®Planning appeal decision
Cockleberry Farm, Main Road, Chichester, West Sussex, PO18 8PN
demolition of existing lawful industrial and warehouse buildings, B8 container storage, residential caravans/park homes and stables on a previous developed site and their redevelopment for a residential development of 10 no. dwellings and associated works including landscaping and access alterations
- Authority
- Chichester District Council
- Appeal type
- minor · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Written Representations
- Development
- residential · Minor Dwellings
- Inspector
- Buchanan R
- Postcode
- PO18 8PN
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- Whether the proposal would result in the unjustified loss of an existing employment site
What decided it
The appellant's failure to provide robust and credible evidence through proper marketing that the employment site was no longer required for employment use, combined with the absence of structural or technical evidence that the existing buildings could not be repaired or upgraded for continued employment purposes, meant the proposal would result in unjustified loss of employment land contrary to Policy 26, and this harm outweighed the housing benefits even under the tilted balance.
The modest social, economic and environmental benefits of 5 dwellings on previously-developed land, including housing delivery and construction employment, were outweighed by the significant weight given to the unjustified permanent loss of an existing employment site with tangible local demand, such that the adverse impacts significantly and demonstrably outweighed the benefits and the presumption in favour of sustainable development did not apply.
Framework references: 11
Plan policies cited: Policy 26 of the Chichester Local Plan 2014-2029, Policy LP1 of the Chidham & Hambrook Parish Council Neighbourhood Plan September 2016
The main issues and the deciding factor are read from the published letter by Town Planner Pro; the letter itself is the record. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Research, not advice.