Kilnwood Vale site between Horsham and Crawley. Pic S Robards SR2201104 SUS-221001-165703001Kilnwood Vale site between Horsham and Crawley. Pic S Robards SR2201104 SUS-221001-165703001
Kilnwood Vale site between Horsham and Crawley. Pic S Robards SR2201104 SUS-221001-165703001

These are the housebuilding sites where new homes are being completed in the Horsham district

Housebuilding in the Horsham district has slowed to its lowest rate in nine years, new figures have showed.

The number of new homes being completed has been steadily on the rise since the country emerged from the 2007-8 financial crash.

It reached a high of 1,369 new Horsham district homes in 2018/19, but the year after this figure dropped to 955.

And in 2020/21, there were 769 homes net completions, despite the global pandemic and multiple lockdowns.

This is the lowest figure since 2012/13, when the number of new homes built was 479.

The data is contained in Horsham District Council’s authority monitoring report for 2020/21.

Previously the annual housing target was 800, but with the Horsham District Planning Framework became out of date in November 2020, HDC’s target moved to its local housing need, calculated by the government’s standard method. This housing need figure has been set at 897 new homes.

While the district has overdelivered on its targets over the last decade, it currently is unable to demonstrate a five-year housing supply.

Of the major development sites in the district, East of Billingshurst delivered the most new homes in 2020/21, with 211 completed that year.

The second biggest contributor to new homes was Kilnwood Vale, between Horsham and Crawley, where 199 were built.

In contrast, just one new home was built on Berkeley’s Highwood site west of Horsham, although when council officers visited, around 30 were around three-quarters completed.

Meanwhile 20 new homes were finished on the West of Southwater development.

Other sites that delivered significant numbers of new homes in 2020/21 included: South of Broadbridge Heath (24), land north of Old Guildford Road Broadbridge Heath (24), land north of Highfield, Stane Street, Codmore Hill (87), west of Mill Straight, Southwater (49), The Old Goods Yard, Christ’s Hospital (19), Abingworth Farm and Nursery in Thakeham (14) and ‘Barmarks’, west of Brighton Road, Shermanbury (20).

And in 2020/21, there were 769 homes net completions, despite the global pandemic and multiple lockdowns.