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Officers recommend refusal — but on drainage alone

The officer's report for the 22 July Planning Committee has now been published, and the recommendation for LU/72/25/OUT is refusal — of both the foodstore/drive-through element and the outline industrial element (agenda, item 6).

The reason given is drainage. The report concludes the application "fails to demonstrate a viable and policy-compliant surface water drainage strategy": groundwater monitoring is incomplete, the proposed infiltration approach is unproven, and the fallback of discharging to a watercourse is unsupported by hydraulic calculations or any legal agreement to an outfall.

But drainage is the only reason for refusal. On retail, the report accepts there would be adverse impacts on Littlehampton town centre and on Rustington and Wick local centres — and concedes that before mitigation a significant adverse impact "could not be ruled out" — yet concludes a mitigation package tips the scheme over the line, affording the harm only "moderate weight".

That matters, because a drainage objection is a technical one, and technical objections can be fixed. If the applicant resolves drainage — before the meeting, at appeal, or through resubmission — nothing in this recommendation would stand between the scheme and approval. The retail harm, the 24-hour operation beside residential streets and the traffic on the A259 corridor would all remain, with no refusal reason attached to any of them.

Anyone who commented on the application should have received a notification email from the Council with instructions for registering to speak at the meeting — registration must follow those instructions, and slots are limited. The meeting is open to the public in the Council Chamber at Arun Civic Centre, Maltravers Road, at 2.00pm on Wednesday 22 July.

Norway Lane recommended for refusal on retail harm — so why not Courtwick Lane?

The same 22 July agenda contains the parallel retail proposal at the former Body Shop site — LU/93/25/PL, Units 5–7 Watersmead Business Park, Norway Lane (item 7). Officers recommend refusal, on retail grounds: a "significant adverse impact on the vitality, viability and investment of Littlehampton Town Centre and Rustington Local Centre", with the proposed mitigation — financial contributions and retailer controls — judged inadequate to bring the harm below the threshold at which national policy says permission should be refused.

Set the two reports side by side and a puzzle emerges. For Norway Lane, mitigation cannot save the scheme. For New Courtwick Lane — where the Council's own adviser also could not rule out a significant adverse impact before mitigation — a mitigation package is accepted, and retail harm is dropped from the refusal reasons entirely.

Stranger still, the Courtwick Lane report itself concludes that if both schemes proceed, the cumulative impact — a forecast loss of 20–23% of Littlehampton town centre's turnover — "would be significantly adverse" and unacceptable. Its drainage-only refusal recommendation rests on the assumption that Norway Lane never happens. Yet Norway Lane remains live: a refusal on 22 July can be appealed, or the scheme resubmitted.

Both applications will be decided by the same eleven committee members, on the same afternoon, on the same evidence base. Residents may wish to ask why retail harm justifies refusing one scheme but not the other — and whether a refusal of New Courtwick Lane on drainage alone leaves Littlehampton and Wick unprotected if drainage is later resolved.

Decision expected 22 July: application heading to Planning Committee

After fourteen months — and a decision originally due in September 2025 — LU/72/25/OUT looks set to be decided this month. Arun District Council's Planning Committee meets at 2.00pm on Wednesday 22 July 2026 (the date is on the Council's public meetings calendar), and we expect the New Courtwick Lane application to be on the agenda.

What to watch for:

• The agenda and officer's report are published on the Council's website around a week before the meeting. The report will contain the case officer's final recommendation — approve or refuse — and must summarise all objections on file, including yours. We'll post a summary here as soon as it appears.
• Drainage remains a live problem for the applicant. The public application file shows objections from the Council's drainage engineer and the flood authorities, with the applicant's latest response — an updated flood risk and drainage strategy — only submitted in late June. As of today, nothing on the file shows those objections have been resolved.
• The Council's own retail evidence stands. As we reported on 23 June, Arun's own retail adviser has confirmed the scheme would harm Wick local centre and that a significant adverse impact on Littlehampton town centre cannot be ruled out — rising to a forecast −20% to −23% cumulatively with the Norway Lane proposal.

What you can do:

• Attend the meeting — committee meetings are open to the public (Arun Civic Centre, Maltravers Road, Littlehampton) and are usually webcast.
• Register to speak — Arun allows public speaking at Planning Committee, but you must register in advance. Check the Council's public-speaking guidance as soon as the agenda is published; slots are limited.
• Read the officer's report when it appears and check your objection has been recorded.

Littlehampton Town Council's formal objection is on file and entitles them to address the committee, and ward councillors also have the right to speak. The decision, though, rests with the eleven members of the Planning Committee on the day. We'll confirm the agenda the moment it's published.

Council's own retail evidence: New Courtwick Lane would harm Wick and Littlehampton

Arun District Council has published a further piece of its own retail evidence — a supplementary advice note by Nexus Planning dated 4 June 2026 — and it strengthens the case against application LU/72/25/OUT.

The Council's adviser finds an adverse impact on Wick local centre, and concludes that a significant adverse impact on Littlehampton town centre "cannot be ruled out." Assessed together with the separate Norway Lane proposal, the forecast cumulative impact on Littlehampton town centre rises to between −20% and −23%. The mitigation suggested by the Council is described by its own adviser as only partial — built around a part-time town centre manager post that does not yet exist.

This matters most for Wick. In September 2025, Wick and Toddington was awarded £20 million of Government "Pride in Place" funding over ten years — money the Council says will strengthen the area, including support for local shops and businesses. A development that the Council's own adviser says would damage Wick's local centre pulls directly against that investment, and falls hardest on residents least able to travel elsewhere for everyday shopping.

The application is expected to go before Arun's Planning Committee in the coming months. If you share these concerns, see our How to Object page, and watch this site for the committee date.

Application faces significant headwinds ahead of April committee

As the application moves toward Planning Committee, expected in April 2026, a number of significant concerns remain unresolved.

Arun District Council's own drainage engineers are maintaining their objection, with internal correspondence indicating the application was recommended for refusal on drainage grounds as recently as late February. The applicant's agents are understood to be seeking an urgent technical meeting to resolve the dispute before the hearing.

Local councillors are understood to be minded to speak against the application at committee. Littlehampton Town Council, as a statutory consultee, has filed a formal objection covering residential amenity, the impact on Wick shopping area, highway safety at the A259 junction, and rat-running on Courtwick Lane — and will be entitled to address the committee directly when the application is heard.

Residents wishing to attend and make their views known will have the opportunity to do so when the date is confirmed.

Formal representations submitted to planning officers and councillors

Following publication of ADC's supplementary retail advice in February 2026, formal written representations have been submitted to Arun District Council's planning team, ward councillors and members of the Planning Committee.

The representations focused on two key concerns:

• Operating hours and residential amenity — the application proposes 24-hour operation of the foodstore and drive-through units, in close proximity to residential streets including Goldcrest Avenue, Finches Close, Linnet Close and Kingfisher Drive. Residents may wish to ask the planning officer's report to address whether the submitted Noise Assessment adequately covers overnight operational impacts — including drive-through speaker noise, delivery vehicles, refrigeration plant and engine idling.
• Retail impact on Littlehampton town centre — residents may also wish to ask the officer report to clearly explain how the proposal complies with the NPPF impact test, given that the council's own consultants have raised serious concerns about harm to the town centre.

Ward councillors on Littlehampton Town Council may be contacted to ask them to consider raising a formal objection as a statutory consultee. ADC ward members can also be contacted to ask that these concerns receive proper consideration before any decision is made.

The planning team has been asked to confirm the anticipated timetable and whether the application will be determined under delegated powers or by Planning Committee.

ADC's own retail consultants raise serious concerns about town centre impact

Nexus Planning, commissioned by Arun District Council to provide independent retail and town centre planning advice, published a Supplementary Advice Report in February 2026.

In relation to the New Courtwick Lane proposal, Nexus concluded:

• The proposal is likely to have a clear adverse impact on the health of Littlehampton town centre.
• The convenience goods sector in the town centre could lose between 27% and 28% of its annual turnover as a direct result of the development.
• A significantly adverse impact on the town centre cannot be completely ruled out, particularly given concerns about the future trading viability of existing town centre grocery retailers.
• There will also be material adverse impacts on Rustington and Wick local centres.

"Whilst there is no certainty that the scale of impact on Littlehampton town centre will be significantly adverse, such a scale of impact cannot be completely ruled out at this stage."
— Nexus Planning, Supplementary Advice Report, February 2026

Under the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), proposals likely to result in a significantly adverse impact on the vitality and viability of a defined town centre should be refused planning permission. This report was commissioned and published by Arun District Council itself — making its conclusions a significant material consideration for any planning committee decision.

See our Sources page for references and further evidence →

Public consultation closes — residents raise traffic and residential amenity concerns

The public consultation period on planning application LU/72/25/OUT closed on 30 May 2025. A large number of residents from Goldcrest Avenue, Kingfisher Drive, Finches Close, Linnet Close and surrounding streets submitted formal representations via the Arun District Council planning portal.

A review of the representations submitted during the consultation shows a consistent pattern of planning concerns, particularly relating to traffic impacts on the surrounding road network and residential amenity.

The most frequently referenced issue in public comments was the potential impact of the development on traffic levels and congestion in the surrounding area.

Residents frequently referred to existing congestion along the A259 corridor, particularly between the Morrisons roundabout and the Tesco roundabout. Comments also referenced traffic using Courtwick Lane and New Courtwick Lane, which some residents report are already used as alternative routes during peak congestion.

Several representations also highlighted the proximity of nearby residential streets, including Goldcrest Avenue, Ernest Fitches Way and Henry Lock Way, and raised questions about how additional development traffic may affect these areas.

Other planning considerations raised by residents included:

• Noise and disturbance from commercial activity, particularly the potential for late-night or 24-hour operation of drive-through units and associated vehicle movements
• Proximity of drive-through food outlets to nearby schools, including White Meadows Primary School and Lyminster Primary School
• Impact on Littlehampton town centre and existing local shops
• Loss of green space and visual impact on the surrounding area
• Cumulative impact when considered alongside the already approved Minster Court industrial development (LU/133/23/PL)

Some residents also highlighted the scale of nearby residential development, including the Kingley Gate estate (approximately 630 homes), which relies on local road connections to the A259.

The application remains under consideration by Arun District Council. Public representations submitted during the consultation period will form part of the material considered by planning officers when preparing their report.

How to submit your objection