Affordable housing gets the green light in South Downs National Park
December 19, 2023
Much-needed affordable housing will be delivered after plans were approved for three village sites.
The National Park Authority’s Planning Committee voted to give the go-ahead to new development in Easebourne, West Sussex, including the conversion of a listed former school to three new homes.
Outline approval was also given to create up to 1,000 square metres of floor space by the Cowdray Farm Shop and Cafe to provide local employment.
Fifty-eight homes will be provided in total for the trio of sites, which are allocated in the South Downs Local Plan.
Twenty will be affordable and will be primarily rented tenure, including five that will be passive house certified. Two will be offered in the first instance to essential workers on the nearby Cowdray Estate.
The Egmont Road site (below) will provide one- and two-bedroom houses and flats, using a contemporary interpretation of the Victorian and Edwardian properties in the vicinity.
Development on the former school site will achieve a sympathetic conversion and adaptation to the core of the listed building to incorporate three flats, and takes a traditional approach to the new homes. The scheme will reduce flood risk and improve agricultural drainage, as well as improve pedestrian access to the primary school and recreation ground.
The re-development of the Estate Works Yard blends a traditional development on the Conservation Area frontage with a more contemporary approach behind, and includes up to 1,000sq m of new employment space. It will deliver a new pedestrian route connecting through to Cowdray Park and a new crossing on Easebourne Lane.
Naomi Langford, Major Projects Officer, said: “These high-quality proposals respond positively to the characters of the individual sites and immediate surroundings, complementing the village of Easebourne and providing much-needed affordable homes.”