Plans to change an agricultural field into a football field are to be discussed by Horsham District Council.
The application from Southwater Football Club for land to the south of Two Mile Ash Road, includes a new access onto Marlpost Road, a parking area, and compostable toilets.
It will be decided by the planning committee on Tuesday (September 16), with officers recommending refusal.
The council has received 57 letters objecting to the plans, with concerns raised including the loss of an agricultural field, the detrimental impact on the rural character and landscape of the area, noise and road safety.
The council’s landscape architect said: “The introduction of urbanising features to the open countryside location, as well as the removal of trees, is likely to have a significant adverse effect on the rural character of the local and wider landscape.”
The council has also received 176 letters of support citing the health and community benefits of the new pitch, and how it will allow the club to grow.
A design statement submitted with the application said: “There is a desperate shortage of sports playing fields in Southwater, exacerbated by the increases in recent new housing development. This proposal is essential to provide the necessary playing fields required by the growing numbers of local children, to whom football is a very important outdoor activity.”
To view the application, log on to public-access.horsham.gov.uk and search for DC/25/0638.
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