Getting planning permission refused in Adur isn't just frustrating — it costs you time, money, and in some cases, your £548 application fee with nothing to show for it. Most homeowners assume refusal happens to other people, or to badly designed projects. The reality is far more complicated, and far more property-specific than that. WhatCanIBuild exists precisely because the gap between "I think this is fine" and "this is what actually gets approved on your street" is wider than most people realise.
The short version
- Adur has 7 conservation areas, 9 Article 4 directions, and 236 listed buildings — each one changes the rules for affected properties
- Proximity to the South Downs National Park adds another layer of scrutiny that catches homeowners off guard
- What was approved for your neighbour may not apply to you
Character and appearance: the reason that sounds vague but kills applications
One of the most common grounds for refusal in Adur — and across the south east generally — is that a proposal fails to respect the character and appearance of the surrounding area. But here's what most homeowners don't realise: what "character" means varies dramatically from street to street. A design that sails through in one part of Shoreham-by-Sea might be refused a few roads away. If your property sits within or near one of Adur's conservation areas, the bar is even higher — and the things that matter (materials, scale, roofline, fenestration) are far more specific than any general guide can tell you.
The same logic applies to properties on or near Article 1(5) land bordering the South Downs National Park. Even projects that would normally fall under permitted development can face full scrutiny in these zones. Most homeowners in BN43 or BN15 postcodes don't know whether their specific plot is affected until they've already committed to plans.
Article 4 directions: the rule most people have never heard of
Adur has 9 Article 4 directions in force, targeting specific streets and areas. These remove permitted development rights that homeowners elsewhere take for granted. If your property is covered by one, works you assumed were automatic — certain extensions, changes to windows, alterations to frontages — may need full planning permission instead. And because Article 4 directions apply street by street rather than borough-wide, there's no shortcut to knowing whether yours is affected.
Listed buildings
Adur has 236 listed buildings. If your property is listed — or even adjacent to one — the rules governing what you can do change significantly. Refusals in these cases often come down to factors that aren't visible in any standard planning guide.
Neighbour amenity and overlooking: harder to predict than you'd think
Refusals also frequently cite impact on neighbouring properties — loss of light, overlooking, overbearing presence. What makes this tricky is that it's not just about the size of what you're building. It depends on the orientation of your plot, the position of neighbouring windows, and how planning officers interpret impact in your specific context. Two identical extensions on the same street can produce different decisions.
What actually got approved near you — and what didn't
The best way to avoid a refusal isn't to read more guidance — it's to understand what's actually been decided for properties like yours in Adur. WhatCanIBuild shows you what's been approved and refused nearby, what the reasons were, and how your property's specific combination of constraints — conservation area, Article 4, listed building status, proximity to the National Park — affects your realistic chances. That's the information that changes decisions.
Before you spend £548 on an application that could be refused for a reason you never saw coming, it's worth knowing what you're actually working with.
WhatCanIBuild gives you a property-level picture — not a general guide, but what applies to your address specifically.
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