Housebuilder buys up site six

Barrett Homes has become the developer for the biggest scheme in the parish for decades.

The company intends to build the massive housing estate, with some community facilities, under its David Wilson Homes brand name.

Barrett's subsidiary, KingsOak Homes, bought the site of about 20 hectares (some 49 acres) from the 13 landowners. The sum is not known but a land consultants' report last June for Arun District Council put the value of undeveloped land able to be built upon for residential use at up to 1.6m an acre to create a maximum windfall of about 78m.

But Barrett's recent purchase of fellow housebuilder Wilson Bowden has seen the KingsOak name replaced by David Wilson.

Senior representatives from the firm have held an initial meeting with district council officers to set the scene for work starting on the farmland location known as site six.

Further meetings will follow as the proposals progress through the planning system. David Wilson Homes needs to put in detailed planning applications before any building can begin.

It has yet to reveal its timetable but Berkeley Homes, which is developing the sister site six scheme in North Bersted, intends to submit its first application this summer.

The new homes are likely to be built at the rate of 100 a year from the second year onwards, after the access roads have been put in.

Both the Felpham and North Bersted estates have to be built in near unison because of the need to link the eastern and western sections of the Bognor Regis A259 northern relief road which forms and integral part of the overall development.

Felpham councillor John Holman has played a leading role in the negotiations which have taken place in the past few years once Arun District Council agreed to earmark the land for development.

These talks with the landowners' agents have established a framework which sets out which community facilities should be provided to ensure the estate's expected 1,600 residents do not overload existing services.

Cllr Holman, who is a member of Felpham and Arun councils, said: 'It has got to be appropriate that a firm with the right level of expertise and financing should take a lead in developing our part of site six.

'We will be looking to them to respect the terms of the agreements which have already been made with Arun and West Sussex councils as to what should be done on the development.

'We had a good working relationship with Hallam Land Management, who were the owners' land agents, and we have got to hope that we will have the same kind of relationship with David Wilson Homes.'

Richard McMann, Arun's chief regeneration officer for Bognor, said: 'We have had our first meeting with David Wilson and told them the things they need to do. We have to agree a timescale they need to meet.'

He explained that the face to face session enabled the council to emphasise that the developer would have to produce studies such as environmental impact assessments for the housing, sustainable drainage plans and landscaping arrangements.

They would need to produce to enable council officers to study and comment upon them before any planning permission could be given.

'We told David Wilson Homes there was no point in putting in the landscaping proposals on a Friday and expecting a decision from us on Monday,' stated Mr McMann.

He also emphasised to the company the need to be open to Felpham's residents to explain what is happening, when and why.

It is likely public meetings will be held and a public forum set up to bring residents and the company together regularly.

Issues which caused concern during the initial meetings and exhibitions about the housing proposals included the buffer zone between the new and existing homes and traffic routes to the new housing.

Mr McMann added that the district council was also keen to ensure apprenticeships and training positions for local people were made available by David Wilson Homes among its workforce building the housing.