Horsham Growth Deal

Horsham Growth Deal supports the delivery of shared priorities for West Sussex County Council (WSCC) and Horsham District Council (HDC) and is the foundation for the Horsham Growth Programme which is the operational arm of the partnership.

These priorities aim to support the delivery of new homes through strategic sites, improve sustainable transport and community infrastructure to integrate new communities with the town centre. The Growth Programme also supports the development of new employment space and associated jobs, boosting local economic growth and secure funding and investment opportunities in Horsham district.

As the current deal is ending its five-year cycle, partners are working together to revisit the programme’s priorities as Horsham district overcomes the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, budget pressures, the climate crisis and the increasing requirement for businesses to review the way they work.

Priorities

This 'District Deal' sets out a joint undertaking between Horsham District Council and West Sussex County Council to combine resources to deliver shared priorities, enabling the planned delivery of new homes, commercial space and jobs in the district, securing the infrastructure to support new development and economic growth and seeking to secure new funding opportunities for the town.

The shared strategic growth priorities are based on those set out in the Horsham Place Plan.

West and North of Horsham Developments

The West of Horsham Infrastructure Package has delivered four significant highway junction improvements and will continue to work towards the delivery of primary, secondary and sixth form education and other infrastructure developments, including library improvements. These improvements will support the delivery of the major housing and employment allocations.

Furthermore, the North of Horsham developments will provide up to 4,750 new homes, employment and community spaces in addition to new and expanded schools.

The Growth Deal focuses on the implementation of the comprehensive infrastructure packages that support the delivery of housing and economic growth at those locations and integrate them with Horsham Town. This includes strategic highway and sustainable transport improvements and securing the delivery of education sites.

Horsham Town Centre

The Growth Deal provides the framework for the creation and delivery of the Town Centre Vision and the Horsham Town Centre Public Realm Strategy and Design Guide to promote and sustain Horsham Town Centre and to maximise investment opportunities for identified development sites in the town.

The Horsham Town Centre Public Realm Strategy was adopted by the council in March 2021 to support the Horsham Town and the development of an investment strategy and delivery plan.

Hurst Road

The Hurst Road opportunity focuses on the redevelopment options at the current Hurst Road site including the Fire and Rescue Service, Ambulance and Police stations, Ministry of Justice courts, Youth Centre and Training Centre. The site benefits from One Public Estate funding secured to investigate Land Assembly and Options Appraisal. This will support potential opportunities on site such as residential, employment space and the re-provision and consolidation of existing public services both on and off-site.

A key element of the site comprises the old WSCC Fire and Rescue Station site, which has now re-located to a new, purpose-built facility at the A24 and the Ambulance Station, with partners investigating options for the future use of these sites.

Horsham Enterprise Park

The development of a new employment and residential quarter in the heart of Horsham on the former Novartis site on Parsonage Road. Outline planning permission is in place for 25,000 square metres of new employment space and 300 new homes, with related community facilities, cycle and pedestrian links, landscaping and public realm works.

Horsham Enterprise Park will be developed in stages over the next few years, with West Sussex County Council having undertaken a series of site enabling and demolition works and having appointed Muse Developments as a development partner to take forward the successful delivery of the site.