Lancing residents consulted over plans for seafront apartment block

Lancing residents are being consulted on plans for a block of seafront flats that were rejected last year.
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Proposals for nine flats in Brighton Road north of The Haven housing block were refused by Adur District Council’s planning committee in March.

Developer Rock Associates Ltd was told the scheme ‘intruded into the open character’ of Brighton Road, took up open space and its car park was too close to the ground floor windows of The Haven residents.

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Rock Associates appealed the decision in July and last week ramped up its efforts by sending out consultation leaflets to residents in Lancing, Sompting, Worthing and Shoreham.

The Haven in Brighton Road, Lancing. Pic: Google Streetview SUS-190307-072651001The Haven in Brighton Road, Lancing. Pic: Google Streetview SUS-190307-072651001
The Haven in Brighton Road, Lancing. Pic: Google Streetview SUS-190307-072651001

The company has argued the proposals will ‘enliven the Brighton Road frontage’ and mask the ‘uninspiring’ Haven block.

It also countered the planning committee’s concerns about the car park being too near the existing block, claiming it will actually have a positive effect by reducing car movements on the access road.

The new homes were also essential for the council to meet its five-year housing target, the appeal added, contributing to a ‘strong and competitive economy’.

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The land had initially been designated for a widening of Brighton Road but, with that falling by the wayside, the developer said a housing block represented a better use of the plot.

An artist's impression of the block of flats planned for Brighton Road in Lancing. Pic: Dean Dugdale Ltd SUS-200128-155157001An artist's impression of the block of flats planned for Brighton Road in Lancing. Pic: Dean Dugdale Ltd SUS-200128-155157001
An artist's impression of the block of flats planned for Brighton Road in Lancing. Pic: Dean Dugdale Ltd SUS-200128-155157001

“There is nothing on the disbenefits side of the overall planning balance that comes close to significantly and demonstrably outweighing the benefits,” it said.

The proposed nine flats would be split over two blocks – eight in a two-storey building and one in a separate apartment south of the main block.

The two and three-bedroom homes would sit on a patch of grass east of the current access road to The Haven.

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Twelve car parking spaces are planned for the west of the access road, as well as storage for ten bicycles and a bin area behind the building.

An area of ‘amenity space’ would also be provided south of the main block and an acoustic fence along the southern side of the car park to mitigate disturbance to The Haven.

The appeal is the latest twist in a saga going back to July, 2019, when plans were originally submitted – only to be withdrawn three months later.

Lancing Parish Council had opposed the plans on the grounds of over-development and being out of sync with the local area.

They were resubmitted in January, 2020, and approval was refused at a planning committee meeting in March.