Care home with 66 beds in Sayers Common approved by Mid Sussex District Council

The application from LNT Care Developments was given the nod during a meeting of the planning committee on Thursday (January 19).

The two-storey home will be built on land to the west of Goldcrest Drive, with parking for 25 cars and eight bicycles.

The site has quite a lively planning history.

An application for 120 homes was refused by the council in 2012 only to be appealed, approved by a planning inspector, refused by the Secretary of State, appealed and won in the High Court, refused again, challenged at judicial review and finally approved in 2017.

That same year, outline plans for 40 homes and an extra-care facility were approved by the council.

And plans for a 70-bed care home were approved in December 2021.

The council received two letters objecting to the latest plans, with concerns such as ‘woefully inadequate’ parking and Sayers Common not being suitable for a care home.

But there was no objection from the county highways team when it came to parking, and the principle of a care home on the site was already well established.

The design of the building could have been a sticking point but councillors agreed that it was much better than previous offerings.

The application was given unanimous approval.

A spokesman for LNT Care Developments said: “The development [will] represent a multi-million pound investment in Sayers Common and create significant employment, with 50 to 60 jobs, including training schemes, being created for local candidates.”