Decision due on 32 Barns Green homes next to Sumners Pond Fishery and Camspite

If approved, the application, from The Hunter Group and The Smith Family, will include six commercial buildings and a reception building on land at Sumners Ponds, in Chapel Road.

The committee will meet on Tuesday (December 6) and the recommendation from officers is to approve the plans.

Twelve of the new homes would be classed as affordable and would be made up of six one-bedroom and two two-bedroom flats and four three-bedroom houses.

The rest would comprise two two-bedroom, nine three-bedroom and one four-bedroom semi-detached houses and eight four-bedroom detached houses.

The commercial buildings would total more than 1,000sqm of space, with up-and-over doors and a reception unit.

They would be parking for 94 cars, including five disabled spaces.

A report to the committee acknowledged that the site had been selected for housing in the emerging Barns Green and Itchingfield Neighbourhood Plan.

It added: “It is considered that the design and appearance of the dwellings and commercial units and reception building are acceptable and provide an attractive development that would make best use of this brownfield land site within the countryside.”

The application is being heard by committee because there have been more than eight representations contrary to the officer recommendation as well as being at the request of the area’s district councillors, Stuart Ritchie and Tricia Youtan.

To view the application in full, log on to public-access.horsham.gov.uk and search for DC/21/2697.