‘Obsession’ with detached houses in approved Pease Pottage scheme

Plans for 95 homes at the former Pease Pottage driving range cleared a final planning hurdle this week.
A fund set up in the wake of the Shoreham air disaster has received more than £15,000A fund set up in the wake of the Shoreham air disaster has received more than £15,000
A fund set up in the wake of the Shoreham air disaster has received more than £15,000

Outline permission for the scheme on land north of Horsham Road was allowed on appeal by the planning inspector late last year following a public inquiry.

Mid Sussex District Council’s Planning Committee approved a reserved matters application for the site on Thursday August 6, which dealt with the appearance and layout of the new homes, as well as landscaping.

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But the council’s design panel felt the proposals still lacked a sense of place and ‘could be anywhere’, argued that roads suffered from being ‘tortuous/circuitous’, and thought the developer seemed to have an ‘obsession’ with detached houses.

It said that the scheme was ‘little better than the original proposal’ and further changes that had been made ‘look arbitrary’.

Colin Trumble (Con, Hurstpierpoint and Downs) said: “I have said time and again that we are concreting over this district and I want there to be something to leave to my grandchildren that I actually feel proud of when I’m no longer here. I’m not going to be proud of this.”

Phillip Coote (Con, Crawley Down and Turners Hill) argued that their urban designer had ‘improved what was essentially a barracks’, while Margaret Hersey (Con, Lindfield) felt that in terms of design ‘beauty was in the eye of the beholder’.

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Planning officers explained that the scheme had evolved through pre-application discussions with the applicant, with significant changes being made to reflect the urban designer’s comments.

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