Horsham Novartis: Latest masterplan unveiled

The latest plans showcasing what the future could hold for Horsham's former Novartis site have been unveiled.
novartis horshamnovartis horsham
novartis horsham

West Sussex County Council has put forward its latest proposals as it looks to create a new enterprise park at the site in Wimblehurst Road. For an in depth look see our previous story: Horsham Novartis: What’s changed in latest plans?

The council bought the land which housed the pharmaceutical giant for more than 80 years back in 2016 and initially planned to turn it into a world-leading science park.

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However, in September it unveiled a new masterplan for the area, hosting a two-and-a-half-week public consultation for residents to leave their feedback on the ideas.

Following the consultation planners took on board the public’s advice and created a second version of the masterplan. It was unveiled at an exhibition at the Holbrook Club in North Heath Lane on Tuesday (October 30).

Louise Goldsmith, leader of West Sussex County Council, said: “We listened and responded to opinions following the first drop-in event and I would urge people to have their say in this next phase of consultation. Your feedback is truly valued, so thank you to all.”

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The plans still propose to split the site into three key ares including residential, employment and mixed use zones.

The development will still be business-led with a 25,000m² employment space created in a new area called the Horsham Enterprise Park. Around 300 new homes will also be built at the site along with a community hub.

More than 120 popped down to view the latest proposals this week, quizzing experts on certain aspects of the scheme.

Louise said: “These exciting proposals respect the past, by retaining key features, and look to the future with space for business innovation, family homes and a community hub. We believe they will benefit the existing community and attract new investment into the town.

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“In looking to the future, we also want to move away from calling this ‘the former Novartis site’, and have introduced the name, Horsham Enterprise Park, for the outline planning phase.”

The latest plans will be on display at Horsham Library from Monday (November 15) with the second round of public consultation running until Friday (November 16).

An outline planning application is set to be submitted to Horsham District Council later this year.