DLBP is delighted to have submitted a planning application for a mixed-use rural diversification project on behalf of our client, Artemis Land & Agriculture, at Crouchlands Farm in West Sussex.
Artemis Land & Agriculture was originally set up to regenerate Crouchlands Farm following its decline under previous ownership. Working with other specialist consultants, DLBP helped Artemis to turn its vision for the site into the ‘Whole Farm Plan’. The proposal comprises a number of different uses, including:
a Rural Enterprise Centre with business units and adaptable workshops for artisanal manufacturers, flexible working spaces and offices for small businesses, as well as educational training spaces
a farm shop
a café
retail units
leisure facilities including a cookery school
an equestrian centre
high-end glamping accommodation with a restaurant
These new facilities will also allow for the enhancement of the existing high welfare, low intensity farming activities.
There are further economic, societal, and environmental benefits of this exciting and complex new development, including:
creating 142 new jobs, plus additional jobs during construction
planting over 300 new trees and new woodland areas, creating new habitats for different species
educational opportunities in areas such as woodland management, and knowledge-sharing of new farming techniques and procedures
improving the on-site Public Rights of Way
Over the past three years, extensive public consultation has been undertaken, consisting of in-person events with local residents, online exhibitions, meetings with MPs, local Councillors and Parish Councils, two pre-application meetings with Chichester District Council, and consultations with the Woodland Trust, Brinsbury College and West Sussex County Council Highways Department, amongst many others.