Decoy Farm Planning Application To Be Considered By Worthing Councillors

Friday, 18 November 2022 13:01

By Dominic Kureen @WriteOnDom

Plans have been submitted for Worthing’s first new industrial estate this century.

Worthing Borough Council would like to convert the former landfill site at Decoy Farm in Willowbrook Road into a seven-hectare business park.

Last year the Council asked for comments from businesses and the local community on its intention to redevelop the site for use as commercial, industrial, storage or distribution units. There was widespread support for the need for more commercial units in the borough.

Detailed plans have now been submitted for 18 modern units on the land between existing units in Dominion Way and Worthing’s household waste and recycling centre.

The units would be designed to require low levels of energy to heat and light them, using the maximum amount of daylight and minimum level of artificial light possible.

Solar panels would be fitted, to help power the units using renewable energy. The site’s bin and cycle stores would have eco-friendly green roofs that would improve air quality by absorbing pollutants.

The Council believes the new industrial estate could create more than 350 jobs on the site, in addition to those involved in its construction.

Cllr Martin McCabe, Worthing’s Cabinet Member for Regeneration, said:

“Decoy Farm has the potential to create hundreds of jobs for our community on a site that has sat dormant for too long.

“Developing the land can boost our economy, by helping our smaller businesses to grow and attracting other companies to move to the area.

“I hope the modern, environmentally-friendly units proposed will draw green technology businesses, in particular, to invest in our town.”

Decoy Farm was used as a landfill site between 1970 and 1979, so the Council secured almost £5 million of government funding to clean up the site before it could be developed.

Hundreds of snakes, lizards, mice and voles were relocated to wildlife havens elsewhere in the borough.

The plans are due to be considered by Worthing’s planning committee early in the new year.

Those wishing to review and comment on the plans can do so online — search for application reference number AWDM/1745/22.