Green light for affordable homes in South Downs National Park
December 15, 2022
Twenty-five new affordable homes have been approved as part of the redevelopment of a brownfield site.
The Authority’s Planning Committee voted to give the green light to plans submitted by Metis Homes for 69 homes on land at the former Brickworks and current West Sussex County Council Depot site in Bepton Road.
It comes after a previous application was refused on a number of grounds, including overdevelopment of the northern part of the site.
The approved plans now include 12 affordable rented flats and 13 shared ownership houses.
A total of £100,000 is set to be invested by the developer to deliver access and path improvements at nearby Midhurst Common, together with a £12,660 contribution to deliver ecological compensation measures on the Common.
The provision of a public footpath and cycle route through the site is among the benefits of the development. This will safeguard a potential future non-motorised travel route along the former Petersfield to Pulborough railway line. Historically part of the site was the Midhurst Brickworks, famed for producing the ‘Midhurst White’. The brickworks closed in 1985 and some of the original structures remain in situ.
Access to the site will be from Bepton Road, with a dedicated right hand turn lane within the site to serve the existing Household Waste Recycling Centre which will remain in situ. The approved development includes a number of features tailored to helping the environment, including 10% green roofs and provision of electric vehicle charging points for all properties.
The scheme will achieve an approximate site average of 17% reduction in regulated carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions through a fabric first approach and with the inclusion of PV panels it will reduce to a site average of 40.5%. Eight homes will be to Passive House standards and water consumption will be limited to 84.7 litres per person per day.
Kelly Porter, Major Projects Lead, said: “This site is a long-standing allocation in our South Downs Local Plan and it’s great that we’ve been able to work with the developer to reach a high-quality development.
“It will provide much-needed affordable homes for local people.”