School and drainage concerns stall bid for 70 Yapton homes

Arun District Council’s development control committee also saw concerns voiced about the impact the application by Granite Gate Ltd for Stakers Farm, North End Road, could have on the neighbouring primary school expanding.

Vicky Newman of Yapton Parish Council spoke at the meeting last night and highlighted that while 0.15 hectare had been indicated as a land gift to help the school grow, reports indicate this is less than half what is needed (0.37 to 0.7) due to the number of new homes in the vicinity.

“If this application is not deferred the future sustainability of Yapton will be put at risk,” she warned.

Vicky added that one, larger, school was the only way forward and that building two could ‘drive a wedge between two emerging communities’

She said: “This is the only opportunity that Yapton has to gain a school that has the capacity needed. The horse has not bolted yet, you can keep the bolt on the door and consider Yapton as a whole tapestry rather than piecemeal.”

Head of planning Neil Crowther was keen to stress that the application ‘more than washes its own face’ and that the expansion was a matter for the county council and the nearby strategic site developers to work out.

“I don’t think we can delay for the county council to carry out work it should have done a long time ago,” he said.

Despite Neil’s view there was ‘no way in the world’ three months would be enough time to resolve the issue, as county was approached about the issue 18 months ago, councillors unanimously voted for the deferral.

Councillors Paul Wells and Barbara Oakley were among those calling for Southern Water’s concerns to be listened to, fearing the application represented a ‘tipping point’.

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