1,500-home new Bersted 'village' a step closer

Councillors agreed to proceed with the proposal to allocate farmland west of Bersted for around 1,500 homes and 30,000sq m of industrial premises.

The decision was taken by Arun District Council's local development framework sub-committee on Tuesday by six votes to three with one abstention after a debate of about 25 minutes.

It means the area, north of Chalcraft Lane and around the B2166 Lower Bognor Road, is the council's preferred location for major building work in the west of the district in the decade from 2016.

Another vote on the allocation of land will be taken by all the council's members on September 12. If this confirms the sub-committee's decision, six weeks of consultation will be held by the council from October.

The responses will be considered before a final decision about the location of the housing needed to meet government targets is taken. This will be subject to a review by an inspector appointed by the government.

The site of the intended development '“ which will also include shops, a school, a health centre, a community centre and a Chalcraft Lane relief road '“ is less than a mile from the site six location where work is about to start on 650 homes after a bitter fight by opponents.

Arun head of housing services Howard Cheadle told the sub-committee he was aware enabling more development to be placed in the Bersted area would be controversial.

'We are very well aware of the sensitivity of putting this forward. It has not been done lightly and only after a lot of consideration,' he said.

Cllr Sylvia Olliver said: 'More housing to this extent will saturate Bersted. If this happens, Bersted's identity will be totally lost.'

Sub-committee chairman Cllr Ricky Bower said he sympathised but the land around Bersted was the most suited for major development according to the council's criteria. He added that the housing would follow on from the expected 500m regeneration of Bognor Regis which was expected in the next few years.