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Arun District Planning Applications: A 2026 Guide for West Sussex

Bhavesh Ramburn

Arun District planning applications: which authority handles yours?

If you are searching for a planning application in Bognor Regis, Littlehampton, Arundel, East Preston, Rustington, Angmering, Pagham, or Felpham, the responsible Local Planning Authority (LPA) is Arun District Council, operating from its Planning service page.

Arun is a coastal West Sussex authority stretching from the South Downs in the north to the English Channel in the south. Its planning service handles householder extensions, full applications, change of use, listed buildings, conservation areas, and prior notifications across the district.

A small but important exception: parts of the Arun district fall inside the South Downs National Park. Those areas are handled by the South Downs National Park Authority, not Arun District Council — see the cross-boundary section below.

How the English planning system applies in Arun

Arun is in England, so the primary statute is the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, supplemented by the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015 (the GPDO) which grants Permitted Development rights for certain categories of building work.

For most residents this means:

  • Permitted Development allows a range of small extensions, outbuildings, and alterations without a formal application, subject to the GPDO limits and any local restrictions.
  • Anything outside PD requires a formal application to Arun District Council, determined under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.
  • Applications are submitted through the Planning Portal, which hosts the standard 1APP forms and the fee calculator.

For the broader PD framework that governs what Arun can build without applying, see our guide on Permitted Development Rights in 2026.

How to view or comment on a current Arun planning application

Public access to the live application register is a statutory right under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990. Arun District Council operates a single search portal for all live and decided cases:

You can also use the Planning Portal for national searches. Members of the public have at least 21 days from the date an application is advertised (site notice and/or neighbour letter) to submit written comments. Comments must relate to material planning considerations — impact on amenity, design, traffic, ecology, residential amenity, heritage, or compliance with the local development plan. Comments that are vexatious or relate solely to private disputes (boundary walls, party walls, loss of a view) cannot be taken into account.

If your application concerns a property in a Conservation Area (notably Arundel town centre, parts of Bognor Regis seafront, and a number of village centres), additional restrictions apply and the consultation period for some application types is extended. Arun’s planning service can confirm via the contact page.

Application fees and statutory timelines

Application fees in England are set centrally by the Town and Country Planning (Fees) (England) Regulations 2012 (as amended). Indicative fees for the most common Arun application types in 2026:

  • Householder application (extensions and alterations to an existing dwelling): £258.
  • Full planning permission for a new dwelling: £541 plus £162 for each additional dwelling.
  • Change of use: varies by class, typically £541 or higher.
  • Prior notification / prior approval (where applicable under the GPDO 2015): £120.
  • Listed Building Consent (where the property is statutorily listed): £293.

The statutory determination period is 8 weeks for householder and most local applications under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, and 13 weeks for major developments (defined under the Town and Country Planning (Development Management Procedure) (England) Order 2015). Arun District Council generally meets these targets but can extend via a further-information request that pauses the clock.

When you need full planning permission in Arun

You will need a full application if you are:

  • Building a new dwelling or a new commercial building.
  • Changing the use of a building or land between use classes.
  • Altering or extending a listed building — Listed Building Consent is a separate application that runs in parallel.
  • Working in a Conservation Area, where many PD rights are withdrawn.
  • Working in a flood risk zone — parts of the Arun coast (Bognor, Littlehampton, Pagham) are in Flood Zones 2 or 3 and require a Flood Risk Assessment as part of any planning application.
  • Working within the South Downs National Park boundary — the SDNPA is the LPA for those areas.

For an England householder context (extensions, alterations, outbuildings) — which is the most common Arun application type — see our guide on householder planning permission for a garden office.

Cross-boundary: South Downs National Park

A portion of the Arun district falls inside the South Downs National Park — including Slindon, Madehurst, Amberley, West Dean, and parts of the South Downs escarpment above Arundel. Planning applications in those areas are decided by the South Downs National Park Authority (SDNPA), not Arun District Council, because national parks in England have their own planning authority.

If your property is in the National Park boundary, you must apply to the SDNPA via its planning service page. The SDNPA has its own pre-application advice, application forms, and committee process, and its policies (the South Downs Local Plan) are different from Arun District Council’s. The same statutory 8-week and 13-week determination periods apply.

For a contrasting walkthrough of how planning applications work in a Scottish unitary council (where the devolved regime is structurally different), see our Aberdeen planning applications guide. For a worked example of a reorganisation case in the English unitary framework — where a former district council was abolished and its functions transferred — see our Allerdale planning guide.

Next steps and resources

Editorial note. This article is for guidance only and does not constitute regulated advice. Parts of the Arun district fall inside the South Downs National Park and are decided by the South Downs National Park Authority, not Arun District Council. For project-specific questions, consult a chartered planning professional registered with the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI).