Horsham District Council is pleased to announce it has been successful in its defence of an appeal to build more than 200 homes in the District.
Bellway Homes had applied to build 247 new homes at the Thakeham Mushrooms site in Thakeham and this was originally refused planning permission by the Council in July 2024. The appeal against the Council’s decision to refuse this application was heard at an informal hearing in March 2025 and then again in May 2025, following an adjournment.
The Planning Inspectorate has now dismissed the developer’s appeal, upholding the original decision of the Council and endorsing our findings, that the site is not sustainably located for the addition of 247 homes.
Given the limited facilities within the village and the distance to key services such as Thakeham Primary School the application, if permitted, would have meant residents were highly reliant on car travel for their everyday needs. Concern was also raised that 247 homes would represent a significant expansion to Thakeham, which is classified in the Horsham District Planning Framework as a ‘small village’, which supports the Council’s efforts to seek to protect Horsham District against inappropriate, speculative development.
Furthermore, the Inspectorate awarded the Council partial costs for the unreasonable behaviour of the appellant in submitting late evidence, which resulted in the initial adjournment of the hearing. The Council would like to thank Thakeham Parish Council and West Sussex County Council Highways for their help with this appeal and their participation at the hearing.
Horsham District Council Cabinet Member for Planning and Infrastructure Cllr Ruth Fletcher commented: “This is an important decision that upholds the Council’s approach to ensuring development is sustainably located and does not overwhelm our smaller communities.
The Council supports good developments in line with the policies in our Horsham District Planning Framework local plan and the National Policy Framework but will continue to reject applications where the disadvantages significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits.
“The Council has successfully defended a string of appeals for rural development recently, highlighting the fact our current local policies are robust and stand up at appeal.
“Officers continue to work extremely diligently, with the support of expert advice from statutory consultees and input from local communities.”