Application to build 108 new homes at West Sussex village near Bluebell Railway

Ashill Regen Ltd applied to Mid Sussex District Council on Friday, March 24, to redevelop West Hoathly Brickworks on Hamsey Road and demolish existing structures.

The application for Class C3 residential dwellings and associated works, includes the provision of an on-site Suitable Alternative Natural Green Space (SANG), access, landscaping and parking.

It was submitted by agent Montagu Evans and is pending consideration.

The design and access statement said: “The land is situated on the northern edge of the village of Sharpthorne, in Mid-Sussex (postcode RH19 4PB), and has been in operation as a Brickworks since the late 1800s. Brick production and quarrying ceased in 2020, and following an extended marketing campaign, the freehold interest was transferred from Ibstock Brick to Ashill Regen.”

The application for the 16.35-hectare site proposes 233 new car parking spaces, 204 new cycle spaces and three new disabled spaces. The proposed units include 75 market houses (two, three and four bedroom homes), as well as social, affordable or intermediate rent properties and affordable home ownership properties.

The design and access statement said the Bluebell Railway borders the site.

It also said part of the plan is to redevelop an ‘unsightly industrial site’ located in the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It shows a large area at the site, which is subject to a Restoration Order. The aim is ‘to deliver a programme of Restoration Works, which have been approved by the statutory regulators’. The design and access statement said: “Ibstock are responsible for these works and remain on site on licence until the works are completed.”

It continued: "Within this land is an SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest), areas of ancient woodland, areas of established reptile habitat and a series of drainage ditches and ponds.”

It said: “The redevelopment of the site is a clear opportunity to protect and enhance the sites’ ecological offering.”

The statement added: “The Restoration Area benefits from an area of ancient woodland, thus a suitable buffer will need to be maintained to ensure its protection.”

The plan shows the site has been divided into three ‘character areas’ – the Green Heart, the Central Boulevard and the Rural Edge.

See the application at pa.midsussex.gov.uk/online-applications by using the reference DM/23/0827.