Plans for Horsham's Novartis site to go on display

West Sussex County Council has drafted proposals to create a mixture of new housing and space for business at the former Wimblehurst Road site.

The plans will be available to view at the Holbrook Club in an information event later this month and the public are being asked to give their feedback.

The county council, which bought the site for £16m in December 2016, is looking to turn two-thirds of the space into commercial buildings whilst the rest will be made into houses. The 1930s Art Deco building will be retained.

Following on from a community stakeholder event, held in July, the draft plans are set to go on display at the sports and social club, in North Heath Lane, on Wednesday September 26. Experts will also be on hand to answer questions and listen to feedback from 4pm until 9pm.

Louise Goldsmith, county council Leader, said: “We believe the exciting proposals for this prime Horsham site present a great opportunity to provide a mixture of much needed, high-quality business space and new homes - but we really want to hear what people think about them. Feedback from this public consultation will be invaluable.”

The event

The council says it is looking to submit an outline application later this year and work is not expected to start on the site before 2021. It could take around five years to complete.

Those who cannot attend the event will be able to view and comment on the proposals online via the county council’s Have Your Say consultation hub from September 26.

What do you think? Send your views to [email protected]