READERS’ CHARTER
old town have been built upon; most industrial sites too; leaving nowhere for the town to grow. Withourbrokenhousingmarket; many houses in the town are second homes or Airbnbs/ holidaylets.Thisleavesnowhere forpeoplewithastakeinthetown to live; most especially those on the lowest incomes; or whose needs cannot be met by the market.
My lovely first-floor views look straight over the site proposed for the new houses; but it is the 27 of these which will be affordable homes for the townwhichmakemesupportthe proposal wholeheartedly.
Our planning system is even more broken that the housing market. This site was first proposed for nearly 300 houses; which would have easily got planning permission had the town not so vociferously backed our new neighbourhood plan to limit the development onto a smallpartofthesite;andcommit to 30 per cent affordable homes including many at social rent; ensuring a home in town for those most excluded.
It is a developers’ world sadly, yet we have maximised gain for the town; that smaller sites includingbrownfieldsiteswould never have achieved. There have only been a handful of houses built in Arundel in the 20 years I have lived here.
This application is not about the wanton destruction of Arundel’s setting. It is about natural growth and securing a homeformanyfamilieswhohave only ever dreamed of it.
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