Row over plans for new Arundel Airbnb property

The town council has described the idea of attracting visitors to drive down River Road, Arundel, as dangerous.

Working with residents, Arundel Town Council has now launched a petition to oppose the scheme under the title ‘Who on earth thinks that it makes sense to build a 4-bedroom Airbnb in River Road, Arundel?’.Arundel mayor Tony Hunt said: “At present Arun District Council own garages in River Road which are in poor condition and need to be demolished. But instead of rebuilding the garages or preferably replacing them with badly needed resident parking spaces which we have advocated, Arun District Council are determined to build a four-bedroom Airbnb on the site.“This battle is not of our making, we always try to work well with Arun District Council in the interest of our residents but this proposal is simply senseless.”

"Arun District Council need to put a fresh pair of eyes on the use of this site and the petition will be instrumental in making that happen. Parking is one of the biggest issues that we face in the Arundel conservation area. The right use for the site is for off-street, resident-only parking together with EV charging.”

An Arun District Council spokesman said: “Having conducted a survey on the use of the garages, we can confirm that only three of the nine units are being used to store vehicles. The remainder are used for storage or are vacant. We have had no enquires about availability of garages in this location, from the public, for some years. The proposal for an Airbnb site is based on a business need, making best use of the site to bring visitors to the town and provide an income stream for the council and the district. Once the development is complete this also adds to the assets of the council to help future proof-financial return.”