Scale of new homes and businesses proposed in Littlehampton revealed

A planning application to develop about 85 hectares of land in north Littlehampton, with 1,240 homes, a school, shops and offices, and other facilities, has been submitted to Arun District Council,

The plans are the culmination of more than four years’ work by a consortium of architects, developers and designers, on behalf of landowners Greencore.

Tony Burton, managing director of Burton Property, said local residents had been involved in the proposals since the beginning, and he hoped they would be pleased with the result.

“Of course, we can’t satisfy everybody,” he said. “We can talk to people and try to address their concerns, but development is not always welcome.”

Gaining the trust of a community let down so many times by developers had been a hard task, he said, and not one that had been completed.

“People told us that they had been let down by developers, that things had been promised but not delivered.

“It is about trust, and that is very important to us. We want people to know they can come to us, and we will listen to what they have to say. We will be honest.”

Asked what guarantees he could offer that newly-built facilities, such as a proposed 100-bed hotel, shops, offices and restaurants, would not simply remain empty, he said: “There are no guarantees, of course.

“All I can say is that we would not be doing it if we didn’t think it would be commercially viable.”

The development, from the Rustington bypass in the east across to Mill Lane in the west, and from the railway line northwards to the Black Ditch, on land mainly occupied by glasshouses, would take about 10 years to complete.

Tony said, if the application was approved, existing businesses would start to relocate in 2012, and the facilities, including the Fitzalan Link road, would be built in stages dictated by “trigger points” in development to be set at a later date.

“I have spent a lot of time in Littlehampton over the last five years, and it has felt a little sad.

“One of the reasons for that is a lack of investment,” said Tony.

“This scheme would bring that inward investment – the residents of nearly 1,500 new homes spending their money here.”