Plans to replace Sompting garages with social housing approved

ADC’s planning committee gave unanimous approval to the council’s application.

Councillor Paul Mansfield (Con, Cokeham) declared a personal interest because he lives nearby and rents a garage from the council.

However, Mr Mansfield still voted because he indicated that he does not stand to benefit financially from the scheme’s approval.

More than 40 of the existing 49 garages would be demolished and replaced with four, two-storey two-bed houses and two bungalows on the site located off Sylvan Road and Avon Close.

The new homes would be arranged in two blocks of three and would be located to the north west boundary of Adur’s built up area.

A main constraint of the site is its proximity to existing houses; it is surrounded on all sides by residential properties and gardens.

Stephen Chipp (Con, Southwick Green) sought to find out if the new homes would be offered to those on the council’s housing register – something council officers later confirmed.

“This hopefully is the least contentious of any of the applications – and indeed any of the garage sites – that we’ve had come to us,” Mr Chipp said.

“It retains elements of parking and it gets people off our social health register; I am fully in favour of this.”

The meeting heard that, following communication between Southern Water and the council, the water company now has no objections to the plans.

Designs have been drawn up to avoid overlooking issues so that windows do not affect the privacy of future or existing occupants.

Access to the development would be via existing roads on Sylvan Road and Avon Close and a total of 22 parking spaces will be provided.

Carol O’Neal (Lab, Eastbrook) sought to understand where the parking would be located on such a constrained site.

But officers said that ‘unlike with other garage sites’, space was available on a parcel of land that was deemed ‘too slim’ to build extra houses.

This follows a reduction in the number of houses in the scheme from eight to six, after a feasibility study and public consultation.

Ms O’Neal said she was pleased to see the introduction of heat pumps to provide heating and hot water.

She also welcomed the 22 metre distance between the development and the nearest housing – the minimum required to avoid overlooking under Adur planning policy.

More information can be found at the Adur planning portal using reference: AWDM/1063/21.

After the meeting, Carson Albury, Adur’s Executive Member for Customer Services, said: “It is vital that we build new homes in Adur to meet the demand for housing in the area and to provide good quality, affordable homes for our residents.

“Building new homes on these brownfield sites is the best use of council land and resources when there isn’t a lot of suitable land available for housing development.

“In the long run it will save us money and it means being able to house people in their home town near to their families or support network.”

Last month councillors approved plans to build new homes on sites containing garages in St Giles Close and Wilmot Road in Shoreham, and Gardner Road in Southwick.

Another small site in Leconfield Road, Lancing, will also be redeveloped.