Plans to set up a six-pitch traveler site on a former vineyard in Warnham have been approved by Horsham District Council.
The application for Long Wells Vineyard, in Marches Road, was given the nod by the planning committee on Tuesday (July 21).
The site sits next to a patch of land on which retrospective permission for two pitches was given in 2025.
Some 30 letters of objections to the latest plans were received by the council, with concerns raised including the site being unsuitable and inappropriate, harm to the rural character of the area, loss of trees, increased traffic, and inadequate sewerage/waste infrastructure.
A number of conditions which have to be dealt with by the applicant before any work on the site can begin were included with the planning permission. These include submitting a drainage strategy to the council within three months, showing how the disposal of foul and surface water will be achieved.
Each pitch will hold a timber-clad mobile home, along with two parking spaces and space for a touring caravan. Native hedgerow will be planted between the pitches. The remainder of the site will be used for grazing horses.
Horsham has an identified need for gypsy/traveller accommodation – a fact which would likely have seen the authority lose an expensive appeal should the plans have been refused.
Its Gypsy & Traveller Accommodation Needs Assessment states that 93 pitches are needed by 2036. So far, only 42 have been allowed or approved.
The application was approved by nine votes to two with two abstentions. To view it in full, log on to public-access.horsham.gov.uk and search for DC/25/1727.
Get the latest BREAKING NEWS for the SOUTH on your phone by downloading the V2 RADIO APP today! Read with ease, no annoying pop-up ads.
V2VOUCHERS.CO.UK is offering half-price deals on a wide range of experiences across the South, from meals out at local restaurants to tickets for some of the region’s biggest events.
Hampshire's Utilita Bowl to host first men’s Ashes Test in landmark
A27 ranks among England’s lower-rated major roads as drivers voice frustration over roadworks
Two men have been arrested on suspicion of assisting HMP Ford escapee Oliver Mazirel
Have your say on Portsmouth’s outdoor places
West Sussex councillors back urgent review of school funding
Four former employees from Southern Water, including the former Chief Executive Officer Matthew Wright, face a charge of conspiracy to defraud
Arundel and South Downs MP urges Housing Secretary to end West Sussex local government uncertainty
Two newly trained police dogs boost drug detection capability across Hampshire and Isle of Wight
Witness appeal after two-car collision near Gatwick Airport
RNLI Float to Live roadshow arrives in Littlehampton
On Air