Ford Road Project:

 

The Norfolk Estate (via Fitzalan Estate Ltd) and Esquire Developments Ltd have worked to develop land at Ford Road with 90 new homes (including 30% Affordable Homes), land donated to Arundel Town Council and public open space as set out in the 2019 -2031 Arundel Neighbourhood Plan.

 

The above Masterplan (as at July 2025) shows the four plots of 27 affordable homes (highlighted in pink for the 7 shared ownership homes and blue for the socail rented ones) at Arundel Gate, click on the image or here to view and download a pdf version. Note the house numbers are in front of each house, and the number/letters on each is the Esquire reference for the house type.

 

Arundel CLT are collaborating with then developers, and our Registered Provider (RP), Aster, to deliver 20 affordable homes at social rents, the remaining 7 affordable homes will be delivered by the RP on a shared ownership scheme. All the affordable homes will be for eligible Arundel families or individuals. All these homes will be allocated in line with the ALCLT's Local Lettings Policy. Click here to see 'How to Register your Interest'.

 

The Ford Road Project Team engaged with Arundel residents and other local stakeholders in August 2020 via a virtual consultation as well as pre-booked drop in sessions at the Town Hall, the results of this are given in a report as part of the Outline Planning submission & below.

 

An Outline Planning Application was submitted by Savills on behalf of the Norfolk Estate in early December 2020 and approved in July 2021.

This was summarised in our August 2021 Newsletter.

 

Since then then the important s106 Agreement was signed and a partnership formed betweem Fitzalan Estates and Esquire Developent to take the project forward.

 

In June 2022 Esquire Developments consulted with the Arundel community on the latest designs and masterplan for Arundel Gate, on the Ford Road site.

 

On this website (and with this link) you can view and download all the exhibtion panels (NB 33MB file) including: About Esquite Developments, their approach to climate change, design developement, the proposed plans, landscape design, next steps etc.

 

Full details can be found then on the Arun District Council Planning Portal (link) using this reference: AB/135/20/OUT or view our Ford Road Planning page. In August 2022 the Reserved Matters Applications arising from conditions imposed by the above planning application were submitted by Esquire Developments to ADC - These can also be found on the Ford Road Planning page.

 

Reserved Matters were approved, with conditions in May 2023, see our May 2023 Newlsetter for more on this.

Round Table Discussion with our MP - left image above:

 

On 1 October 2019, our Chair, Darrell Gale and Treasurer, James Stewart met with our MP, Andrew Griffith for a ‘round table’ discussion on the development of CLTs. 

 

Signing of S106 Agreement - right image above:

 

In November 2021 three of the parties to the Ford Road Development of 90 homes (Fitzalan Estates, Arundel Town Council and Arundel Community Land Trust Ltd) gathered to sign the section 106 Agreement.

 

The Ford Road Development s106 agreement has various sections covering amongst other things the Nomination and Allocations arrangements and Local Lettings Agreement for the 20 socially rented and 7 shared ownership homes on the site.

(click on orange text to view the Local Lettings agreement for each type of affordable home).

 

See our February 2022 Press Release which sets out more on these important milestones for ACLT.

March 2025 - Press Release - Exchange of Contracts

 

Contracts have been exchanged to deliver the biggest increase in affordable housing in Arundel in the last 35 years. Award winning local housing association Aster Group, Arundel Community Land Trust (ACLT), Fitzalan Estates (for the Norfolk Estate) and Esquire Developments have signed on the dotted line to deliver 27 new energy efficient, affordable homes exclusively for local people with a strong lovcal connection to the area. 

 

Click here or the image above to view and download the full Press Release. 

 

Commenting on the exchange of contracts, ACLT Chair, Paul Summers, said: "We are proud to be helping to bring the first new affordable housing for younger people in a generation. Aster has been a great Registered Provider partner for us, bringing experties of commnunity-led housing from other places and professional resources that we, as a community organisation, could not hope to match."

 

He continued "the support of the local landowner, committed to legacy in our community has been critical to helping think ahead to the on going management of the open spaces within the development and joining up with 'greening' community initiatives within the locality". 

 

Finally he said "I would also like to pay tribute to the skilled support from the Sussex Community Housing Hub enabling services provided through Action in Rural Sussex - a steadfast partner through the many years it has taken to bring this project to fruition."