Goring-by-Sea: Hundreds of new homes approved on appeal

Plans to build a 475-home development in West Sussex have been granted approval following an appeal.

Worthing Borough Council rejected the plans last March, but the planning inspector overturned its decision.

Developer Persimmon will now be able to build the homes and a roundabout junction on land near Goring-by-Sea railway station.

The council said it was "disappointed". Persimmon said the homes would make a "meaningful contribution" to the area.

Residents had raised concerns about the potential impact on traffic, the South Downs National Park, and the area's heritage and character, according to Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The planning inspector said missed housing targets and "no formal protections" in the area were good reasons to approve the plans.

Councillor Kevin Jenkins, leader of Worthing Borough Council, said: "We will now be reviewing our options and will do everything in our power to protect this important green space from development."

David Bettiss, chairman of the Ferring Conservation Group, said the decision was "a dark day for local democracy" and called for a review.

The planning inspector conceded there would be "increased congestion and travel time along parts of the highway network" but concluded the impact "would not be severe".

A spokesperson for Persimmon said: "We welcome the inspector's comments that our proposals will make a meaningful contribution to meeting Worthing Borough Council's exceptional unmet need for housing."

A planning condition means the developer must submit drawings showing how the homes will look and a construction management plan to limit disruption to local people and wildlife.

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