Fears over new Graylingwell homes

The Homes and Communities Agency and Linden Downland LLP are seeking planning permission for the development on land at Kingsmead Avenue, Chichester.

If it is given the go-ahead, this will be the 11th phase of the Graylingwell Park eco-friendly development, and 40 per cent of the homes will be ‘affordable.’

But the Harbour Conservancy is pressing for refusal of consent, in the absence of enough information to demonstrate there would be no adverse impacts on the harbour.

Its first ground of objection relates to recreational disturbance affecting birds, particularly created by walkers with dogs. A conservancy report said a Graylingwell ‘development mitigation package’ had not been implemented, nor had its effectiveness been tested.

There was also concern about the effectiveness of measures being offered, including a ‘minimal’ increase in green space, the small financial contributions being offered towards education and wardening, and also the uncertainty over the effectiveness of an additional dog-walking site, and whether it could even be secured.

The proposed new homes would connect to the Apuldram works. “The foul flow from the proposed 51 houses will inevitably put greater pressure on the works, especially during times of high rainfall, which lead to frequent storm discharge events,” said the report.

“The conservancy has been consistently raising this issue in relation to proposed new development around the harbour, and the position statement by the Environment Agency acknowledges this is a very serious issue.”

A technical examination to demonstrate there would be no increase in flows should be required.