Plans for six affordable homes in Compton submitted after 10 years of work
Plans to build six affordable homes in Compton have been submitted to the South Downs National Park Authority.
The application from Hastoe Housing Association has been ten years in the making and seeks permission to build on land at the Recreation Ground, on the B2146.
A statement submitted with the application said the homes would be for rent to local people, adding: “MH Architects have been working with Hastoe to bring forward this site for almost ten years, whilst the Affordable Housing Working Group, a sub group of [Compton] Parish Council, have been developing the ideas behind it for much longer.
“This is a genuine community driven and supported scheme that has achieved this support through a local referendum specifically for this site.”
While the housing association and MH Architects have been working on the project for a decade, it’s been twice as long for the parish council.
It started when bids were invited from landowners who wished to offer parcels of land to site affordable homes. While a number of privately owned pieces of land were offered, none were deemed suitable, for a variety of different reasons.
So the parish council offered a half-acre patch of the recreation ground, which was bequeathed to them by the Reckitt family, owners of the Littlegreen estate.
An application to sell the land to Hastoe was made to Fields in Trust – a charity set up in 1925 to protects parks and green spaces.
Once that time-consuming process was completed, the local community was asked for its views on the proposed affordable housing – and the project was “overwhelmingly supported”.
If approved, the development will be made up of two one-bedroom, two two-bedroom, and two three-bedroom houses, all with private gardens and parking.
To view the application, log on toplanningpublicaccess.southdowns.gov.uk and search for 26/04227/FUL.