Car park extension is refused

An extension to a privately owned Chichester city centre car park has been turned down by councillors.

Southgate car park, just off Avenue de Chartres, currently has 54 spaces but the operator wants to extend it to provide an extra 12.

The site of the proposed extension is currently part of a field which contains shrubs and young trees.

Plans include a viewing area for the city wall with informal information boards.

However an application for the works was refused by Chichester District Council’s planning committee last Wednesday.

Councillors felt the proposals would have a negative impact on the city walls and Chichester’s conservation area. The land is owned by the cathedral and has been used as a dumping ground for waste vegetation and grass cuttings, according to the application.

The project would have seen the removal of the current railings, the clearance of waste vegetation and tree growth, and then laying of Tarmac for the new spaces.

The application said: “This removal of car park walls and dense waste vegetation will open long views to the city wall and residentiary bastion, not formerly available.”

But council officers disagreed, recommending the application be refused. The conservation officer suggested the scheme would lead to an ‘erosion’ of the setting of the Grade I listed city wall, the conservation area and the amenity of the present green space/city walls walk.