Target of 3,000 affordable homes set for new market town proposals

JPCT 170912 Countryside east of Henfield. Photo by Derek Martin

Mayfield Market Towns has partnered with Affinity Sutton, which has 57,000 affordable homes across the country, in order to deliver a planned 3,000 affordable units if the new market town is given the go-ahead.

Mayfield lobbied Horsham District Council in June 2012 to include the scheme in its draft Local Development Framework, a report in which is due to be published in late July.

According to the company there is an identified shortage of housing in Horsham, Crawley, Mid Sussex, and Brighton and Hove, which makes getting on the housing ladder or finding real affordable housing in the area difficult.

It also claimed local business growth was being held back by a lack of suitable housing for employees.

Lee Newlyn, a director of Mayfield Market Towns, said “Mayfields is excited to announce our partnership with Affinity Sutton.

“There is a real lack of affordable housing in area and a new market town has the opportunity to deliver new homes at affordable prices for local people.”

Last year Affinity Sutton supported 585 unemployed people into work, including 77 apprenticeships and delivered 3,082 training outcomes.

Kerry Kyriacou, group director of new business and development at Affinity Sutton, said: “Affinity Sutton has extensive experience of working with developers to sensitively develop new communities.

“We are pleased to be a part of such an exciting project, which has the ability to deliver a significant number of much needed new affordable homes in Sussex.”

Mayfield’s plans for a new market town were exclusively revealed in the County Times last year, where Mr Newlyn said they were looking at five new villages as opposed to one large settlement, although he said they would not finalise plans until consultation had been undertaken with local residents.

Each village would have its own primary school with an academy at the centre serving all five.

The firm is currently asking for feedback on its proposals. Email [email protected]

For more information visit www.mayfieldtowns.co.uk

One of the leaders of Hands off Henfield, a group of residents formed to fight off development in the village said last week that residents were ‘horrified’ by proposals.