Agenda and minutes

To receive any declarations of interest from Members of the Committee

DC/16/2856 – Councillor Godfrey Newman declared a personal interest because he attends Horsham Football Club matches.

DC/16/2856 – Councillor Claire Vickers declared a personal interest because she is a member of Southwater Parish Council.

DC/16/2856 – Councillor Billy Greening declared a personal interest because he is a member of Southwater Parish Council.

DC/16/2855 – Councillor Peter Burgess declared a personal interest because he is a member of North Horsham Parish Council.

DC/16/2855 – Councillor Karen Burgess declared a personal interest because she is a member of North Horsham Parish Council.

To receive any announcements from the Chairman of the Committee or the Chief Executive

There were no announcements.

The Development Manager reported that this application sought permission for a floodlit all-weather 3G Football Ground (including main pitch and training pitch), single storey clubhouse, three stands, access, parking and landscaping.  The stands would provide for 250 standing spectators and 307 seated spectators.  During consideration of the application, the scheme had been amended to include 20 metre high netting and posts adjacent to the golf driving range. 

The facilities would serve as the home ground for Horsham Football Club, as well as for use by the local community, including two teams that would be displaced from the Holbrook Club by application DC/16/2855.  The proposal would enable the club to expand, and provide facilities to local schools and clubs. 

Parking for 66 cars, including four disabled spaces, seven motorcycles, two coach spaces and for 26 bicycles was proposed.  Landscaping included filling in part of a pond and extending it in a different direction to compensate for the loss. The site would be fenced off to enclose the facility and to prevent access to the areas of Ancient Woodland to the west. 

The proposal was considered in conjunction with the application DC/16/2855 for the redevelopment of playing fields at the Holbrook Club for 58 dwellings. 

An Addendum to the report had been circulated to Members, which summarised additional representations and comments that had been received, including additional comments from Southwater Parish Council which strongly objected to the application.  The Parish Council had advised that they had referred the application to the Secretary of State. 

The Addendum also recommended an amendment to Condition 20 regarding the submission of an Events Plan, an amendment to Condition 24 regarding hours of use of the Club House, an additional condition to prevent the use of fireworks on the site, additional ecology conditions, and an amendment to Condition 23 regarding lighting.

The application site was located two kilometres south of Horsham and two kilometres north of Southwater and formed part of the Horsham Golf and Fitness Club, close to the junction of Worthing Rd and the A24.  There was a Civic amenity site and Park & Ride facility nearby.   Gate Cottage, a Grade II listed building lay to the north-west, and listed buildings within Denne Park were beyond the golf course to the north-east.  A public footpath linking Horsham to Southwater cut through the golf course.

Details of relevant government and council policies, as contained within the report, were noted by the Committee. Relevant planning history was noted, in particular application DC/14/1090 for the construction of a football ground, which had been refused by the Committee in January 2015 (Minute No. DCN/85 (20.01.15) refers).

The responses from statutory internal and external consultees, as contained within the report, were considered by the Committee.

In response to public consultation, the Parish Council objected to the application.  Worthing Road Residents Group, the Stammerham Amenity Association and Denne Park Avenue Ltd all objected to the application. The Campaign to Protect Rural England also raised an objection. The Horsham Society and  ...  view the full minutes text for item PCN/106

The Development Manager reported that this application sought permission for the residential development of the Holbrook Club playing fields to provide 58 new dwellings.  Two full-sized playing pitches and the Holbrook Club’s main sports facility would be retained.  Buildings would be predominantly two-storey and there would be 14 (24%) affordable housing.  The units would include: market housing comprising four 2-bedroom, 30 3-bedroom and ten 4-bedroom houses; and affordable housing comprising four 1-bedroom flats; eight 2-bedroom and two 3-bedroom houses.

A new vehicular access from Jackdaw Lane was proposed, and there would be two new pedestrian accesses to the site.  Landscaping was proposed throughout the site, including new trees and a landscaped buffer along the western boundary.  Whilst a majority of trees around the site would be retained, two trees would be removed to provide the new access.

Parking for 135 cars across the site was proposed.  Each house would have a cycle store and the block of flats would have provision for bicycles.

The proposal was considered in conjunction with the application DC/16/2856 for the relocation of Horsham Football Club to Horsham Golf and Fitness.

An Addendum to the report had been circulated to Members, which summarised additional representations and comments that had been received, including additional comments from Southwater Parish Council.  

The Addendum also advised that Condition 2 would be amended to allow four years for the commencement of works, and additional conditions would be added to protect the amenity of 44 Brook Road.

The application site was an area of playing fields located within the built-up area of Horsham, approximately one third of the land at the Holbrook Club.  The site was adjacent to residential properties in Kestrel Close to the south, Foxglove Avenue and Brook Road to the north, and along the rear gardens of some properties in Drake Close.  It was behind the tree and vegetation belt between the playing fields and the grassed amenity strip fronting onto Jackdaw Lane.  The character of the surrounding area was residential with largely semi-detached and terraced properties. 

Details of relevant government and council policies, as contained within the report, were noted by the Committee.   Relevant planning history was noted, in particular application DC/14/1091 for 57 dwellings which had been refused by the Committee in January 2015 (Minute No. DCN/86 (20.01.15) refers).

The responses from statutory internal and external consultees, as contained within the report, were considered by the Committee.  As reported in the Addendum, the Council’s Air Quality Officer raised no objection, subject to a scheme to improve air quality; given the sustainable location of the site close to the town centre officers did not consider that additional measures to encourage green methods of travel were required.

North Horsham Parish Council and Southwater Parish Council both objected to the application.  North Horsham Society objected to the proposal and 42 letters of objection had been received.  The Holbrook Club and Horsham Rotary Club both supported the application and 97 letters of support had been received.   Three members of the public  ...  view the full minutes text for item PCN/107