Council may need to use powers

Chichester District Council may have to use its Compulsory Purchase powers for a second time to help progress a major development site in Tangmere.

A Compulsory Purchase Order was made in November 2020 to acquire land from various owners to allow between 1,000 and 1,300 homes to be built in what was identified as a strategic development location (SDL). But National Highways has informed the council that a small section of land at the Temple Bar Interchange, where the A285 meets the A27, was incorrectly listed as adopted highway so was missed off of the original Compulsory Purchase Order.

The matter will be discussed during a meeting of the cabinet on Monday, March 20, before going to a meeting of the full council the following day. A report to the cabinet said officers believed there was a ‘compelling case in the public interest that justifies the proposed compulsory acquisition of the Order land’. It added that there were ‘significant financial implications arising from making the Order’, though development partner Countryside has agreed to underwrite to a maximum of £700,000 the professional and other legal and administrative costs associated with pursuing both Compulsory Purchase Orders. Should the council decide not to progress the second Order, it will have to meet ‘the reasonable and proper planning, valuation and legal costs incurred by Countryside to date’. Should the council decide to go ahead with the Order, an inquiry is expected to start in January 2024, with the Secretary of State’s decision due in the April. Site preparation works will be phased, with initial works anticipated to start in early 2025.