‘We can’t cope’: Anger over increase in housebuilding in Horsham

New figures from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government show that a total of 1,100 new homes were completed in Horsham last year - the highest figure since 2008.

But many residents have taken to social media to complain about the amount of housing saying: “We can’t cope with all these houses.”

People are concerned and angry that new homes are being built without sufficient infrastructure to cope. There are calls for more schools to be built, along with the provision of more doctors and dentists.

Many are also concerned about the loss of countryside around the town with increasing numbers of new homes being built on former green field sites.

“Never has so much been destroyed by so few,” said one.

Celia Allum posted on the County Times’ website that when she first moved to the area in 1978 there were ‘fields of gold’ outside her window. Now, she said, “it’s all ugly house roofs” and the area was “saturated with rabbit hutches.”

Ruth Tyerman called for more school and college places and a hospital and slated the A24 for not being able to cope with extra traffic.

Jane Hetherington Francis said: “I’m sad, this is not what I moved to horsham for. I wanted a market town not a sprawling city.”

Ali Hughes added: “Horrible new housing estates and no fundamental services put in place to accommodate the huge rise in population in the area. Marvelous!!!!”

Andrew Venn said: “Our infrastructure is already crumbling so, I know what, why don’t we build even more houses and put even more pressure on it.”

Jacqueline Hunt added: “No school places, no doctors, we can’t cope with all these houses. I think Horsham has had more than its fair share.”