Homes and workspaces of the future will be delivered without damaging the individual identity of towns and villages in Adur - that’s the message from the government inspector after he approved the Adur Local Plan.
Adur District Council leaders believe the document, which will guide development in the district until 2032, gives the area a strong base to provide homes and jobs while protecting the unique environment of the area.
Despite the Plan not meeting housing demand in the area, inspector David Hogger this week informed officials he was happy with the blueprint - adding “the council’s approach is justified and in all other respects sound” due to “significant constraints of building” in an area buffered by the sea and the South Down.
Key headlines in the document include:
- Delivering a minimum of 3,718 properties up until 2032 - more than half the housing demand of 6,825;
- Delivering a minimum of 41,000 square metres of commercial space across three main sites - Shoreham Airport, Shoreham Harbour and New Monks Farm;
- All developments of ten or more homes required to provide 30% affordable housing;
- preserving a “green gap” to ensure individual settlements like Shoreham, Southwick and Lancing retain their individual identities;
Adur District Council began work on the document more than five years ago after changes to the national planning system.
After extensive consultation with hundreds of residents, businesses and other stakeholders, the final document was sent to the national planning inspector earlier this year.
The Plan, which will be used as a base for judging planning applications, will now need to be officially adopted at a meeting of full council in December.
Councillor Brian Boggis, Adur District Council’s Executive Member for Regeneration, said: “This has been a long time in the making so I’m pleased that we have received the backing of the national inspector.
“Adur is a unique and very special place made up of a number of very distinct communities. This Plan will protect that and make sure that we preserve those identities. But it also gives us a strong base in which to move forward in providing the homes and workplaces of tomorrow while protecting our environment for generations to come.”