Creating a new neighbourhood that supports Henfield’s future

The site is located at London Road, Henfield, on the north-eastern edge of the village, adjoining the existing built-up area behind Wantley Hill Estate.

Horsham District is experiencing significant housing pressure and is behind on housing delivery. This site is close to existing facilities in Henfield and offers an opportunity to deliver new homes alongside green space, community benefits and improved connections.

An Outline Planning Application for a new neighbourhood of up to around 500 homes, including 45% affordable housing, alongside a riverside park, walking and cycling routes and land set aside for community, sport and leisure opportunities.

No. The proposals are at an early stage and will evolve through technical work, discussions with Horsham District Council and West Sussex County Council, as well as feedback from the local community.

The project team’s current assessment is that around one-third of the site would be developed, with around two-thirds remaining as open space and enhanced green infrastructure.

Affordable housing is legally secured through planning permission. We are proposing es 45% affordable homes, which would be transferred to and managed by a housing association. The proportion of homes for social rent and shared ownership would be agreed with Horsham District Council based on local needs.

Housing numbers are set through Government methodology based on local needs. Affordability remains a key issue locally, driven by supply and demand. Our proposal will provide a range of homes, including affordable housing and homes built to modern standards for space, accessibility and climate change.

The masterplan is landscape-led, retaining and enhancing trees and hedgerows, and using this existing landscape framework to inform where housing is best located. The landscape will be enhanced by creating extensive publicly accessible green space including a riverside park and habitat creation along Cutlers Brook.

A technical odour assessment has identified where is it appropriate to locate different uses, setting out different odour contour bands. The project team has taken a cautious approach by locating housing outside the more stringent of these bands. Community uses and landscape elements can be located closer, where the assessment indicates they are acceptable, subject to ongoing technical work and agreement with Southern Water.

Vehicle access is proposed via a new roundabout on London Road, with a secondary access via Wantley Hill Estate. Walking and cycling connections are proposed from both the north and south, alongside improvements to public rights of way.

For developments of this size, two points of access are preferred for resilience and emergency access, for example if one route is blocked.

Traffic impacts are being analysed through a transport assessment, using West Sussex County Council’s transport model to forecast future flows and junction assessments to understand performance and highlight required improvements. The assessment will identify what mitigation is required and will be reviewed by the highway authority.

No. The road is intended to serve the development and connect the proposed accesses. Detailed design will apply appropriate standards and traffic calming measures to secure the roads as an access road, not a bypass.

Construction access is expected to be from the north via London Road. A construction management plan would be required at a later stage to set out routing, timings and measures to manage disruption to local residents.

Education and healthcare is planned and delivered by the relevant statutory bodies, for example the County Council or NHS. The project team is engaging with those bodies through pre-application discussions. Where additional capacity is needed, the development will make financial contributions secured through planning obligations and levy mechanisms, calculated by the statutory bodies based on the size and mix of new homes.

Whether a new facility is required depends on thresholds set by the education authority and NHS, and on their wider service strategies. For this proposal, the feedback received to date is that financial contributions are the appropriate way to support services locally and mitigate the impact of this proposed development.

Foul water from the development will be connected to the existing on-site treatment works. The project team is undertaking ongoing engagement with Southern Water to review the proposals.

The area was previously subject to water neutrality restrictions, which have been removed by Natural England following further work by Southern Water. Statutory consultees and utility providers will confirm capacity through the planning process. The scheme will also incorporate water efficiency measures to reduce the water used by those living in the new homes.