Plans for 94 homes for hamlet near Chichester deferred

The application for Charmans Field, in Marsh Lane, was discussed during a meeting of the planning committee on Wednesday (July 12) where the majority of members felt they needed more information before being able to come to a decision.

Questions about foul and surface water drainage, lighting, transport, the upkeep of Pagham Rife and the area’s education provision will be asked by officers before the application, from Landlink Estates Ltd, returns to the committee.

The council received 61 objections to the plans, along with concerns and objections from Oving Parish Council, North Mundham Parish Council and Pagham Parish Council.

Some of those concerns were shared by speakers to the meeting, with one also criticising the report prepared by officers.

David Maclean, of North Mundham Parish Council, called the report ‘misleading, obfuscatory and in some places just plain wrong’.

He wondered why an application to build 30 homes at nearby Streamside Farm had been refused in June partly because of its impact on the road network but this one, for three times as many homes, had been recommended for approval.

The plans, which included a new access from Lagness Road as well as public open space, and new foot-way and cycleway links, were effectively a resubmission of an earlier application for 113 homes, which was refused by officers under delegated powers in April 2022.

The major difference between that application and the latest was that, in 2022 the council had a five-year supply of housing land so had the power to refuse such applications.

Now it only has a 4.7-year supply so something called the ’tilted balance’ comes into play – essentially the need to build more homes outweighs many of the concerns about where they are being built.

Another concern raised by speakers and councillors was the loss of food-growing land, with the report to the committee saying the site had been in ‘long time arable use’.

Henry Potter (Con, Goodwood) said: “This land-grabbing surely has got to stop, especially when food production is threatened.”

On the issue of drainage, Mr Potter pointed out that the name Marsh Lane – which he described as a rat-run – should have been a give-away.