Saxon Weald would build in Southwater, Horsham, Billingshurst, Steyning, Coldwaltham and Pulborough from April 2027, if councillors release £2.29m.
Seven disused garage sites across the Horsham district would be replaced by 22 homes at social rent, under a proposal going to the council’s Cabinet on 23 September. It needs £2.29m of Section 106 money, and Full Council has to approve the budget before any of it moves.
The developer would be Saxon Weald. Its own bid for £3.08m of Homes England grant is running alongside, and the council’s report makes the funding conditional on that grant being approved (draft Cabinet report).
The seven sites
| Site | What would be built | Start on site |
|---|---|---|
| Ash Road, Southwater | 3 × 2-bed, 4-person houses | June 2027 |
| Eyles Close, Horsham | 2 × 1-bed, 2-person maisonettes | April 2027 |
| Forge Way, Billingshurst | 2 × 3-bed, 5-person houses | April 2027 |
| Kings Barn End, Steyning | 3 × 2-bed, 4-person houses | June 2027 |
| Furzefield Road, Horsham | 2 × 2-bed, 4-person flats and 3 × 3-bed, 5-person houses | September 2027 |
| Brookland Way, Coldwaltham | 3 × 2-bed, 4-person houses | April 2027 |
| Green Meadows, Pulborough | 2 × 1-bed, 2-person maisonettes and 2 × 3-bed, 5-person houses | June 2027 |
The wards affected are Billingshurst; Horsham (Trafalgar and Roffey South); Pulborough, Coldwaltham and Amberley; Southwater South and Shipley; and Steyning and Ashurst.
These are brownfield plots the council describes as underutilised. It says the redevelopment would bring them back into use and improve the neighbourhoods around them, as well as adding housing.
Why the tenure matters more than the number
The 22 homes will be built either way if the scheme goes ahead. What the £2.29m buys is the rent they are let at, and that is the real decision in front of Cabinet.
The report sets out three outcomes:
- £2.29m: social rent. All 22 homes let at social rent, which the council calls the greatest level of affordability available. The council gets nomination rights in perpetuity, so every time a family moves out the home goes back to someone on the Housing Register.
- £1.32m: affordable rent. Saxon Weald has advised it could deliver the scheme this way instead, for a smaller council contribution. Affordable rent can be charged at up to 80% of market rent.
- No funding: possibly shared ownership. The report warns some homes may then have to be shared ownership. The council receives no nomination rights over those, and they are not restricted to applicants with a local connection to the district.
That last line is the one worth reading twice. Without the money, some of the homes could go to buyers with no connection to the Horsham district at all.
What the council says it gets back
The report argues the £2.29m is good value because it unlocks £3.08m from Homes England, so the council’s share buys more than it pays for. It also points out that Homes England is currently prioritising social rent, which is why the more expensive option is also the one most likely to attract the grant.
The council expects a second effect beyond the 22 households housed. New one and two-bedroom homes may persuade existing tenants to downsize, freeing up larger family homes elsewhere in its stock. It says demand is strongest for larger family accommodation but is also rising for one-bedroom homes.
There is a second, quieter recommendation in the same report. Cabinet is asking Full Council to hand the Director of Resources, as Section 151 Officer, the power to make in-year changes to the budget for future Section 106 allocations. At present those have to wait for a budget-setting round. The Constitution would be updated if it is agreed.
What it means for you
If you are on the council’s Housing Register, these are 22 homes you could be nominated for, and the nomination rights last in perpetuity. If you are not, the nearest effect is construction traffic on seven residential streets between April and September 2027.
Nothing is settled yet. The report is a draft. It was scrutinised by the Finance and Performance Policy and Scrutiny Committee on 3 September and goes to Cabinet on 23 September. The money itself then has to clear Full Council, which the forward plan puts on 7 October. The Homes England grant is a separate decision the council does not control.
Each site will also need planning permission in the ordinary way. The report says ward members and parish councils will be engaged through that process, which is where local objections would be heard. Our Horsham planning applications page explains how to find and comment on an application once it is registered.
The officer named on the report is Ailsa Keogh, Affordable Housing Strategy and Enabling Lead Officer, on 01403 215202.
Sources
- Horsham District Council, “Allocation of Section 106 Commuted Sum Funding for the Redevelopment of Seven Garage Sites and Section 106 Delegation”, draft Cabinet report for 23 September 2026, by the Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities
- Finance and Performance Policy and Scrutiny Committee agenda, 3 September 2026, item 9
- Cabinet Forward Plan, September 2026, item 3, decision due 7 October 2026, decision makers Cabinet and Council
Checked against the sources above on 4 September 2026. The site list, unit mixes and start dates are the council’s own table. The council notes that the report was prepared with the support of artificial intelligence tools and reviewed by its author. A companion report on Section 106 funding for renovating five properties was considered at the same meeting and carries a restricted enclosure, so we have not reported its figures.
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