Let’s stop the  proposed development West of Ifield

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What we learned from the Homes England event - 30th April

Homes England intend to submit a planning application for 3,000 houses West of Ifield this summer, possibly as early as June. The fact that Horsham District Council’s (HDC) draft Local Plan has been thrown out by the planning inspector seems to make no difference to Homes England, and they say they will submit their application regardless.  

See the material from the event here: Homes England’s plans.

And our two-page summary here, including a remminder of the difference between a local plan and a planning application - we know some people were hoping that the problems with Horsham’s Local Plan automatically mean the West of Ifield is cancelled - sadly not.   

Everyone needs to prepare to respond to the planning application. SWOI will keep supporters updated and will provide help and advice on how and when to respond.  Please keep an eye on this website and Facebook page.

You may have responded to the Regulation 19 consultation on HDC’s draft Local Plan in February 2024, and it’s likely you will be able to re-use some / all of your response for the planning application exercise. 

THIS IS OUR LAST REAL CHANCE TO STOP THE WEST OF IFIELD DEVELOPMENT.  PLEASE PLAY A PART.

The difference between the Horsham Local Plan and the Homes England Planning Application

Local Plan

The Horsham (HDC) Local Plan is a document written and owned by HDC and sets out their vision for the whole Horsham District in terms of their planning policies and proposals for new development for the next 15 years. It helps to shape where developments can take place in a district and ensure the provision of appropriate transport links. The Latest HDC DRAFT Local Plan included the West of Ifield as suitable for development. This is the document we all objected to in January and February 2024 as part of the Regulation 19 consultation.

A draft Local Plan must be judged ‘sound’by a government planning inspector, but in HDC’s case the inspector has found the draft Plan unsound. This means that HDC have no up to date Local Plan, and no Plan which allocates West of Ifield.

Planning Application

A planning application is an application made to a local authority by a developer or individual to carry out building work.

Homes England have stated their intention to submit a planning application in 2025 to HDC for permission to build 3,000 houses West of Ifield, with supporting infrastructure. HDC councillors will make the decision on whether permission is granted, based on the advice of HDC planning officials.  As HDC currently have no Local Plan which allocates West of Ifield the Homes England Planning application would be what’s known as speculative. When this application is submitted we will all need to submit our strong objections to HDC.