Horsham News
The latest Horsham news: planning decisions, council and crime updates, business and community stories, each linked back to its official source.
Top story
Horsham On-Street Parking: £2.10 an Hour From 1 October
Town centre on-street parking goes to £2.10 an hour on 1 October. The carers permit rises fastest, from £22 to £30 a year. Here is the full new rate card.
More stories
Roads
Broadbridge Heath 20mph Plan: 30 Roads, Deadline 1 Oct
West Sussex wants 20mph on 30 Wickhurst Green roads, and a longer 40mph on the A283 at Storrington after a fatal collision. Comments close 1 October.
Community
Horsham Playground Opens at Highwood: Zipwire, Ball Court
The Highwood Riverside play area and ball court are open, with a fort, zipwire and basket swing for under-12s. The hall and pitches have no date yet.
Planning
Pulborough Traveller Site Refused on Train Horn Noise
Six Gypsy and Traveller pitches off Gay Street Lane refused 10 votes to 3, on train horns and vehicle movements. Officers had recommended approval.
Parking
Horsham Sunday Parking: New 2 to 3 Hour Rate, £2 to £5.20
A new Sunday and bank holiday band cuts three hours at The Pavilions from £3.90 to £2. Park View leaves the parking order. Call-in deadline 22 September.
Jobs
Horsham Claimant Count Up 60, Lowest Rate in West Sussex
1,750 claimed in August, the sharpest monthly rise since February 2025. At 2.0 per cent Horsham is still the lowest rate in West Sussex; Crawley is 4.6.
Billingshurst
Billingshurst Pump Track and Play Areas: Comment by 28 Sept
Billingshurst has until 28 September to comment on a pump track, a new Jubilee Fields play area, paths and seating. Early estimates reach £144,000 a project.
Storrington
Storrington Air Quality: Pollution Zone to Go by 2031
Storrington NO2 is under the legal limit at every site for a second year, so the council expects to lift its 2010 pollution zone. Cabinet votes 23 September.
Crime
Horsham Crime Down 5%, Anti-Social Behaviour Up 20%
Horsham had 6,890 crimes in 2025, the lowest rate in West Sussex, but anti-social behaviour rose 20% to 1,594 cases. Councillors see it 15 September.
Planning
Thakeham Flooding: Bellway Built the Swale, Then Applied
Winter flooding hit Abingworth Meadows, Thakeham. Bellway dug a drainage swale before seeking permission. Councillors decide on 22 September.
Planning
Storrington Traveller Site: Officers Back Four More Pitches
Officers back four more Traveller pitches at Fryern Park Farm, Storrington, taking the site to six despite parish objections. Councillors vote on 22 September.
Local democracy
Horsham merger: town says yes, North Horsham says no
Horsham Town Council backed a single council. North Horsham voted to stay separate. The consultation closed on 7 September; the decision is due on 28 September.
Cost of living
Horsham unclaimed benefits: £31m, 9,100 homes missing out
Council papers put £31m of unclaimed benefits in Horsham district, an average of £3,374 for each of 9,100 households. Councillors see the report on 9 September.
Horsham
Horsham's Sam, 11, wins BAFTA Young Presenters 2026
BAFTA named 11-year-old Sam from Horsham a 2026 Young Presenter after live auditions in Piccadilly. He wins a year of interviews, events and industry mentoring.
Swan Walk
Swan Walk Horsham: Carfax Mall open, rest still shut
The Carfax Mall is open again, as far as Next and TG Jones. The Post Office inside is listed open 8.30am to 5.30pm Monday to Saturday. No date for the rest.
Jobs
Horsham Jobs and Skills Fair: 30 September, 3.30pm start
The fair has moved to a weekday evening after last year's surveys: Wednesday 30 September, 3.30pm to 7.30pm at the Drill Hall. Free, drop in, no booking needed.
Community
Wheels for ALL Horsham: autumn term starts 11 September
Friday sessions restart at The Bridge on 11 September, 4.30pm to 6pm, £5 a place and free for carers. Summer's Parkinson's and stroke sessions drew 50 people.
Horsham
Bishopric Horsham: stream goes, work starts January 2027
The stream and birch trees go as planned, the water feature stays, and Worthing Road is cut to save £958,000. Cabinet decides on 23 September.
Housing
Horsham district: 22 social rent homes on 7 garage sites
Saxon Weald would build in Southwater, Horsham, Billingshurst, Steyning, Coldwaltham and Pulborough from April 2027, if councillors release £2.29m.
Leisure
Horsham leisure centres: padel courts, 40 more gym stations
Cabinet is asked on 23 September to find a new operator for December 2027. The report also calls the Broadbridge Heath running track end of life.
Culture
Capitol Horsham reopens 29 November: what £10.2m bought
Horsham's theatre and cinema reopens with panto on 29 November. The first plan was worth £10.7m before a contractor's price rise forced a rethink.
Community
Shelley statue approved for Horsham Park, £57,000 short
Permission for a 2.45m memorial to the poet was granted on 1 July. The fundraisers have £28,000 of the £85,000 they need, and one body objected to the paving.
Business
Storrington tearoom firm in administration, still open
Administrators were appointed to Joanna's Boutique Tearoom on 24 August, and to its Cranleigh company the same day. All three tearooms are still taking bookings.
Planning
Mowbray Employment Park: 977 jobs, comments by 15 Sept
Legal & General's outline plan for Mowbray, north Horsham: up to 59,416 sqm of workspace, 977 jobs forecast, buildings to 16m. Comments close 15 September.
Local democracy
North Horsham votes against merging with Horsham Town
North Horsham Parish Council backed Option 2 unanimously on 30 July, calling the merger rushed. It has £2,000 to campaign. The consultation closes 7 September.
Community
Cootes Pond appeal: £23,000 to dig out 40 years of silt
Horsham's Cootes Pond has dried up again. Volunteers have quotes of £22,700 to dig out the silt and rebuild the bank, and have raised £2,350 so far.
Southwater
Southwater Country Park paddling beach shut into September
The paddling beach has been closed since 29 June after illness reports linked to the lake. The council says it stays shut until at least September.
Jobs
Horsham claimant count: under-25 claims up 19% in a year
1,725 people in Horsham district claimed unemployment benefits in July, up 30 on the year. Every bit of that rise came from under-25s: 260 to 310.
Business
Three Horsham market traders in UK final this Friday
Garden to Jar, Silver Hollow Jewellery and Brownie Alchemy reach the NMTF national final in Stratford-upon-Avon on 28 and 29 August. All three trade in Horsham.
Planning
Horsham Local Plan: 5,500 more homes, comment by Monday
Comments on the district's revised Local Plan close at 11.59am on Monday 24 August. The Call for Sites for the next plan closes at 5pm on Tuesday.
Schools
Horsham GCSE Results 2026: what each school published
Bohunt's first Year 11 cohort got one grade in four at 7 to 9, and Tanbridge beat the county on English and maths. Five of eight schools published nothing.
Warnham
Warnham volunteers pass £250,000 given to the reserve
The Friends of Warnham Local Nature Reserve have given Horsham District Council more than £250,000 since 2017. Their own income hit a record £91,542 last year.
Horsham Museum
Horsham Museum closes 7 Sep for roof repairs, back 5 Jan
Horsham Museum shuts from Monday 7 September until 5 January for roof repairs. Saturday 5 September is the last day in, and everything on ends then.
House prices
Horsham house prices June 2026: dearest in West Sussex
The average Horsham district home sold for £436,940 in June, dearer than anywhere in West Sussex. But annual growth has slid from 4.3% to below zero.
Housing
Elmfield Green Billingshurst: 83 Homes, Move-In January
Bellway's 83-home Elmfield Green is selling now, showhome in October, first residents from January 2027. Its water neutrality conditions are being dropped.
Planning
Pulborough Traveller site: six pitches decided on Tuesday
Officers recommend approving six Gypsy and Traveller pitches off Gay Street Lane, North Heath, over 28 objections and the parish council. Horsham's Planning Committee decides Tuesday 18 August.
Horsham District Council
One council for Horsham? Merger plan, have your say by 7 Sep
Horsham District Council wants views on merging Horsham Town Council and North Horsham Parish Council into one 25-seat council. Both options ward by ward, and how to respond by 7 September.
Swan Walk
Swan Walk reopening: safety netting due on 21 August
Swan Walk has ordered safety netting for delivery on 21 August, followed by a phased reopening. Here is what is trading in Horsham now, and how to reach it.
Recycling
Horsham doorstep recycling: new collector from 4 September
From 4 September, Anglo Doorstep Collections takes over Horsham's free doorstep reuse service and coffee pod collections end. What to put out, and what to do with pods.
Housing
Broadbridge Heath: all 92 new homes could be affordable
Vistry and Hyde want all 92 homes planned south of Broadbridge Way to be affordable, up from 34. Horsham's Planning Committee decides on 18 August.
Council
Horsham council signs two-year AI training deal for staff
Horsham council has approved a two-year AI apprenticeship training contract for its staff, awarded directly without a tender. The cost is not public.
Parking
Steyning car park revamp approved: new layout, fewer spaces
Horsham council has approved a resurfacing and new one-way layout for Newmans Gardens car park in Steyning, with more disabled bays but fewer spaces overall.
Jobs
Horsham district's jobless claimant count holds at 1,730 in June, half the national rate
1,730 people in Horsham district were claiming unemployment-related benefits in June 2026, the ONS claimant count shows. At 2.0% of working-age residents, the district's rate is far below the South East's 3.1% and the UK's 3.9%.
Food hygiene
Horsham district food hygiene ratings, July 2026: a perfect month as all 24 inspected businesses score 5
Every Horsham district food business rated in July 2026 got the top hygiene score of 5, from Cote Brasserie and Monte Forte on East Street to village pubs in Partridge Green and Two Mile Ash. 24 ratings, not one below the top mark.