Six figures needed to help fight against six planning appeals in the Chichester area

A recommendation to release £276,650 was made during a meeting of the cabinet on Tuesday (June 6) and is expected to be approved at the next meeting of the full council.

Bill Brisbane, cabinet member for planning, said: “Speculative planning applications have increased significantly since the council has been unable to demonstrate a five-year housing land supply and also has an out of date Local Plan.

“As several of these applications have not satisfied officers or the planning committee that they comply with current planning policy in the current Local Plan, they have been refused or deferred.

“This has led to an increase in planning appeals to be heard at public inquiries.”

Five of the appeals centre around plans for 103 homes in Main Road, Nutbourne; 150 at Whitestone Farm, Birdham; 300 at Highgrove Farm, Bosham; 30 at Broad Road, Hambrook; and 73 at the Kellys and Bellfield Nurseries, Birdham.

The sixth is a conjoined public inquiry for two major housing schemes in Chidham – north of Main Road and east of Broad Road – totalling up to 200 homes.

Mr Brisbane said: “These are complex and expensive inquiries requiring King’s Counsel and specialist planning consultants covering issues such as housing land supply, environmental and landscaping issues.”

Jonathan Brown, cabinet member for environmental strategy, said it was important that the council tried its best to ‘defend the integrity of the plan-making process’.

He added: “Despite any concerns any of us or members of the public have about the planning system, we ought to do everything we can to try to ensure that we have a functioning planning system and that decisions are defended.”

The cabinet also recommended to full council that £21,000 be taken from reserves to pay for the cost of temporary agency staff while efforts were made to fill ongoing staff vacancies.

Officers explained in their report: “Where major applications have been refused planning permission it is often necessary for the council to defend its case at appeal through costly and time-consuming public inquiries and/or complex hearings.”