Plans For 20 Barnham Homes Refused Over Railway Crossing

Plans to allow up to 20 new homes at a development in Barnham to be occupied before a new railway crossing is secured have been refused.

The proposal relates to a 200-home development at Tars Farm, south of Barnham Station.

A planning condition currently states that none of the homes can be occupied until a railway crossing order has been made and confirmed.

That order would allow the existing public footpath to be legally diverted or removed, with a new footbridge providing a safe route over the railway.

The latest application sought to allow up to 20 homes to be occupied before the crossing order was confirmed.

It's similar to an application made in May, which proposed allowing 10 homes to be occupied.

However, Arun District Council planning officers said there was still not enough evidence that the footbridge could be delivered within the required timeframe.

The application suggested construction could take between eight and 10 weeks.

Officers also said there was no evidence that the developer had secured the necessary licence from the Church Commissioners, who own the adjoining land, for the bridge works to go ahead.

The council said it had twice asked for evidence of the licence.

The original 200-home development was refused by the council but later approved on appeal.

The planning inspector gave significant weight to the proposed railway crossing, saying the footbridge would provide a safe walking route for residents.

Council officers said allowing homes to be occupied before the route was secured would undermine the purpose of the existing planning condition.

Barnham and Eastergate Parish Council also objected to the latest application in July, saying the original condition should remain on safety grounds.

The application was refused on 18 September because of uncertainty over the timeframe for delivering the bridge, the lack of the required licence and concerns about the safety and wellbeing of future residents.