Sir,

Arun should examine Planning Inspector’s report closely

Residents of Arun District and their elected representatives should examine closely Planning Inspector Dakeyne’s ‘Report to Arun District Council’: Report on the Examination of the Arun Local Plan’, 4 July 2018, in which he concludes that the Arun Local Plan, which is required to deliver a minimum of 20,000 new houses to 2031,“provides an appropriate basis for the planning of the District to 2031”, subject to modifications.

Inspector Dakeyne acknowledges that 20,000 new houses “represents a significant level of growth”, which he opines is no cause for concern because the Sustainability Appraisal (SA), together with “other parts of the evidence base”, “indicate that the level of growth can be accommodated without significant negative effects”.

However, elsewhere in his report he advises that “The SA records that significant negative effects will occur as a result of the allocation policies” and that “This scale of development will have a range of adverse impacts, including urbanising of the countryside, loss of the best and most versatile agricultural land and placing strains on existing infrastructure, including the highway network”..

Notwithstanding these ‘significant negative impacts’, Mr Dakeyne has rejected Arun District Council’s policy requirement for development to enhance the natural environment because in his opinion it would be “too onerous” for developers. .

He also considers that ‘significant negative impacts’ on the Pagham Harbour Special Protection Area and the precious biodiversity within, can be avoided by policy and ‘mitigation in the form of wardens, information, interpretation and monitoring’, which in reality will afford little or no protection.

Mr Dakeyne advises that “Congestion will continue to occur on the road network and at some junctions it may increase”, but that “the cumulative impacts will not be severe”. In other words, roads will be much more congested than they are now.

As for providing essential infrastructure, Mr Dakeyne considers that “necessary infrastructure, including that related to transport, is likely to be delivered alongside development. Note ‘likely to be delivered’, not ‘will be delivered’.

To conclude, it would appear that the Government’s ‘A Green Future: Our 25 Year Plan to Improve the Environment’, with its stated ‘”ambition to leave our environment in a better state than we found it’ is not applicable to Arun District.

Yours faithfully,

Dr R F Smith
Trustee CPRE Sussex