Details for 300 Climping-home development submitted

The site to the west of Church Lane and south of Horsemere Green Lane could soon see homes ranging in size from one bedroom apartments to four bed houses.

Around 90 affordable dwellings will be included at the development which will also see a new shop and early years nursery built.

Developer Climping Homes says it wants to create ‘as much open space as possible’ which will include several parks and shared pedestrian and cycle paths throughout.

There will be ‘plenty of variety’ regarding the look of the homes to reflect both new and traditional properties in the wider area, including flint, red brick, and Georgian features.

Off-street, allocated parking will be available for the properties alongside 61 visitor spaces.

Developer contributions will be made towards sports facilities in Littlehampton and Ford and a swimming pool in Littlehampton.

The development was originally refused by Arun District Council in 2017 but gained outline permission following an appeal in 2018.

Current plans were also amended following further consultation with existing residents and Clymping Parish Council. This included Cropthorne Drive residents’ concerns about being ‘back to back’ with new houses.

A design statement says overlooking existing residents’ gardens is a ‘main constraint’ of the site as well as it being prone to flooding.

Following the consultation, the developer decided to restrict use of the northern access road to pedestrians, cyclists and emergency vehicles only. This is due to low visibility at the junction between Horsemere Green Lane and Church Lane.

A new roundabout will also be accommodated at the Oystercatcher Junction.

Up to 100 trade, delivery and construction vehicles are expected on site each day but the developer has agreed they will only approach the site from Crookthorn Lane on the A259.

An ecology report found that the land has potential to support newts, badgers and bats and recommended that bat and bird boxes be fitted to mitigate any impact.

The planning inspector previously ruled that environmental concerns were not enough to turn down the application at appeal.

Following an archaeological survey, steps will be taken to minimise disturbance of a potential Roman settlement. Artefacts found on site included pottery, jars, a piece of Roman jewellery, indications of fence lines and an old Roman road.

Wessex archaeology said the site is of ‘considerable archaeological importance’ which is ‘unusual in West Sussex’.

Outline permission for 300 homes was granted following the 2018 appeal which also allowed the developer to submit details regarding layout, access, and appearance at a later date.

Further details about the plans can be found at the Arun planning portal using the reference: CM/48/21/RES.