Horsham delivers ‘emphatic no’ to development of Rookwood Golf Course

Housebuilding plans for the site were first made public by Horsham District Council at the start of 2020 when it put forward the land as a potential strategic allocation as part of its own local plan review.

Since then HDC has revised its proposals to focus housing solely to the south of Warnham Road and include more open space, enhancements to biodiversity and expansion of Warnham Local Nature Reserve.

However these changes are still not enough to win over the many residents and organisations opposed to the project.

In a joint letter, the town’s three neighbourhood councils, Denne, Forest and Trafalgar, say they remain ‘united in demanding that HDC withdraw the Rookwood proposal in its entirety from the local plan and that HDC consults on any future alternative proposals for the area properly in an open and transparent way, taking the needs of residents into account’.

The neighbourhood councils responded individually on various aspects of HDC’s draft local plan last year and more specifically to the Rookwood proposal. Although each council had its own particular concerns they were unanimous in objecting to the inclusion of Rookwood in the local plan.

Since then they have been consulted twice on amendments, and thanks to the overwhelming objections from the public and stakeholder organisations the amount of housing has been reduced and some of the existing green spaces are proposed to be preserved.

But the letter goes on to say: “None of these amendments have changed our opinion; that building on Rookwood at all would be irrevocably detrimental to the residents of Horsham.

“The Covid-19 pandemic has brought profound changes to the lifestyle and needs of many Horsham residents. Home working – which has surged this year – is unlikely ever to return to pre-Covid levels and the pressure on home life has led to a huge increase in demand for local open spaces.

“Our existing green spaces are therefore exceptionally valuable and Rookwood contributes a third of the green space in the town area. The future needs of our residents – particularly their physical and mental wellbeing and easy access to green space – must be properly taken into account.”

Their letter raises four main points.

Firstly, they cannot agree the current golf usage has reached the end of its natural life and the course cannot be described as ‘surplus to requirements’.