Developers set to launch new fight to build houses on Horsham farmland

Real estate company FCP Land 4 Ltd have come up with new proposals to build a smaller development of 120 houses on agricultural land at Newhouse Farm off Old Crawley Road in Roffey.

The firm’s previous plans for 473 houses on a larger plot of land at the farm were turned down by Horsham District Council. And the company lost when it launched an appeal against the decision.

Dismissing the appeal, a planning inspector ruled: “The development would be a significant intrusion into this essentially rural space.”

But now FCP Land have put in a ‘screening report’ to Horsham District Council to determine if its plans for 120 homes need an ‘Environment statement’ to support a planning application.

The site where the company wants to build the 120 homes is currently used for agricultural purposes and is surrounded by other farmland. It is within a High Weald Area of Natural Beauty.

But the real estate firm maintains that the development would be ‘unlikely to have significant impacts’ on the High Weald AONB because ‘landscape

enhancements’ would be made such as the retention of boundary lines, restoration to green public open fields, ecological enhancements and the provision of a woodland buffer zone.

The developers also say that this ‘smaller development’ could cope with existing infrastructure because it is ‘modest in scale.’

The screening report admits that there would be an increased demand for healthcare, education and other facilities because of the additional population.

"Based on an average occupancy rate of homes of 2.4 persons per dwelling, an estimated 288 residents will be introduced,” says the report. “It is not considered that this would have a significant impact on demand for healthcare, education or community/leisure facilities.”

It also maintains there would be no significant impact on traffic and public transport.

The company’s previous bid to build 473 houses on a larger plot of land at Newhouse Farm was fiercely opposed by local residents who staged a massive protest campaign.

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Horsham District Council turned it down because the farmland is within a High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, is within an essential countryside location and outside a defined built up area.