Car park was set up without permission

A farmshop has been told to close part of its car park after it was built without planning permission.

Southbourne Farm Shop, in Main Road, added gravel to part of its land to create a car park without seeking planning permission.

The district council has now told them it cannot be used for the next month while it decided whether to take further action.

A spokesman for Chichester District Council said: “Our Planning Enforcement team is currently handling this matter and has served a Temporary Stop Notice on the site.

“This requires the use of the land as a car park to be discontinued for the next 28 days.

“During this time the enforcement team will decide whether to take further action.

“In addition, a Planning

Contravention Notice has been served on the farm shop owners.

“This requires them to supply further information about the development within the next 21 days.”

Lisa Leader is one of the directors at the Farmshop.

She told this newspaper it was an error and they are now going through the correct prodecures.

She said: “We thought ‘let’s extend it’ as it has been an overspill car park so we thought ‘let’s put some gravel down’.

“We are now right in the middle of the planning procedure and are going through with planning permission.

“We are filling the first forms out now.”

Southbourne Parish Councillor Chris Bulbeck owns the family-run farm shop but had not been part of the decision to extend the car park, his family has said.