Bungalows on Bosham caravan and camping site refused planning permission

The application for the site at Orchard Farm, in Drift Lane, was turned down during the meeting of the planning committee on Wednesday (December 7).

While officers had recommended the plans be approved, the committee had a number of concerns.

The site is currently used for the storage of caravans but the meeting was told that the owners were looking to retire.

This proved to be a sticking point for the committee, who were not happy about the idea of losing a commercial site and questioned whether enough had been done to market it as a business rather than for development.

Other concerns centred around the impact on the wildlife corridor, whether the site was close to facilities such as shops, and the ability of Southern Water to cope with the additional sewage.

The latter has been an ongoing problem for the area, which particularly makes itself known during heavy rain.

Graeme Barrett (Con, The Witterings) told the meeting that he had received a letter from the CEO of Southern Water.

He said: “It makes very concerning reading inasmuch that it appears that they appreciate there are a few little problems down hear but will probably sort them out by about 2050.

“They need to be sorted out now. They should have been sorted out years ago.”

Southern Water, though, raised no objections to the application and submitted a statement which said: “Our investigations indicate that Southern Water can facilitate foul sewerage run-off disposal to service the proposed development.”

Following advice from officers that most of the proposed reasons for refusal would likely see the council lose a costly appeal, it was agreed that only the concerns about the loss of a business site could be defended.

Officers had recommended approval, saying: “The layout, scale, appearance, and landscaping are all reserved matters, but the applicant has provided an illustrative layout, showing how the development might be delivered. The proposal has been amended during the application to seek a better indicative layout to provide reassurance that 9 dwellings could be comfortably achieved within this site.”

To view the application, log on to publicaccess.chichester.gov.uk and search for 21/02303/OUT.