7 Feb 2025 ● Chris Eccles
New Development Could Create 600 Jobs & Apprenticeships In Chichester
A new manufacturing and logistics development could create 600 new jobs and apprenticeships in Chichester.
Property developer Heaver Commercial has applied for planning permission for office and warehouse units in the village of Westhampnett, close to the A27’s Temple Bar Junction.
The developer, which is local to Chichester, carried out community consultations to shape a development which they say will fit naturally into the landscape and significantly improve biodiversity.
The plans include landscaping to screen the site, increase hedgerows by over 280 per cent, create a 62 per cent net gain in wildlife habitats and deliver a 16 per cent net gain for watercourses.
The proposal also features almost 9 acres of new green spaces and ponds, a one-mile walking and cycling path, as well as over 128,00 new trees, shrubs and plants.
Heaver Commercial forecasts that the development will boost the local economy by £43 million annually and provide £200,000 a year in business rates for Chichester District Council to ‘spend on local priorities’.
Additionally, around £45,000 per year will be set aside for community grants, supporting local charities and projects through a social investment fund.
Announcing the news, Heaver Commercial’s Managing Director, John Heaver, said: “Chichester has an opportunity to create a sustainable exemplar employment scheme on the site which is strategically located next to the elevated junction at Temple Bar on the A27.”
“Nestled between two new housing schemes providing nearly 1,600 homes, the development has the potential to grow the local economy, create over 600 new jobs and apprenticeships, reduce congestion and support local amenities.”
“There is occupier demand for new large format Grade A employment space along the A27 corridor, and I hope that Chichester can secure it, rather than those jobs and economic benefits going elsewhere,” added the MD.
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