Care home between Storrington and Washington to replace kennels

The application to demolish the Old Clayton Boarding Kennels, in Storrington Road, and replace them with the care home and eight bungalows was refused in January.

The planning committee at the time had concerns about the bulk and size of the development, water neutrality issues, and felt the application ran contrary to the area’s Neighbourhood Plan.

But, following a number of tweaks and changes to the design, it was given the nod during a meeting of the planning committee on Tuesday (June 20).

As well as the changes made by applicants Highwood Homes Limited and Barchester Healthcare Limited, officers advised members that water neutrality had been proved and there was no conflict with the Neighbourhood Plan.

The application was approved by 11 votes to seven with one abstention.

Several members of the public spoke at the meeting – and most were not happy with the plans.

The idea that water neutrality had been achieved by ‘off-setting’ water saving measures at a care home in Henfield was described as ‘utterly ridiculous’ by one speaker.

A representative of neighbouring Milford Grange Country Park, which sits in a basin left by a quarry, said the difference in land height meant that allowing the care home would be like ‘erecting a seven-storey block of flats 30 metres from your front door’.

Others repeated concerns about road safety, disagreeing with data which reported a low level of accidents along Storrington Road.

And the chairman of Storrington & Sullington Parish Council pointed out that the Neighbourhood Plan had ruled the site unsuitable for development.

There was even an accusation that council officers had not been impartial in their dealings with the applicants – an accusation which the chair criticised, saying their impartiality was ‘never, never in question’.

Officers concluded in their report that the’ benefits arising from the scheme outweigh any identified harm’, adding: “Your Officers therefore recommend that this application for the development of the site be approved, subject to the detailed list of planning conditions and the completion of the necessary s106 legal agreement.”

To view the application, log on to public-access.horsham.gov.uk and search for DC/23/0701.