Decision due on detailed plans for 200 homes near Lindfield

Outline planning permission for land south of Scamps Lane off Scaynes Hill Road was granted on appeal after being refused by Mid Sussex District Council back in 2016.

The scheme includes a new primary school and 9.5 hectare country park and the site is next to the Heathwood Park development already underway.

Now a reserved matters application for the 200 homes and country park has been submitted and is set to be discussed by the council’s district planning committee next Thursday (January 14).

This application does not include the school site, which will need to be come forward separately.

Southern Housing Group, a not-for-profit registered housing provider, is behind the development which has been named ‘Walstead Park’.

The 200 homes would be split up into 16 one-bed apartments, 28 two-bed apartments, 30 two-bed houses, 73 three-bed houses, 45 four-bed houses and eight five-bedroom houses.

A total of 35 per cent affordable housing is proposed, equating to 70 dwellings in total.

Including garages the development would have 429 car parking spaces, of which 50 would be unallocated for visitors.

A community orchard would be planted at the front of the site and there would be a bridge across the water course leading west for pedestrians, cyclists and emergency access.

The country park to the south and east of the site would link to the Ouse Valley Way, a footpath leading to Lyoth Lane and the lane leading to the Snowdrop Inn.

A total of 26 objections have been lodged by residents, who raised concerns about the development not being in keeping with the character of Walstead, inadequate infrastructure, the disruption caused by construction, increased traffic, damage to the environment, potential for flooding, poor access to the village and the design of the buildings.

The Lindfield Preservation Society has described the proposed designs of the homes as ‘alien’ with the development representing an ‘urban intrusion on a large scale into the rural setting of the adjacent hamlet of Walstead’.

Lindfield Rural Parish Council has raised similar points suggesting the design of the scheme is ‘very urban’.

But according to MSDC planning officers: “It is considered that the scheme benefits from a well-considered and thoughtful layout that, alongside the proposed contemporary approach will create a distinctive and high-quality development.

“The proposed scale of the buildings is appropriate to the site and its setting and it is considered that the scheme, when considered holistically alongside the comprehensive landscaping proposals, will make a positive contribution to the character and appearance of the area.”