Horsham & Crawley
18 February 2014
This is the sad tale of a campaign group's failure to protect the character of the village of Thakeham.
For over 15 years Thakeham Village Action (TVA) has tried to prevent the land in and around Abingworth Nursery from becoming a large housing estate. Thakeham is a small village of some 300 houses (the parish in total has some 700 houses). Land which has been used for more than 100 years for mushroom growing was bought by a property development company and recently they have succeeded in gaining permission for 146 houses in what Horsham DC acknowledges is an inappropriate and unsustainable location.
Horsham & Crawley: District Appeal Enquiry Notes
Written by Roger F Smith7 January 2014
St Albans v Hunston Properties Ltd 12 Dec 13
The Appeal Inquiry which I attended today as a Third Party was adjourned until 18 February due to no-show of Horsham District Council’s barrister – he is unable to leave his home because of flooding.
However, in the prelims, which included clarification of issues, he made reference to the attached Court of Appeal Decision City & District Council of St Albans v Hunston Properties Ltd 12 Dec 13, here attached.
Our response to Horsham District Planning Framework
Written by CPRE SussexHorsham District CPRE submitted a strong response to Horsham District Council's 'Horsham District Planning Framework Preferred Strategy Putting the Economy First' (August 2013) which was open to public consultation between 16 August and 11 October 2013.
Horsham & Crawley District Report: Winter 2013
Written by Roger F Smith
Horsham District Council (HDC) in its ‘Horsham District Planning Framework (HDPF) Preferred Strategy - Putting the Economy First’ has proposed a housing target of at least 575 houses per year, amounting to 11,500 in the 20 year period to 2031.
Potential Village Green bulldozed by developer
Written by CPRE Sussex
14 November 2013
Developers Bellway Homes have bulldozed a field in Billinghurst, deliberately ignoring a process initiated by local people who had applied have the location recognised as a village green.
The field, adjacent to Daux Avenue, had been the subject of a public enquiry in September - October this year following the application for Village Green status in 2009. Village Green status would protect the field from building development. The Planning Inspector's decision had not yet been given. In a clear attempt to preempt any such decision, the developers Bellway Homes bulldozed the site last week.
CPRE Sussex believes this is an act of vandalism inflicted in advance of the Planning Inspector's findings and West Sussex County Council's planning decision on the site. If a piece of land had been used by local people for lawful sports and pastimes "as of right" – without permission, force or secrecy for at least 20 years – users can apply under section 15(1) of the Commons Act 2006 to register land as a green.
The field was photographed by Dr Roger Smith of CPRE Sussex following the destruction, on Sunday 10 November.
We will be publishing a full report on this shortly.
EDIT
Dr Roger Smith appeared on BBC South Today on 14 November discussing Bellway Home's destruction of the site.
Horsham District's emerging Local Plan and a significant appeal decision
Written by Roger F Smith28 April 2013
Emerging Local Plan: How many houses?
Horsham District Council (HDC) has yet to make public the number of houses that it will plan for in the period to 2031. However, statements made by senior members of the Council indicate an intention to set a huge number in conformity with that set by the South East Plan (SEP) even though the latter was revoked 27 March 2013. Unfortunately, these Councillors believe that a lower number would be rejected by the Inspectorate and that they have no choice but to conform to the SEP target.
Letter from Horsham District CPRE warns of risk of Local Plan deadline
Written by Roger F Smith4 April 2013
The following letter from Dr Roger F Smith on behalf of CPRE Sussex Horsham District was published in today's West Sussex Times:
Horsham District Council: house building targets "excessive"
Written by William Shaw
13 December 2012
In a letter to the Mid-Sussex Times, CPRE Sussex representative Dr Roger Smith challenges the presumption of Horsham District Council’s Cabinet that it must adopt a house building target for the District that is equal to or greater than that set by the South East Plan
Public Consultation on Horsham District Council’s (HDC’s)Horsham District Planning Framework – ‘Preferred Strategy’, has been postponed until the New Year.
Horsham District Planning Framework
Consultation on Horsham District Council’s Horsham District Planning Framework – ‘Preferred Strategy’ is imminent. ‘Possible’ strategic sites’ identified by HDC, all of which are greenfield, are as follows:
- East of Billingshurst: 1750 new houses.
- New Market Town: “Approximately 10,000 (total) ...2,500 of these delivered in Horsham District in the short to medium term”.
- North of Horsham; 4,500 new houses, plus up to 300,000 square feet of business and office space.
- West of Ifield: up to 2500 new houses.
- West of Southwater: 2,500 new houses.
House numbers, which are likely to be greater than the South East Plan allocation, and the identified strategic sites have yet to be ratified by the Council. We will be taking part in the consultation.
Planning
With others, we are opposing outline applications for major developments on countryside at:
- Billingshurst: Application to build 550 houses (phase one of a 1750 house development) was refused by HDC but has reappeared as a ‘possible’ Local Plan option.
- Southwater: Application to build 500 houses on farmland, phase one of a 2750 house development, has been put on hold. The site is identified by HDC as a ‘possible’ strategic site – ‘West of Southwater’.
In addition we have objected to applications, which have now been approved, as follows:
- Henfield: The second of two opportunistic applications to build 102 houses on countryside east of Manor Farm, Henfield, was refused. However, the first which went to Appeal on grounds of non-determination was subsequently approved by the Planning Inspectorate.
- Thakeham: ‘Mushroom Site’ Two linked planning applications, one to build 146 houses on a redundant part of the site to help pay for the provision of new commercial facilities applied for on the remainder of the site, have been approved by HDC.
