What’s planned?
A landscape-led approach to homes in Henfield
The proposals present an opportunity to deliver new homes for local people, alongside a package of benefits shaped by the site’s landscape and location. Beyond the housing itself, we want to ensure there are green spaces and community facilities that are open and accessible to everyone – both new residents and those who already live here. This is a landscape-led proposal balancing housing, sustainable travel, ecology and sustainable drainage to create an enduring, positive contribution for future generations.
Key features
New homes, green space and community facilities for Henfield
- Around 500 new homes for Henfield, including 45% (approximately 225 homes) affordable housing, designed to a high-quality and seamlessly integrated with the local area.
- New community facilities shaped around local needs, including opportunities to help deliver part of the Henfield Trails, spaces and initiatives for young people, and facilities that support wellbeing and active lifestyles.
- Additional sports and leisure provision, designed to complement what Henfield already offers and provide accessible opportunities for both new and existing residents.
- Significant nature and biodiversity enhancements, including the revitalisation and rewilding of the riverside corridor as part of a publicly accessible riverside park, new planting, new habitats, and green spaces that are open and accessible to everyone.
- Better connections with the village and landscape, with car-free walking and cycling routes designed to integrate the neighbourhood seamlessly with Henfield and support healthier, more active living.
The site
Site location
Henfield has many services and facilities which makes it a sustainable place to locate new development. It forms a centre for smaller villages around it, and is also well connected to surrounding larger towns, making it an attractive place to live.
The site is on a good public transport route and the masterplan will provide attractive walking and cycling opportunities to link new residents to the services and facilities in Henfield. This will provide existing businesses with increased trade and help new residents feel part of Henfield.
Site boundary
Providing much needed homes
Responding to housing pressures in Henfield
Like many places across the district, Henfield is affected by wider pressures on housing. Horsham District Council’s most recent information shows that around 724 households were on the housing register in March 2025, while around 250 homes typically become available each year. This gap means that local people can face longer waits to find a home that meets their needs.
Horsham is behind in delivering housing in the district, and needs over 9000 additional houses in the next five years to meet its local housing needs target. This proposal could help deliver much needed housing for local people. This shortfall is also affecting affordable (Housing Association) housing, as that is provided by house builders such as Taylor Wimpey.
Providing a mix of new homes – including 45% affordable housing – is an important part of supporting people to remain close to their families, jobs and communities, and helping places like Henfield continue to thrive over the long term.
Nature, landscape and connection
Enhancing the riverside, connecting the village
This site gives us a unique chance to enhance the riverside setting, create new habitats and deliver green spaces that everyone in Henfield can enjoy. As part of the proposals:
- We are exploring ways to rewild parts of the river corridor, introduce new planting and restore natural habitats as part of an accessible riverside park, helping to deliver long-term biodiversity improvements in line with the Adur River Recovery programme.
- We will include a series of green spaces and new walking and cycling routes that link through the site and into the wider countryside, making it easier for people to get around safely and more sustainably.
- We are also looking at how the project can help deliver part of the Henfield Trails, improving access to the landscape and strengthening connections with existing parts of the village.
Transport and access
Creating safer, healthier routes in Henfield
It is important to us that transport and movement are carefully considered. New connections will be designed to integrate the neighbourhood seamlessly into Henfield to support healthier, more active ways of getting around, including walking and cycling.
New vehicular and pedestrian accesses are proposed off London Road to the north and Charlwood Drive to the south. We will also include a series of green spaces and new walking and cycling routes that link through the site and into the wider countryside, making it easier for people to get around safely and more sustainably. This includes routes that allow active travel directly to the primary school and doctors surgery.
Community facilities
Connecting homes, leisure, and green spaces
Community facilities sit at the heart of the emerging proposals, helping to support everyday life for both new and existing residents. Alongside new homes, the plans are exploring a range of facilities shaped around local needs, potentially including allotments, a community garden, spaces for young people, and sports and leisure provision that complements what Henfield already offers and supports healthy, active lifestyles.
There is also an opportunity to help deliver part of the Henfield Trails as part of a new accessible riverside park, improving access to green spaces and strengthening connections between the site, the village and the wider landscape. The proposals are still at an early stage, and feedback from the community will play an important role in shaping what facilities are delivered and how they are used, ensuring they provide a positive and lasting benefit for Henfield.
Positive impact
Social and economic benefits
The development’s delivery of new homes will generate a range of positive socio-economic impacts and wider health and wellbeing benefits, including:
Construction Phase
- Delivering significant investment in the local construction sector.
- Supporting an average of 75 gross direct full-time equivalent (FTE) jobs over 7 years.
- Creating a total 80 direct, indirect and induced net additional FTE jobs across West Sussex and beyond, including 45 for Horsham residents.
- Generating an £82 million Gross Value Added (GVA) economic contribution across West Sussex and beyond, including £71 million concentrated in Horsham.
Complete and Occupied Phase
- Accommodating 1,155 residents in 500 high-quality new homes.
- Generating £12.8 million resident expenditure annually on retail and leisure goods and services, with capacity to support 80 jobs in these sectors.
- Providing £1.4 million in Council Tax for collection by Horsham District Council, contributing towards funding local public services and infrastructure.
- Enabling healthy lifestyles through design which incorporates green spaces and provides recreational opportunities.
