Delay to Chichester local plan ‘could mean open season for developers’

Chichester District Council adopted its planning framework back in 2015 but a Government-appointed inspector mandated a review within five years.

Facing a July 2020 deadline, the last timetable it published suggested adoption in March 2021.

Now CDC has confirmed a new timetable is being drawn up as Government advisors have told them the best course of action is to ensure all evidence is in place to show the strategy is sound even if this means taking more time.

Leader of the council, Eileen Lintill said: “It is imperative that we get this right because we are facing some very complex issues.”

These include a need for a nutrient neutral policy for the Chichester Harbour catchment area and clarification around improvements to the A27.

She added: “By taking more time now and making sure that we work with our residents, businesses and partners to identify the best options, we should be able to access a quicker examination process and more importantly, deliver the right approach for the Chichester local plan area. This will provide communities with the certainty that they need moving forward.”

Cllr Lintill said they were carrying out further investigative work and lobbying of the Government behind the scenes.

The council would consult the public again before a draft plan is submitted.

Kevin Hughes, a Labour city and district councillor, said: “New councillors like myself came into this process last year and were immediately pressured to accept the plan as it was, despite all of the questions about building on unsuitable sites. The reason given was that not meeting the timetable would result in a free-for-all for property development. Now, we are suddenly asked to accept this extension and exactly those consequences.

One has to ask, what is the point of having a Tory MP and Tory council leader if they have no influence with a Tory government? Both of them made a trip to London last year to put the case for a special extension to the minister responsible. Obviously to no avail.”

Jane Towers, a parish councillor and Labour’s spokesperson for the Harbour Villages, said they had been repeatedly told the local plan was on track, but ‘it now transpires it is not and after July 15 there will be a hiatus when there will be no protection from open season by developers’.

She described how parishes rewriting their neighbourhood plans still have no idea of the number of houses they are expected to plan for. She added: “The situation is an utter shambles.”

Adrian Moss, Lib Dem group leader at CDC, said it was ‘paramount’ they get the local plan right and that would mean ensuring the challenges of the A27, environmental concerns and the need to improve water quality in Chichester Harbour are all addressed.

He added: “We are obviously concerned about the slip in the timeline and what this might mean for our residents and district.

“Since this announcement our local councillors have been meeting with their parishes and residents’ associations to reassure them of our commitment. Getting the local plan right for our district and delivering enough affordable houses for local people is paramount but these must be delivered in an appropriate setting.”

Green city and district councillor Sarah Sharp expressed concern that communities were continuing to live under a high level of uncertainty, adding: “Yes we are facing complex issues but to be honest it seems to me as if we are little further forward in resolving many of them. On the positive side, the delay has given me the opportunity to push for more for the environment. It’s still up in the air where all the houses are going to go, as well as water quality and A27 issues.”

She is holding out for enhanced sustainable transport measures as ‘putting all our eggs in the A27 basket can’t be sensible’. In particular cllr Sharp wants to see feasibility studies of cycle and walking infrastructure along the A259, exploration of dedicated bus lanes, a plan that responds to the recently-declared climate emergency, as well as policies that make sure building is happening in the right places to the right standards.

She added: “The danger is, however, that developers will just use this delay to their advantage.”