Controversial plans for the building of four new houses in Chichester district rejected

The proposal would have seen four new houses be built on Blackboy Lane but was rejected by the council.

In the full statement of refusal, a spokesperson for Chichester District Council said: “The proposal by reason of its location, layout and the size, scale and detailed design of the

proposed dwellings would result in the unjustified further encroachment into the undeveloped countryside, and the irreplaceable loss of TPO woodland, which would be detrimental to the semirural character of the area.

"In addition, the proposal by reason of its layout and the size, scale and detailed design of the proposed dwellings would result in a cramped, overdeveloped site, which would introduce poorly detailed, tall and top-heavy dwellings, which in the case of plot one would result in an overbearing feature within the streetscene and would more generally be visually intrusive when viewed from the west and would fail to respect the scale of surrounding properties.

“The proposal would subsequently result in a form of development out of character with the area, failing to consider local distinctiveness and causing harm to the character of the area.”

The plans have proved to be controversial with local residents and, as of writing, have 25 written objections on Chichester District Council’s planning portal.

Martin Brown wrote: “I have been a resident of Fishbourne for around 30 years and have seen extensive development of housing in our village.

“The increased traffic flow, parking, speed and rat runs that have developed in the village has had a negative impact on village life already so we cannot support adding to the issues we already have.”

Mike Wilks also objected to the plans, saying: “The area is designated an area of low flood risk, however Blackboy Lane continues to be flooded during and after periods of heavy rain, indicating that the drainage which should head towards the existing watercourse, is not fully fit for purpose. The local watercourse need to be maintained to improve the situation. "Concreting over" more of the land will not improve matters, and may make things worse.”

To view the full application visit Chichester District Council’s planning portal using the reference: 22/02542/FUL