Housing slowdown puts North Bersted development on hold

The national housing slowdown has claimed the parish's site six development as one of its victims.

Berkeley Homes Southern is set to build more than 40 of the 650 homes which are destined for the farmland between Chichester Road and North Bersted Street.

It received planning permission from councillors for 181 of the homes, subject to satisfactory talks about detailed issues. This follows approval in April for an initial hundred dwellings.

In February the plan for the initial 100 houses on the site was backed. But the firm's design and planning manager, Pete Bland, told the Observer at the meeting no building work would start for at least six months.

"We are constantly reviewing the scheme," he said. "We are looking at the new year but it depends on the financial climate.

"Berkeley is in a very positive position in terms of its finances but it's all down to selling the properties and the market is slowing up.

"If the market had been bouyant, we would have started building the first phase of site six by now.

"When we do start is all down to market conditions. It's impossible to give a date at this present stage."

Ground works and site clearance is taking place on the development location.

But the delays in building the houses and flats also mean that the completion of the long-awaited Bognor Regis northern relief road is likely to move further into the distance.

It is unknown when this could be open to join the western and eastern stretches of the A259 via Rowan Way.

The building of the road is legally tied into the completion of the 101st home for open sale across the North Bersted and Felpham sections of site six.

The entire road has to be finished two years after that property has been completed.

Mr Bland stressed that Berkeley would be adhering to that condition.

But the uncertainty about even the start of the work has created greater uncertainty about the road's arrival, which is seen as a key part of the regeneration of Bognor by updating the road network around the town.

Approval for Berkeley's latest proposals was given by Arun District Council's development control committee.

Fellow housebuilder Persimmon Homes is working towards gaining planning permission for the other 261 homes in North Bersted.

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