Permission given for 230 new homes in Crawley Down

Tuesday, 2 June 2026 09:00

By Karen Dunn, Local Democracy Reporter @V2RadioSussex

Plans to build up to 230 homes and a 70-bed care home in Crawley Down have been approved by Mid Sussex District Council.

The application from Wates Developments Ltd, for land west of Turners Hill Road and north of Huntsland, was given the nod by the planning committee on Thursday, May 28.

A previous application for 150 homes – 45 classed as affordable – and a care home was approved in 2025, though councillors were not happy with the idea of the development being accessed via Wychwood Place.

But Wates made some changes. The latest application now includes a parcel of land at Hurst Farm, which will be demolished and used to house the care home and provide access onto Turners Hill Road.

The Wychwood Place access will only be used by pedestrians, cyclists and emergency vehicles. Sixty-nine of the new homes will be classed as affordable.

A second application for up to 200 homes directly south of Huntsland was also approved in 2025.

Overall, councillors agreed that the changes made in the new application were ‘a significant improvement’.

Some were not particularly impressed that the community facility on the site would be a bandstand rather than something more substantial. But a financial contribution will be given by Wates to the Haven Centre, a community centre less than one mile from the site.

To view the application, log on to pa.midsussex.gov.uk and search for DM/26/0577.

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