Another Angmering greenfield targeted by housing developers

Developer Persimmon and housebuilder Charles Church are set to put forward plans to build 130 homes in Angmering.

The land – known locally as Ham Manor – lies to the north of the A259 and Angmering Railway Station.

A planning application has not been formally submitted yet and the developer is currently carrying out an online consultation.

The land is part of a ‘green gap’ identified in Arun District Council’s local plan which means it is valued as a separation between settlements and is ‘crucial for protecting the areas of undeveloped coastline’. Development isn’t ruled out in these gaps but should be ‘appropriate, small scale, and in keeping with the rural nature’.

Ed Miller, from the Protect our Gaps Alliance, called Persimmon’s proposal ‘outrageous’ and said the group would ‘fight it all the way’.

The developer recently lost a High Court battle with Worthing Borough Council to build on part of the Goring Gap. This was despite an earlier decision by the Planning Inspectorate to allow the development to go ahead after the council refused it.

Draft proposals for the Ham Manor land include 130 homes, some of which would be ‘zero carbon’, according to the developer. New pedestrian links, public open space, landscaping and biodiversity enhancements have also been suggested and Persimmon says 40 per cent of the homes would be affordable.

The developer says it would ‘maintain the integrity of the local gap’. “One of the key considerations is the maintenance of the local gap meaning that housing will be confined to the northern end of the site,” said the developer. “A significant landscape buffer to the south will be enhanced by additional tree planting and provide opportunities for public open space and children’s play areas.

“That means the integrity of the local gap will be maintained, and the appearance from public vantage points will remain largely unchanged.”

The refusal of a 76-home development in the green gap between Ferring and East Preston/Angmering was overruled by a planning inspector in late July. Meanwhile an inspector’s decision is awaited on an appeal for 170 homes on Rustington Golf Centre's pitch and putt course.