400 homes and secondary school at Land to the South of Ford Lane, Arundel

“DESCRIPTION OF APPLICATIONThe application is in outline form with all matters reserved, except for access, for development of up to 400 No dwellings (30% affordable), a 8-10 form entry secondary school with associated sports pitches and facilities, a community hub building of up to 600 sqm, new pedestrian and cycle routes, Public Open Space, sustainable urban drainage system, landscaping and associated infrastructure.”

“RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT DENSITY 11dph based on the site area of 34.7ha, however, only including the areas for residential development (excluding public open space/country park and the area for the secondary school), the average net density is 31dph. TOPOGRAPHYPredominantly flat. TREESHigher value trees are mostly native oak on the site's west boundary (adjacent the Meadow Gardens estate - Tree Preservation Order TPO/Y/2/17).”

“Yapton Church Lane Conservation Area is located to the south west of the site and abuts part of the site boundary. Whilst there are no Listed Buildings within the application site, there are several within the wider area which are visible from the site. The historic line of the Chichester Arundel canal runs along part of the southern boundary of the site.”

“The secondary school site is located on a site previously determined as the 'Preferred Site' for location of a secondary school by Arun District Council (March 2019), although this preferred status was withdrawn in 2024 (Planning Policy Committee, January 2024). The location is still considered the most favourable by West Sussex County Council in educational provision terms, considering planned development across Arun District.”

“Yapton Parish Council - Object. The proposal should be split into two separate applications: one for housing and one for the secondary school; The site lies outside the Built-Up Area Boundary (BUAB); Involves loss of Grade 2 agricultural land; YNP2 policies already meet housing needs; Yapton Primary School is oversubscribed; promised expansion works have not started; Opposition further housing until school capacity is resolved; Ford Lane is narrow, unclassified, and lacks…”

“- Overdevelopment of the site. - Significant adverse environmental and ecological impact. - Severe traffic impact. - Inadequate road infrastructure. - Adverse cumulative impact with neighbouring developments. - Impact upon flooding and drainage with inadequate mitigation. - Pressure on local services. F/19/25/OUT”

“He advised that three issues had remained outstanding following the previous Committee consideration, namely the completion of the legal agreement relating to the transfer of land for the secondary school, highway matters, and drainage matters. He reported that the legal agreement and highway issues had since been resolved, with drainage remaining the sole outstanding matter.”

“Members were informed that officers had received a significant update relating to the drainage strategy on 20 August, including the identification of a new outfall location to the north of the site. He explained that this represented a material change to the drainage proposals and had the potential to significantly improve the management of surface water during extreme weather events.”

“The recommendation was proposed by Councillor Bower and seconded by Councillor Partridge.”

“That the application be DEFERRED for a period of one month to enable the drainage information to be fully reviewed.”