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You can find out more or read the full document here.

West of Ifield Presentation (June 2023).pdf

West of Ifield Additional Information

You can read the report here: Consultation Summary and Feedback Report.pdf

If you have any questions about the information provided please get in touch at westofifield@homesengland.gov.uk

You can access the FAQs here: West of Ifield FAQs (Updated July 2023).pdf

To view, download and comment on the boards, click here.

You can access the FAQs here: West of Ifield FAQs 9 November 2022.pdf

Our consultation period ends on the 11th November, so you will still have time to give your feedback online, on the homepage board tiles here, which is where you will find the feedback questions!

Can’t attend today? The information boards are available to download from our homepage. Or, email your name and postcode to westofifield@homesengland.gov.uk to receive a sign up link for an online consultation webinar on Tuesday 1st November 7pm-8pm.

Remember, if you would still like to make feedback, please head to the boards on the homepage here and fill out the feedback forms!

VIEW THE CONSULTATION BOARDS HERE. Please view and download the boards, and leave your feedback in the question boxes.

The first day of public consultations are under way at the Apple Tree Centre (RH11 0AF). The event will be running from 1pm until 7pm, and all attendees will have the chance to view the boards, provide feedback and ask members of Homes England questions about the development.

If you can’t make today, we have two more, in-person consultation days:

Day 2

Where: Ifield Barn Theatre (2 Ifield St, Crawley RH11 0NN)

When: Friday 21st October 2022 2pm-7pm

Day 3

Where: Rusper Village Hall (Horsham Rd, Rusper, Horsham RH12 4PR)

When: Saturday 22nd October 2022 10am-3pm

Can’t attend any of the in-person consultations? The information boards are available to download from our homepage, here. Or, email your name and postcode to westofifield@homesengland.gov.uk to receive a sign up link for an online consultation webinar that takes place on Tuesday 1st November 7pm-8pm.

Our consultation period ends on the 11th November, so you will still have time to give your feedback online, on the homepage board tiles which is where you will find the feedback questions!

To find out more about our Ifield Meadows signage strategy, download some FAQs here: West of Ifield Signage FAQs_September 2022.pdf

Providing sufficient capacity to meet 3 years of local housing supply - Local authorities are required to provide enough new housing each year to meet the ‘locally identified housing need’ to help growing communities and the associated worsening housing affordability. Further information on the housing needs and the issues faced by both local authorities can be found in their Housing Strategies ( Crawley and Horsham ).

Based on the standard methodology that all local authorities have to follow, Horsham District Council have identified housing needs to be met over the Plan period. Using this calculation of housing need as a starting point, evidence in the Northern West Sussex Strategic Housing Market Assessment , and taking account of land supply constraints, Horsham District Council has identified a target of 1,100 new homes each year to meet future housing needs.

Providing up to 3,250 homes over the next 15 years, the West of Ifield scheme provides the opportunity to accommodate 20% of Horsham’s overall housing target. By locating the new housing as part of a well-connected, mixed-use scheme alongside new infrastructure and employment opportunities, this reduces the need to find additional land in other parts of Horsham.

Creating the opportunity for Horsham and Crawley to work together: locaI authorities are required by law to work together to meet identified housing needs [Find out more about how local planning authorities cooperate with housing numbers here ]. Crawley cannot deliver the housing it needs and is relying on neighbouring boroughs to assist.

Crawley does not have enough land to meet its future housing needs and requires almost 400 homes a year to be met by its neighbouring authorities . Horsham are planning to accommodate 193 of these within the Horsham District.

West of Ifield is well located adjacent to Crawley to meet some of the unmet need for Crawley and would build on the existing successful joint working between the two authorities locally.

The chart below, taken form the draft Horsham Local Plan, shows that housing needs over the next Plan period cannot be met through developing smaller sites alone.

The importance of strategic sites is clear with more than 50% of the total housing need being met through them. While the West of Ifield cannot meet all this additional demand on one site, it is located where the housing needs are, close to existing regional employment centres and locaI services and is of sufficient scale to deliver a significant investment in new infrastructure that will benefit both the new and existing communities.

Increasing the supply of affordable homes

Affordability of housing across Horsham and Crawley is a major challenge. The average cost of a home in Horsham is more than 12 times the average salary, while in Crawley it is more than 8. The affordability ratios are both above the national average and remain too high. The cost of buying a home has risen faster than wages, leaving many people priced out of the market. A whole generation can no longer afford to get on the housing ladder.

As a consequence, fewer people are able to access the housing market and therefore more and different types of affordable housing (that which is available below market rates) is needed. As a Government Agency, Homes England aIways ensures that housing developments meet the locally set policy for affordable housing. This will see at least 1,130 affordable homes created as part of the scheme. Where possible Homes England will actively work with our delivery partners to explore whether or not the number of affordable homes could be increased in the future.

To ensure the development at West of Ifield helps as many people as possible access the housing market, we will provide a range of affordable housing types for local people, including:

Building homes when they are needed

The housing pressures facing both authorities are immediate.

Homes England is uniquely placed to invest early in infrastructure such as schools and work with a range of partners to ensure that the building of new homes is immediate and can make a meaningful difference over the Plan period. There is a commitment within our Strategic Plan to deliver the first homes in 2022/23 and this is being worked towards while ensuring that our infrastructure delivery strategy and delivery plan accelerates over the Plan period.

Ensuring new homes are fit for purpose

To ensure everyone has access to new homes, in addition to providing affordable homes, we will work with our delivery partners to provide different housing across the development. This will include apartments and smaller homes for people beginning their journey on the housing ladder, specialised accommodation for those in later life and those who need additional support, and larger family houses for those who want space for their family to grow.

To do this we will ensure that different housing types with different space and facilities are built — but all will have good access to sustainable transport, employment, and community facilities. As required, we will make sure that the new homes are built to the relevant standards and that they are accessible to those who have mobility or other accessibility issues.

Homes England is committed to creating well-designed places that are beautiful, enduring and successful. We ensure our schemes meet the standards set out in Building for a Healthy Life and alongside the locaI authorities and the local community we will prepare a Design Code that will set the standards for the scheme.

Find out more about a proposed new neighbourhood to the West of Ifield here .

West of Ifield is at the heart of the Gatwick Diamond and represents a huge opportunity to deliver a new highly sustainable ‘15-minute neighbourhood’ that can address the acute housing need in the area, provide opportunities for existing residents as well as new residents – such as the early delivery of a new secondary school with sixth form – and help spearhead economic recovery in this area, whilst supporting environmental objectives, securing a biodiversity net gain by significantly improving the natural environment and keeping at least 50% of the site as open space.

This summer update is part of our commitment to keep the local community up to date with our Plans for West of Ifield and provides further information on the next steps for the scheme.

Since launching our engagement on the outline plans for West of Ifield in January 2020, Homes England has organised a series of events to inform the community of the plans whilst also progressing the proposals through the formal Horsham District Council Local Plan process . These events took place in January 2020, December 2020, and March 2021. Over this engagement period, hundreds of questions have been asked and in June we published a report, Responding to your questions , to answer some of the most frequently raised points. We have also published a number of topic updates to help people understand why the scheme is needed and how we will address key areas of concern and will continue to do this over the coming weeks.

We are now working on the next version of our plans, that take account of your community feedback, and continuing to engage with the Horsham Local Plan process and local community groups.

Since our last engagement, plans to hold a further series of community engagement events on the emerging masterplan have been postponed following Horsham District Council’s decision to delay publication of its draft Local Plan.

As a responsible landowner and accountable public body, we will ensure that our timetable is consistent with that of the local planning authority, to ensure that the proper planning process is followed, provide certainty to the community and ensure that we can address the immediate housing challenges at the earliest opportunity. We will therefore plan for the next round of public consultation on West of Ifield to take place after Horsham District Council consults on its draft Local Plan, (often referred to as ‘Reg 19’). The next public consultation will cover our final plans for the site, and we hope to hold in-person and online consultation engagement events. More detailed information, including exact dates for the engagement events, will be confirmed nearer the time. We look forward to seeing you then.

In the meantime, if you have any questions about the information provided, the consultation or the proposals please get in touch at westofifield@homesengland.gov.uk or 020 8629 7209.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/West-of-Ifield-109065187186969

Twitter: https://twitter.com/WestofIfield

Now that the engagement period has closed we have published a report about the feedback we have received. The report is West of Ifield Feedback Report Jan 2020 to May 2021 .

A Q&A document which will be updated as the project progresses, is here: West of Ifield Q&A January 2020 to May 2021 .

If you have any questions or any further feedback please get in touch at westofifield@homesengland.gov.uk.

In case you missed the workshops, you can still watch the presentation and read the interim report on the comments made on the plans here Second Engagement Event – Feedback Report and Recording (commonplace.is).

A further round of engagement will take place in the next few months.

In case you were unable to attend, we have attached the recording of the presentation below for your viewing. You will be able to comment on the materials presented here Share Your Views On West Of Ifield – Commonplace.

We have also attached an interim report below which is an immediate snapshot of feedback from the three online public engagement events. A more comprehensive consultation report will follow once the consultation has closed and the information has been analysed.

West of Ifield - March 2021 Interim Report.pdf

The deadline for registration has now passed. However we will be publishing the information we share at the events online at https://westofifield.commonplace.is/ , giving those who are unable to attend an opportunity to comment.

We look forward to seeing you in the coming days and hearing about what matters to you.

Thank you to everyone who was able to attend our Autumn Update event in 2020. During this event we committed to answering all of your questions. You can now view responses to all questions asked here. Homes England - Autumn Engagement Q&A.pdf

Homes England would like to invite you to the West of Ifield Autumn Update West of Ifield - Autumn update invitation.pdf

Homes England new video on Unlocking the potential of West of Ifield: https://youtu.be/wbsFl3ys02U

Information sourced from the Office for National Statistics. The link to the information is provided here.

If you’d like to read more about our plans, please visit our news page here. Over the past few weeks, we have posted updates about our plans for infrastructure, transport, working and open spaces. We are looking forward to engaging with the local community again later in the year. Make sure you are subscribed to receive our updates to stay up to date on all our engagement activities.

If you have any questions about the information provided, the consultation or the proposals please get in touch at westofifield@homesengland.gov.uk or 020 8629 7209.

We have previously published an update about our transport plans for Ifield ( here ), how we will deliver new transport infrastructure and how this will increase active lifestyles and increase the use of sustainable transport. However, we also understand the need to address other infrastructure requirements such as education and health care - two key areas raised during consultation.

Infrastructure was a point mentioned by 25 members of the community in the feedback form responses.

Some of the comments include:

“Uplift surrounding infrastructure to cope with added demands”

“Infrastructure needs improvement”

“Transport infrastructure and hospitals – both are severely lacking in the west of Ifield area”

As part of our plans for the West of Ifield, we want to make sure that the wider community are involved and that local feedback and views are taken into consideration during the design process. To do this, we asked the community to complete feedback forms as part of our consultation. These responses will help to influence the masterplan design. One of the questions asked was “What will help people be healthy and happy in the new neighbourhoods?” The responses to this question are detailed in the graph below.

The feedback form also offered the option to provide ‘other comments’ and answers that were not already covered in the available answers to choose from. Some of these responses include:

“Maintaining existing fields and woodland”

“Trim trails, bike paths, hospital”

"Sufficient parking facilities for visitors”

"Shared spaces. Streets where people can walk, cycle, get to public transport and drive, and where children can play. Gentle density. Interesting housing that people want to live in”

“Local shops, play areas for smaller children”

What work are we doing to understand and respond to the issues raised in this feedback?

We appreciate the points raised regarding infrastructure provision and want to take this opportunity to set out our approach to infrastructure delivery and outline further work we will be undertaking in conjunction with the local authorities and other infrastructure providers to ensure that any potential impacts of new development at the West of Ifield are addressed and that existing communities also benefit from the new investment.

In developing our plans, we are:

We are also designing the new neighbourhoods to meet the NHS Healthy New Towns Principles . As part of this, the neighbourhoods will be designed to maximise active travel and connect, involve and empower people and communities. This is in line with the 79 respondents who thought that an active lifestyle was a key part of helping people be healthy and happy in the new neighbourhoods. We are confident in our ability to incorporate these principles, as we have done so in our Northstowe scheme.

If you’d like to read more about our plans, please visit our news page here . Over the past few weeks, we have posted updates about our plans for transport, working and open spaces. We are looking forward to engaging with the local community again later in the year. Make sure you are subscribed to receive our updates to stay up to date on all our engagement activities.

If you have any questions about the information provided, the consultation or the proposals please get in touch at westofifield@homesengland.gov.uk or 020 8629 7209.

You can find more information about our plans for movement and transport in our Q&A document here.

Over the coming weeks we will be posting more about the key issues that came out of our public consultation. We have already posted an update open spaces and working, available to view on the news page, and we will be providing further information on local services and community infrastructure in the coming weeks.

If you have any questions about the information provided, the consultation or the proposals please get in touch at westofifield@homesengland.gov.uk or 020 8629 7209.

You can find more information about our plans for working opportunities in our question and answer document here.

Over the coming weeks we will be posting more about the key issues that came out of our public consultation. We have already uploaded a post about open spaces which you can view here .

If you have any questions about the information provided, the consultation or the proposals please get in touch at westofifield@homesengland.gov.uk or 020 8629 7209.

We have published a report about the feedback responses which you can find here.

In the coming weeks, we will be updating this website with posts about the main themes raised in the feedback. These posts will show how we plan to respond to comments given in the feedback and ensure that the new homes at the West of Ifield benefit the wider community.

Open spaces

During our public engagement events and the feedback process, we received a lot of comments asking how we will protect areas of high community value and much-loved open spaces such as Ifield Brook Meadows. We understand the importance of these areas to the community and through the responses to our feedback forms we gained an understanding of how we can protect and enhance the setting of these areas.

Protecting these areas was highlighted to us during the consultation process, through conversations with the project team and responses to our feedback form.

One of the questions we asked in our feedback form was ‘ How should the new neighbourhoods protect the environment and respond to climate change’ . The results of this question highlighted the importance of providing open and green spaces.

The community value of open areas was emphasised throughout the questions. We also asked: ‘ What do you think is important in creating new neighbourhoods?’ 171 people thought open spaces were one of the most important principles for the new neighbourhoods, which was the most popular response.

When we asked you which of the design principles for the West of Ifield are the most important and 120 people thought public spaces.

How will we take this feedback into consideration and ensure that the new neighbourhoods protect conservation areas and provide open spaces?

You can find more information about how we will protect the local environment and open spaces in our question and answer document here.

Over the coming weeks we will be posting more about the key issues that came out of our public consultation, including flooding, roads and infrastructure. If you have any questions please get in touch at westofifield@homesengland.gov.uk or 020 8629 7209 .

Homes England has submitted formal representations to Horsham District Council’s consultation on the Draft Horsham District Local Plan. Horsham District Council's initial report on the consultation outcomes can be found here.

We have submitted these representations as a majority landowner and promoter in relation to our land to the West of Ifield, which is identified as Land West of Crawley in the Draft Local Plan. The representations demonstrate how we can help to provide the new homes, infrastructure and employment needed as identified in the draft Local Plan and ensure future development is sustainable. We have also provided suggested amendments and / or additions to some draft policies in the Local Plan to ensure the best overall outcome for the community.

Our representation once again highlights our commitment to bring forward a high-quality new community on land West of Ifield in a way which supports sustainable development in as much it will:

We believe that our site is in a crucial location and offers an excellent opportunity to deliver much needed new homes and infrastructure in a strategic location within the Plan period to meet Crawley and Horsham’s urgent housing needs.

The Land West of Ifield (site SA101) can be built as a stand-alone scheme, delivered in full over the Plan period and has the capacity to deliver a minimum of 3,250 homes. However, our plans show how the West of Ifield site could be the first phase of a larger strategic allocation comprising some 10,000 new homes which will progress over 30 years and create several new neighbourhoods.

The representations submitted to Horsham District Council confirm that the site is suitable for development and set out how we will work in partnership with Horsham District Council and Crawley Borough Council to ensure identified housing needs and wider objectives of the Draft Local Plan are met. We have set out our support and rationale for Horsham District Council’s provision of a large strategic allocation within the Local Plan that allows for the long-term growth for a garden town on Land West of Crawley.

The representations provide further information on some of the questions we have received during the consultation - for example regarding infrastructure, employment and biodiversity. Further information will become available as our plans are progressed.

Following our public consultation earlier in 2020, we want to continue the dialogue with residents about the proposals and demonstrate our commitment to support the creation of these new neighbourhoods throughout the planning and development process.

To read the representations please click here.

A summary of our proposals and position can be found here.

If you have any questions regarding the information in the representations please get in touch at westofifield@homesengland.gov.uk .

You can find the document here .

In the coming weeks, we will be uploading posts to our News Page focusing on specific themes raised during the consultation and feedback.

Don't forget to like us on our Facebook page West of Ifield to keep up to date with the proposals.

You can view the feedback report here.

If you have any questions about the feedback or the proposals, you can get in touch at westofifield@homesengland.gov.uk or 020 8629 7209 .

We are now collecting all of the data from the online forms and paper forms from the engagement events and we will update you in due course. All of the information about the proposals and the public comments are still available to view on the website .

To make sure you're kept up to date on the proposals, stay subscribed and like us on Facebook and Twitter .

Thank you to everyone who has visited, commented or shared our website. Since last week there has been over 1,000 new visitors to the site and 263 new contributions!

It's not too late to take part in the consultation and share your thoughts. Complete our quick feedback survey by 10pm tomorrow (Saturday 15th) to let us know your views on the West of Ifield proposals.

Thank you, and don't forget to follow us on Facebook and Twitter for more updates!

If you don't already, like us on Twitter @WestofIfield and follow our Facebook page.

Thank you to everyone who has already contributed, please continue to share on your social media channels, like us on Twitter @WestofIfield and follow our Facebook page . We want to hear from as many people as possible - get your neighbours and friends involved.

Many of you have said that open spaces that are easy and safe to get around, and are healthy and happy are most important in creating new neighbourhoods.

Do you agree with this? Have you say here.

If you have not expressed your views yet, please do so on the Commonplace website - the survey will be open until Saturday 15th February. Once we have received all the feedback we will compare the data and produce a report of the findings, detailing which areas of the proposals are most important to you as local residents and how we will use this information throughout the process. 

You are receiving this update because you have indicated that you want to be kept up-to-date on the West of Ifield development. If you no longer want to be on our mailing list, you can opt out at any time.

Please share this update using the social media buttons below - we want to hear from as many people as possible.

For more update opportunities, you can like us on Twitter at  @WestofIfield and follow our Facebook page ' West of Ifield ' to stay updated.

Thank you!

If you want to get involved and help shape the development of the town over the next 15 years click here.

As soon as Horsham District Council start the consultation on their Local Plan we will share this too.

It has been 73 years since Crawley was designated as a New Town in January 1947.  Since then fourteen new neighbourhoods have been created, each with their own character and identity. 

Homes England now has the opportunity to continue this tradition of creating new neighbourhoods which provide high quality homes, infrastructure, green spaces, jobs and facilities that will benefit new sustainable and thriving communities. 

Read more about our proposals and let us know your thoughts using our Quick Feedback tab.

Don't forget to like us on Facebook at 'West of Ifield' and follow us on Twitter at @WestofIfield

Our face to face consultation has now finished but you can still comment on our proposals until 10pm on 16 February at https://westofifield.commonplace.is/overview

All the comments we receive will be available to view on our website and we will use these to identify the opportunities and concerns people have raised about the proposed neighbourhoods and use these to inform more detailed plans for West of Ifield, which we will share with you as part of our next round of engagement this summer.

The next round of consultation will allow us to share more detailed information with you about how we will provide the homes that are needed as well as the necessary infrastructure and provide you with an opportunity to tell us what you think.

Should West of Ifield be identified as a preferred allocation as part of the Horsham Local Plan Review, your feedback on our more detailed plans will allow us to finalise our plans for West of Ifield and prepare an outline planning application.

By bringing forward an outline planning application as soon as possible, we can provide the certainty about what West of Ifield means for the existing communities at the same time as accelerating the delivery of the new neighbourhoods and supporting infrastructure to meet the identified housing needs in Horsham and Crawley.