On 22nd January 2024 we applied to Worthing Borough Council Local Planning Authority (LPA) for a lawful development certificate (LDC). Our application was effectively an application to outline what we have done to the land since we purchased it, what we will do to the land and what we want to do with the land. Without a formal planning application.

Although a LDC application is not a planning application as such, it does share many of the same processes and characteristics. It is published on the council website and people are allowed to view the application and send in comments. If you click here you can view the application and comments. 

On the 18th of March 2024 our LDC application was refused completely.

The LPA had several choices. It could have accepted all of the application, accepted some of the application or refused all of the application. The LPA chose to refuse all of the application. The most notable comment was: 

‘a sandpit would comprise operational development’  

In order to maintain our land, we also put in an application for a storage container to store site maintenance tools. 

Our applications were appealed to the Planning Inspectorate and on 17 December 2024 they were refused. Click here to read the judgement.

If we have to look for the positives the Planning Inspector agreed that the land is currently unused and has not been used for agricultural purposes. We are now in the process of finalising our market garden events and a full planning application, for a residential nursing home and affordable housing.