Hands off our parks!

Hands off our parks and open spaces - that's the message people in Horsham are sending out to developers.
Southwater Country Park. Photo by Derek Martin ENGPPP00320130506171619Southwater Country Park. Photo by Derek Martin ENGPPP00320130506171619
Southwater Country Park. Photo by Derek Martin ENGPPP00320130506171619

Preserving the town’s open spaces is among the top things that people want taken into account in future development proposals for Horsham.

That’s according to findings of a survey conducted by Horsham Blueprint Neighbourhood Forum.

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Other findings show that people are concerned about car parking and housing. They want all new properties to be provided with at least one parking space, a review of town centre parking charges - and want affordable housing to be provided in the town.

The Neighbourhood Forum aims to develop a plan which will form a blueprint for the future development of Horsham.

Initial findings of the forum’s survey show: 98 per cent of people questioned support the preservation of existing open spaces and parks; 84% say all new residential properties should have at least one allocated parking space; 75% say that the Neighbourhood Plan should allocate sites for affordable housing; 67% say that having a say in decisions affecting Horsham is important to them; 54% indicated that the cost of car parking influenced how often they went into Horsham; 45% believed that more should be done to promote Horsham as a tourist destination, although 28% disagreed and 27% have no opinion on the matter.

Andrew Cooke, vice chairman of Horsham Blueprint Neighbourhood Forum, said analysis of the survey findings was ongoing, but would eventually provide evidence on which to draw up a development plan for the town. “While the plan won’t be able to address everything that has been raised, it will seek to maintain and even enhance what people love about the town; whilst mitigating or even eliminating those issues which cause concern.”