which will rule on the plans, Arun planning officers say there is no evidence that a "secured company" has signed up to the development.

It was not considered that the new proposal had clearly identified the need for the showrooms on this site.

The development would also result in the loss of the "rural buffer" to the built-up area and harm the character of the open countryside, the report adds.

Objections to the scheme have been lodged by Angmering and Rustington parish councils, The Angmering Society, East Preston and Kingston Preservation Society and six individuals.

* Barry Vidgeon, chairman of Chandler Holdings, the Angmering BMW dealership, said that, contrary to Mr Taw's suggestion, his company had no concrete plans to leave the Station Road site.