Planning Policy

For planning related enquiries contact :

• Jane Fuller (Principal Planning Officer) on 01273 263177
  or by email on Jane.Fuller@adur-worthing.gov.uk

Regional planning

At the regional level, the regeneration aspirations for the Harbour were identified in the South East Plan. It was also recognised through the designation of the area as a New Growth Point in the Government’s ‘Growth Points’ programme. The project partners were also successful in a bid for Shoreham Harbour to be considered for funding under the Government's Eco-towns (Second Wave) programme. Technical studies are currently underway which will further explore the potential for exemplar eco-development.

The South East Plan recognised Shoreham Harbour as a unique regeneration opportunity within the Sussex Coast sub-region having the potential to make a significant contribution to economic growth, regeneration and housing ambitions of a wider area. It also put a statutory requirement on the planning authorities to test the capacity of Shoreham Harbour to accommodate levels of development of up to 10,000 dwellings as well as accompanying employment provision.

The South East Plan however, was revoked in July 2010 by the new Coalition Government and replaced with the Localsim and Decentralisation Bill (December 2010). As a result, there is now no statutory requirement for local planning authorities to test the potential for this level of growth at the Harbour.

Local planning

Despite the revocation of the South East Plan, the Shoreham Harbour Regeneration Partners are fully committed to ensuring the regeneration of the area through both the Growth Point and Eco-town programmes. The change of direction also creates a new opportunity for the project to reconsider the appropriate scale of development informed by consultation with local residents and businesses. The local desire for improvement to the quality of environment at Shoreham Harbour predates the Growth Point programme and the South East Plan. Leaders of the three Councils are driving the project forward to ensure that plans reflect local needs.

Adur District Council, Brighton & Hove City Council and West Sussex County Council are working on the production of a Shoreham Harbour Joint Area Action Plan, a key planning document in both the Adur Local Development Framework and the Brighton & Hove Local Development Framework.

A Joint Area Action Plan (JAAP) is a planning document which provides the framework and guidelines for developers to work within a fixed area. It is a joint policy document adopted by the three relevant local authorities (Adur District Council, Brighton & Hove City Council, West Sussex County Council) to ensure that there is a holistic and consistent approach across the area. It will offer a clear view, agreed by the three local authorities, on the area of land which could be considered for regeneration, as well as what kind of development will be acceptable in the area. The Core Strategies for both Adur District Council and Brighton & Hove City Council are being progressed in advance of the JAAP to set the strategic framework and the JAAP will then follow on to add the detail. The Core Strategies will set out the strategic direction whilst the JAAP will be concerned with delivery.

The Joint Area Action Plan will set out policies to guide development in the Harbour area over the next 15-20 years. In order to be formally adopted the JAAP must be found ‘sound’ by a planning inspector following a Public Examination. The JAAP must therefore be based on good evidence, and show that a wide-ranging, programme of consultation and engagement events has been carried out. A number of background studies will inform the JAAP covering issues such as flooding, transport, environmental concerns, open space, community infrastructure, renewable energy, retail, and the economy. The results of these studies will also be used to inform the final versions of both the Adur Core Strategy and the Brighton & Hove Core Strategy.

The harbour area is also an important site for importing minerals such as sand and gravel into both East and West Sussex and joint work is currently underway on the preparation of both the West Sussex Waste and Minerals Development Framework and the East Sussex and Brighton & Hove Waste and Minerals Development Framework. These planning documents will be concerned with the role of the harbour in the management of waste and minerals.

The Joint Area Action Plan, as well as the Core Strategies, will be subject to a Sustainability Appraisal (SA) which will test several options for development to ensure the delivered scheme has the best social, economic and environmental outcome. The SA will be made available at the same time as the JAAP for public consultation.

While the Core Strategies and JAAP are being prepared, the three local authorities have jointly prepared and adopted Interim Planning Guidance (IPG). The IPG is being used to inform development control decisions to take a more holistic view of development in the area.

For Adur, the IPG supplements policies in the Adopted Local Plan and for Brighton & Hove the IPG supplements the policies in the Brighton & Hove Local Plan primarily EM12. The IPG also demonstrates the long standing commitment of the local authorities to work together to deliver regeneration at Shoreham Harbour. The IPG has recently been updated and is being consulted on by local stakeholders and community groups. Click here for consultation process details.