PROPOSED homes next to the most historic hotel in Bognor Regis would harm its setting, it has been decided.

Herongate Homes wanted to build four houses on open land between the Royal Norfolk Hotel and West Street. Three of the houses would have been terraced. The other was to have been a four-bed detached property.

But Arun District Council planning officer Simon Davis has ruled they would damage the 19th century hotel.

He said: “By developing within an important open area between the hotel and the town, the proposal will result in harm to the setting of a Grade II listed building.

“The site is within an area designated as a conservation area… and the proposal, by reason of encroachment into an existing open space the introduction of regular/formal buildings into a streetscene comprising a variety of historic developments would conflict with the local planning authority’s intention to protect and enhance the visual amenities and environment of such areas.

“The siting of the proposed detached dwelling at only 10m from the eastern flank of the hotel would result in an unacceptable relationship between the hotel and the dwelling and result in a loss of privacy/overlooking to both the temporary occupiers of the hotel and the future occupiers of the dwelling.”

Mr Davis gave two further reasons for his refusal of planning permission.

One was the failure to pay to help provide accessible natural green spaces to serve the Pagham area. The other was the lack of a contribution towards affordable housing.

Arun received 63 letters of objection from residents. They said the houses would be an overdevelopment and harmful to the conservation area.

The proposed houses would have been the second phase of the Royal Norfolk Mews development to the north-west of the hotel. This was approved seven years ago.

But a scheme for six terraced houses along the West Street frontage was rejected by a planning inspector in 2006, partly because of its impact on the views of the hotel and the conservation area.

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