Yapton still ‘vulnerable’ to more housing developments

The organisers of Yapton’s neighbourhood plan have warned that the village remains vulnerable to potential unwanted housing development, while the neighbourhood plan and Arun’s local plan are still being finalised.

The group has been conducting a series of drop-in days for residents, outlining the draft neighbourhood plan. Deborah Robinson, co-chairman of the Yapton Neighbourhood Plan Group, said the drop-ins had been successful and public opinion had been taken on board. But more views were still welcome.

She said: “We feel Yapton is in a difficult position and extremely vulnerable to speculative further development until Arun District Council finalises its local plan. We are keenly aware that we need to move forward and complete the Yapton neighbourhood plan as soon as we can so the village’s voice is heard.

“The message has come through loud and clear to us from our community that we want to keep our village the special place that it is and we don’t want more large-scale development. Any development must be on a small scale and on brownfield sites, rather than on greenfield ones.”

Yapton’s plan is being compiled by residents, with the support of Yapton Parish Council, to establish a vision for the long-term sustainability of the village over the next ten-15 years. For information, or to comment on the plan, see www.ynp.org.uk or search ‘Yapton Neighbourhood Plan’ on Facebook.