An appeal has been launched against an enforcement notice filed by Chichester District Council.
The notice was filed after a caravan/mobile home site was set up without planning permission at Melita Nursery, in Chalk Lane, Sidlesham, changing the use of the land.
But the appellant – Mr Goddard – believes planning permission should be granted and the caravans should be allowed to stay as there is a shortage of gypsy/traveller accommodation in the area.
The Planning Inspectorate will announce a date for a hearing shortly.
The enforcement notice requires the caravans and all hard-standings be removed from the land, which must then be reseeded with grass.
A statement from the council said the site was outside the designated settlement boundary where development is ‘strictly controlled’ and should be of a high standard that ‘does not detract from the intrinsic
character or appearance of the surrounding environment’.
It added that the use of the land as a caravan/mobile home site had resulted in ‘a cramped and unsightly form of urban development that is at odds with the countryside setting’.
The statement said: “The caravans/mobile homes have been brought onto the land to provide open market rented accommodation.
“As such the development is tantamount to the creation of new dwelling-houses in the countryside for which there is no rural justification or need.
“Without justification, the development results in harm to the rural character and local environment by reason of its scale, form, and design.”
The enforcement notice is being appealed on a number of grounds, including the belief that the steps required to comply with the notice were ‘excessive’ and that the time given to comply was too short.
A statement from WS Planning & Architecture, on behalf of Mr Goddard, said: “It will be demonstrated that there is an unmet need in the district and the wider area, and this represents a material consideration weighing in favour of the development, noting that the local planning authority are unable to demonstrate a five-year supply of pitches, so these additional pitches will contribute towards the council’s unmet need.”
