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West of Horsham Development:
The deal between
Horsham District Council and Berkeley Homes
Berkeley Homes are the developers of the eastern
portion of the huge West of Horsham Development
scheme.
In
June 2009 Horsham Council’s Development Management
Committee considered and approved a
report from
its officers
summarizing discussions which had been held with
Berkeley Homes regarding their assertion that the
development east of the A24 was no longer viable on
the basis of the package of community benefits
required by the Council. The report recommended that
Berkeley’s liabilities in this respect be both reduced
and capped. The Report drew on the view’s of the
independent District Valuer to support the officer’s
assessment of what was affordable if the development
was to proceed as planned.
Given
the importance of the District Valuer’s report to the
Council’s case the Horsham Society made a request on
23 June for a copy under the Freedom of Information
Act. This was refused on 20 July. We lodged an
appeal on 22 July and received a further refusal on 5
August.
We
therefore referred our request to the Information
Commissioner who advised the Council that it should
comply with our request and provide a redacted copy.
The Council accepted this advice and in a letter of 15
October provided a heavily redacted copy of the
District Valuer’s report.
The Society
wrote to the Chief Executive on 18 October
questioning the way in which the District Valuer’s
report had been used in support of the officers’
recommendation .
The Chief Executive
responded on 23 November. You can read the redacted
District Valuer’s report at
http://tinyurl.com/y9leaoz .
Early in March 2010 the Council’s plans
were thrown into disarray when the plans were put on
hold when the Development Management Committee was
faced with two new factors: the news that the
Secretary of State had dismissed two appeals for
similar developments which failed to provide 40%
affordable housing, and Countryside Properties (who
are due to develop the site to the west of the A24)
saying that they expected to be treated on a par with
Berkeley Homes.
Countryside’s intervention was inevitable following
the Council’s favourable treatment of Berkeley Homes.
Now we are told by the West Sussex County Times (16th
April) that Berkeley homes are prepared to find up to
£7.25m in the period up to 2020 for additional
affordable housing.
Taken together these developments vindicate the
Horsham Society’s view that the Council, in declining
to take heed of the District Valuer’s independent
advice, had failed to get the best deal for the
residents and Council Taxpayers.
HDC Development Management Report»
Society's letter to HDC 18.10.2009»
HDC's reply 23.11.2009»
External link to District Valuer's report»
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