Project at Rookwood Golf Course revised

There has been much comment in these pages about the district council’s ideas for the land in Horsham at Rookwood.
The site at RookwoodThe site at Rookwood
The site at Rookwood

Two things have been very clear: people want more accessible open space that they can reach easily and they want to protect our wildlife, and especially protect Warnham Local Nature Reserve, which is next to the site.

My colleagues and I have listened to the passionate arguments that have been made and as a result the project has been significantly revised.

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Currently (or in normal non-Covid times) access to the majority of land at Rookwood is limited to people playing golf and those numbers are not large.

The plan is to create a new country park with space and pathways for everyone to use and to enlarge the nature reserve.

The council already has close links with Sussex Wildlife Partnership and it, together with the Friends of Warnham Local Nature Reserve, would be very involved in the project.

There would be a site for a new primary school if required, but no housing at all on the northern part of Rookwood. (i.e. north of Warnham Road, adjacent to the nature reserve).

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The creation of a new park of this size does not come without cost and part of the proposal does include housing, but this will only be on 48 acres (28 per cent) of the whole 170 acre site.

It would provide finance for the country park plan and some help towards the high housing numbers that the Government requires the council to build.

Houses are expensive in this part of the country and this project would include over 250 affordable homes to buy or rent, alongside a further 500 eco-friendly, low carbon homes, all in an open garden setting.

It would not be a conventional development but one designed to be less car-centric to complement the existing trees and landscape, creating an attractive place to live.

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The revised plan also protects areas of concern e.g. Boldings Brook and the Red River, with no building on what is currently the 15th golf fairway, creating additional open space with new landscaping and ponds, which will alleviate current flooding issues in Redford Avenue.

These proposals not only address the strong desire to provide a new area for open public access close to Horsham town and some key housing challenges for our district, but also offer a real opportunity to provide something quite special.

Cllr Jonathan Chowen

Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Leisure & Culture

(Cowfold, Shermanbury and West Grinstead Parishes)

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