Appeal over homes is thrown out

A battle to stop 473 houses being built on West Sussex farm fields has ended in victory for residents.

Horsham District Council turned down plans to build the houses on land at Newhouse Farm, Old Crawley Road, Roffey, in July last year.

Real estate company FCP Land 4 Ltd lodged an appeal against the council’s decision but a planning inspector last week dismissed the appeal.

And residents – who launched huge opposition and created a campaign group called Keep Our Green Spaces to fight the development – were jubilant.

They are now planning a public celebration with a picnic at Beech Road recreation ground – which adjoins the farm fields – on Sunday, August 15 at 1pm.

Spokesman Heather Playfoot said: “It’s so exciting for the community, well done everyone.

“We get to enjoy the beautiful landscape.”

HDC originally rejected the proposals because the farmland is within the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, is within an essential countryside location and outside a defined built-up area.

It also expressed concerns over a new access off Crawley Road and a lack of sufficient affordable housing.

However, FCP Land 4 maintained that the proposed development site was only partly within the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and that its ‘distinctive landscape characteristics are less apparent’.

It maintained that more houses were needed in the area.

However planning inspector Dr Andrea Mageean disagreed with the firm’s arguments and dismissed the appeal.

In her ruling she stated: “The development would be a significant intrusion into this essentially rural space.”

Dr Mageean also said she found the development would cause ‘significant harm to the landscape and scenic beauty of the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty’ and that ‘a development of this scale in this location would not be in the public interest’.

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