Seven homes approved for Southbourne

The application for land south of West View Cottages, in South Lane, was originally given the nod in October 2023, subject to the completion of a S106 legal agreement.

While the agreement, which secured financial contributions from the applicant, was completed in January, the decision notice was not issued.

During a meeting of the planning committee on Wednesday (March 27), members endorsed the earlier decision to approve.

They were told that, by the time the legal agreement was ready, the government had made changes to planning policy which were relevant to the application.

Namely a change to the way in which the council’s required supply of housing land was calculated.

When the application was first approved, a five-year supply was needed, which the council did not have.

Since then, it was decided that councils such as Chichester, which had an emerging Local Plan and had completed a Regulation 19 consultation, only had to demonstrate a four-year supply, which would be deliverable over five years.

This the council could do.

A report to the committee said the development was ‘acceptable’ and warned that refusing it at such a late stage ‘would result in an appeal’.

Access to the new homes will be via South Lane.

To view the application, log on to publicaccess.chichester.gov.uk and search for 22/00593/FUL.