Plans to demolish a house in Small Dole and replace it with up to nine homes have been approved by Horsham District Council
The ‘permission in principle’ application to demolish Delta, in Shoreham Road, was given unanimous approval during a meeting of the planning committee on Tuesday (November 18) – though it was made clear to the applicant that the decision was based solely on five homes being proposed rather than the maximum nine.
‘Permission in principle’ is an alternative way of obtaining planning permission for housing. It separates the plans into two parts – whether the site is suitable for development, and then the technical details. The council’s approval applied to the first part. A second application will cover the technical details.
The reason it was felt that five homes were more appropriate than nine is because, while five of the proposed homes would be within the Delta footprint, the other four would be outside the built-up area boundary and encroaching on the countryside.
Roger Noel (Con, Bramber, Upper Beeding & Woodmancote) said allowing an extra four homes to be built at the back of the plot would appear ‘incongruous’, ‘totally out of character’, and ‘an unnecessary addition by the developer’.
The application received unanimous approval.
The site is made up of Delta – a detached three-bedroom bungalow – detached garage, outbuildings and agricultural buildings. Since May 2023, four applications to develop there have been refused.
The latest proposal is to build one-storey homes, which a report to the council said was considered to be ‘in keeping with the majority of dwellings’ along Shoreham Road.
The council received 13 letters objecting to the plans and four of support. The supporters said it was an appropriate use of the site and there was a need for new homes in the area. The objectors raised concerns about over-development, loss of privacy, and the development being out of character with the area.
To view the application, log on to public-access.horsham.gov.uk and search for DC/25/0849.
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