Hook House, 51 Hook Lane, Bognor Regis, West Sussex, PO22 8AR

4 bedroom house change to a 6 bedroom student HMO property

Authority: Arun District Council
Appeal type: minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: residential · Change of use
Inspector: Reid J

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

Whether the proposed development would be safe from flooding

What decided it

The occupier of the ground floor bedroom would be at unacceptable risk of internal flooding and would not be able to reach safe refuge in the event of a sudden undefended tidal inundation, particularly if asleep.

Although the Council cannot demonstrate a 5-year housing land supply, the strong reason for refusing development provided by flood risk protection policies outweighs the housing supply shortfall.

Plan policies cited: Policy W DM2 of the Arun Local Plan 2011-2031

Read the decision letter on the Inspectorate’s site

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.

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What an account adds

Draw a red line around your site and the appraisal follows.
- Heritage. Listed buildings by grade and distance, conservation areas, scheduled monuments, registered parks and gardens, heritage at risk.
- Landscape and environment. Green belt, national parks and national landscapes, SSSIs, ancient woodland, SPA, SAC and Ramsar sites, nutrient catchments.
- Flooding. Flood zones 2 and 3, surface water, and both again with climate change.
- Transport. The 800 metre station catchment and service frequency, bus stops with their weekday frequency, the cycle network, and the Framework’s transport tests measured for the site.
Then the development plan position, the housing land supply as an Inspector last accepted it, and every appeal decided around the site with its letter.
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