COUNCILLORS who voted to allow Berkeley Homes to get away with building just 20 per cent instead of 40 per cent affordable homes on land east of the A24, will doubtless make similar concessions for development west of the A24.
In so doing they will boost the developers' profits at the expense of local people.
Hitherto, these very same councillors have sought to justify controversial development on countryside 'West of Horsham' by claiming that 2,000 houses had to be bui
lt there in order to provide affordable homes for 'local people' to enable them 'to stay in the area they were born' (WSCT 19 Jan 07).
What short memories these seemingly gullible councillors have. Instead of giving in to pressure from the developer they should have insisted that it met its obligation to provide 40 per cent affordable homes, assuming of course that the promised affordable homes really are for local people.
As reported in the WSCT, Horsham District Council (HDC) has previously made questionable concessions to Berkeley Homes.
In 2006, HDC approved controversial proposals to develop Summers Place, Billingshurst. Not only did HDC permit Berkeley Homes to build a new regional headquarters building close to the Grade II listed house, but it also waived £1,087,908 (63%) of the £1,725,914 assessed as an appropriate contribution from Berkeley Homes towards the cost of infrastructure necessitated by the development.
Shortly after HDC approved the planning application for Summers Place, Berkeley Group, of which Berkeley Homes is the largest division, announced that it would return £242 million to shareholders.
Once again, Horsham District Council has made an ill-judged decision, which will enable a developer and its shareholders to profit at the expense of local people.
The developer can afford to pay for affordable homes; it should be made to pay. There should be no development West of Horsham without 40 per cent affordable homes for local people.
Dr R F Smith
Bashurst Copse
ItchingfieldHorsham
