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Land West Of 13 To 15 Farncombe Road Worthing West Sussex

AWDM/0133/25Full ApplicationRefused
Full

Refused on 18 May 2026

Council decision: Refusal3 reasons for refusal

Approximate site (title boundary)
Boundary © HM Land Registry, © Ordnance Survey · details

This information is subject to Crown copyright and database rights 2026 and is reproduced with the permission of HM Land Registry. The polygons (including the associated geometry, namely x, y co-ordinates) are subject to Crown copyright and database rights 2026 Ordnance Survey AC0000851063. Conditions of use.

Proposal

Erection of 4no. single storey, 1-bed residential dwellings for adults with complex learning disabilities and autism (1no with associated staff room)(Class C3(b)).

Received
4 February 2025
Ward
Selden
Agent
Stickland Wright Ltd
  1. Received4 Feb
  2. Validated19 Feb
  3. Consult.18 Mar
  4. Target16 Apr
  5. Decided18 May

Decided in 453 days (council typically 56)

About this application

This is a full planning application at Land West Of 13 To 15 Farncombe Road Worthing West Sussex. Adur and Worthing has handled 1,247 applications of this type. This one was decided in 468 days, 59 weeks longer than Adur and Worthing's typical decision time. The site is in a conservation area, with 1 listed building nearby. There are no previous applications recorded at this address. In the past year there have been 45 applications across Selden.

93% of full applications at Adur District Council were approved. Across all application types, the council typically decides in about 8 weeks (median).

Based on decided applications received in the last 3 years.Planning something similar? See what gets approved on your street

Why it was refused

  1. The proposed dwellings represent an incongruous form of backland development sitting deep into the rear of the site. By reason of the proposed site layout, relationship to existing development on the site, access, hard surfacing and car parking together with the footprint, siting, form and appearance of the proposed dwellings, the proposals constitute a discordant overdevelopment of the site that relates poorly to existing development, plot pattern and street character, lacking any meaningful sense of place or sympathy with local distinctiveness or the character of the Conservation Area and the local listed buildings. The proposed detached buildings and access and parking would furthermore be an unacceptable over intensification of the site. It is not considered that the applicant has brought forward a scheme for housing with sufficient justification to outweigh the harm that would be caused to the conservation area and heritage assets. The proposal would therefore be contrary policies DM5 and DM24 of the Worthing Local Plan and the Guide to Residential Development SPD 2013 and the NPPF.
  2. The proposed detached dwellings by reason of their design, size and siting represent an anomalous and awkward form of development to the setting of local listed buildings No. 11, 13, 15 and 17 Farncombe Road, identified as making a positive contribution to the Farncombe Road Conservation Area. The proposal would result in unacceptable harm to the character and appearance of the Conservation Area, failing to preserve or enhance, and is therefore contrary policy DM24 of the Worthing Local Plan and the relevant policies within the NPPF
  3. The proposed dwellings, by reason of their siting and close proximity to the western site boundary would result in a perception of overlooking for the occupiers of neighbouring properties and would generate intrusive noise and disturbance, to the detriment of their living conditions, especially those of Nos. 34 and 36 Madeira Avenue with their shallow rear gardens. The dwellings would also provide a poor relationship with existing development with flats within 13 and 15 Farncombe Road with actual and perceived overlooking, noise and disturbance and loss of communal open space associated with them. As such it would be contrary to policy DM2, DM5 and DM18 of the Worthing Local Plan and the relevant policies of the NPPF.

From the council's decision notice.

Application details

Application type
Full Application
Scale / size
Small

Planning application dates

Date validated
19 February 2025
Consultation expiry
6 February 2026
Consultation start
16 January 2026
Consultation end
18 March 2025
Neighbour consultation start
25 February 2025
Neighbour consultation end
18 March 2025
Last date for comments
6 February 2026
Target decision date
16 April 2025

Applicant and agent

Agent
Stickland Wright Ltd
Architect profile
STICKLAND WRIGHT LIMITED
Agent address
23 Vine Street Brighton BN1 4AG

Planning decision

Statutory period
56 days

Publicity

Last advertised
6 March 2025
Advertisement expiry
27 March 2025

Additional information

Planning Portal ID
PP-13734640
Documents
25

Site constraints

Checking the site
2/3
Council recordsAppealsFlood risk

Designations that overlap or adjoin the site outline.

  • Conservation area: Farncombe Road
  • Brownfield land register: 22 Lyndhurst Road, WorthingRegister site at or near this address
  • Flood zone 1: Low probability (rivers and sea)
Also checked, none recorded (22)

flood storage areas, listed buildings, Article 4 directions, tree preservation orders, green belt, scheduled monuments, World Heritage Sites, World Heritage Site buffer zones, registered parks and gardens, registered battlefields, Heritage at Risk entries, nutrient neutrality catchments, national parks, National Landscapes, SSSIs, Special Areas of Conservation, Special Protection Areas, Ramsar sites, ancient woodland, national nature reserves, local nature reserves and heritage coasts.

A guide only, from official open data; it is not a planning search. Flood zones cover rivers and sea, not surface water.

Data © Crown copyright and others · sources and licences

Contains public sector information from planning.data.gov.uk (MHCLG and local planning authorities), licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. © Crown copyright and database right 2026.

© Historic England 2026. Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. The Historic England GIS Data contained in this material was obtained on 2026-11-03. The most publicly available up to date Historic England GIS Data can be obtained from HistoricEngland.org.uk.

© Natural England copyright. Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right 2026.

© Environment Agency copyright and/or database right 2026. All rights reserved. Flood Map for Planning, Open Government Licence v3.0.

Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right 2026.

Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v.3.0. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026.

Source: Adur and Worthing

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