Work set to begin on final phase of Horsham town centre development

Works to redevelop a major Horsham town centre building are finally set restart - four years after they began.
Bishops Weald House SUS-180820-175913001Bishops Weald House SUS-180820-175913001
Bishops Weald House SUS-180820-175913001

The Bishops Weald building has become a forgotten landmark in the town with a multi-million pound scheme to rejuvenate the site left unfinished for more than two years.

Developers were set to transform the structure into new restaurants and shops whilst also creating 53 new flats above the units.

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Works to create the flats were ‘put on hold’ in 2017 following the completion of the retail side of the development and two years on no further construction has taken place.

However, the long wait for the site to be completed may be about to come to an end after property developer Berkeley Homes confirmed it will be taking on the final phase of the scheme.

A spokesman for the firm said: “Berkeley Homes is pleased to be starting construction on an apartment scheme at Bishops Weald House in Horsham, with an intended start this summer. We anticipate that the project will take two years to complete and construction on the external facade should be finished by the middle of 2020. We anticipate that the apartments will be completed by summer/autumn of 2021.”

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The redevelopment of the Bishops Weald building started in 2015.

The unit which had been home to McDonalds for 25 years was torn apart and remodelled whilst the roof of the building was demolished to make way for the flats.

In March 2017 - a year-and-a-half after the works began - the retail phase was completed and several businesses including The Gym Group and Dreams have since moved into the site.

Following the completion developers Arcus PD said construction would be put on hold ‘for a few months’ whilst it found a firm to take on the construction of the flats. Two years later works are now set to recommence.

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The Bishops Weald development was part of a greater scheme set to rejuvenate the western end of the town centre.

In 2014 several planning applications were approved for the area which have since seen the creation of the John Lewis and Waitrose stores in Albion Way and the replacement of the Lifestyle Ford garage and Horsham Bowling Club with short-stay temporary accommodation.

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