THAKEHAM PC MEETING NOTES FOR 25^th June 2026

Reconsideration of DC/26/0266 in light of the proposed Thakeham Green Project.

This document is for information only. It does not represent a decision that has been made – only the proposal that Thakeham Parish Council (TPC) will be discussing in our open session and inviting opinion from residents.

As Residents will be aware, Bellway Homes Ltd are the owners of the land west of the B2139 Storrington road which is known locally as the Thakeham Mushrooms site. This was a commercial mushroom-growing facility located in West Sussex and operations on this site ceased in 2022 when the facility was deemed no longer financially viable.

The entire site was sold to Bellway homes who have recently been the main developer across the other side of the road, building out what is known as Phase three of the Abingworth development.

Bellway homes put in a Full planning application to redevelop the Eastern side of the site with 247 homes (DC/24/0021). This was Strongly Objected to by Thakeham Parish Council (TPC) and by Horsham District Council. The case went to Appeal (APP/Z3825/W/24/3350094), which Bellway lost last year.

In the first quarter of this year, Bellway Homes submitted a new application for 150 homes which the Council Strongly Objected to at a public meeting in March. Among the main reasons stated from councillors and public feedback was;

• A concern that this would only be a small part of a larger development of the site. Bellway Homes had indicated that the 150 homes would take up approximately 25% of the site and the public were afraid (due to past omissions) that up to 600 dwellings in total could be sought over the next five to ten years on the land to the west.
• Excess Traffic would be created that would have a detrimental impact to an already unsafe road network in Thakeham that cannot support volumes of traffic, speeding and HGVs.
• The impact that the development would have to existing residents in Massey Close due to the proximity and overlooking nature of dwellings.
• Impacts to Wildlife and Biodiversity on and around the site.

Bellway Homes have been keen to develop the site for some time and approached TPC to discuss mitigation options. After months of negotiations and conversations – Bellway Homes have put forward a proposal to the Council – to consider changing our original decision of Strongly Object – to No Objection. This project has been provisionally titled Thakeham Green.

Bellway Homes have offered to transfer approximately 15 hectares (two/thirds of the site) to TPC as Community Greenspace for Recreation and Bio Diversity. This will put a ‘green belt’ around the proposed site preventing Bellway from expanding the number of houses beyond 235 across the entire Mushroom site.

They are willing to work with WSCC to fund all of the traffic improvements that are in the Thakeham Parish Community Highways Scheme (voted for by residents) as well as put in a Pelican Crossing.

They have also redesigned aspects of the estate, so residents in Massey Close are not overlooked to the extent of the original application.

Funds are being placed into recreational development under the control of Thakeham Parish Council.

More importantly, all of these agreements will be written into legal contracts before the planning process, so the Council and residents are protected in years to come from any further attempt to expand on the site.

There are other clauses and conditions which will be discussed at the meeting including allocating an area within the site for a limited number of potential houses in the future. These will be outlined at the end of this document.

Below is an illustration of the concept so residents can see what TPC and Bellway have been discussing and what we will be voting on, followed by some pros and cons that need to be considered as the decision being taken is not just for the next couple of years – but for future planning considerations in Thakeham for the next 5-20 years.

Some Considerations to be discussed at the meeting.

Below is some of the background/context with which TPC will be using to look at the proposal, as planning decisions can be complex due to wider issues. This list is by no means fully comprehensive and only the tip of the iceberg.

In the current climate of national housing shortages, Central Government have instructed District Councils to uplift their house building allocations by 16%-20%. Land is being sought for development.

In planning terms, District Councils produce Local Plans (LP) that allocate areas where development can go and is expected to go. Applications can be turned down if they are not in these plans. Local Parish Councils develop Neighbourhood Plans (NP) to run alongside and complement these plans and act as a defense against speculative development.

However, HDC does not have an up to date LP and as a consequence, TPC cannot draw up a new NP until this is done. It leaves the Parish exposed to speculative development.

Since HDC is not producing enough houses, has no LP – planning officers have been instructed to consider applications and development sites outside of their local plans.

That said, an application would still have to meet the criteria of the Nation Planning Policy Framework in terms of suitability – but it can be harder to defend.

The Planning Inspectorate stated that 247 homes were too much for Thakeham but did not give a sustainable number. These numbers were based on central Thakeham around the Abingworth site, The Street, High Bar and Furze Common houses – but not properly measured against the complete size of the Parish.

This could mean that 150 still may be too many – but it may not. And 100 might not be either.

People need to be minded that if TPC maintain their Strong Objection – Bellway Homes may still continue with the application to force a number. If they receive any permission without our consideration, we will not get any land or benefits and the rest of the site will still be available for further development as the government is expected to relax planning laws to meet national shortages further.

TPC will be expected to participate in the new Local Plan that HDC is drafting. There will be a mandatory requirement for TPC to find areas for housing. The last LP had allocations of circa 150 dwellings as a minimum for our parish. An uplift of 16-20% could mean that we would have to accommodate a minimum of 130 homes in Thakeham over the next few years.

If the Council is proactive in deciding where these homes go (that is the central area of up to 85 dwellings), then the Parish would be capped and have no more development for the next 10 years at least. It is future proofing against further development beyond 247 homes first indicated.

The project will not decrease traffic. It will not install any forms of public transport.

TPC currently has a proposed Highways Scheme going through WSCC. If approved, it can still be a couple of years away from completion due to funding. Bellway homes have offered to finance the scheme and look at the provision of a Pelican Crossing (not in the scheme). This would be built quicker and secure safer, slower roads that could see HGV numbers roll back due to the traffic calming measures being implemented.

Managed Biodiversity. Although some of the area would be cleared which could affect nature that currently resides in the disused buildings – the offer of greenspace and funding means that TPC can establish, manage and curate its wildlife and biodiversity for the benefit of the public and nature. It cultivating specific conservation areas – it will – in years to come, add extra rural protections against any development in the longer term (15 years plus) as these areas (like SSSI) can give protection against development over a 3-9km radius.

Thakeham has taken a large amount of development and has seen benefits in terms of facilities such as the Village Hall and Football and Cricket pitches. It also received large amounts of funding. However, this funding has to be spent within certain timescales and TPC does not own any land with which to spend infrastructure funds to benefit the community. This offers that opportunity.