Eight Affordable Homes Approved For Horsham

Friday, 31 January 2025 14:32

By Karen Dunn LDR

Horsham District Council hopes to add eight homes for social rent to its stock by handing £720,000 to a housing association.

Saxon Weald was recently given permission to demolish two pairs of bungalows in Cowfold and replace them with four one-bedroom maisonettes and four two-bedroom houses.

The company approached the council in March 2024 requesting £200,000 of Section 106 money to make four of the new homes available for affordable rent. This money was included in the budget for 2025/26.

Section 106 (S106) money is funding paid by developers to local authorities to help with the cost of everything from schools to roads to affordable housing in areas in which they have been allowed to build.

During a meeting of the cabinet on Wednesday (January 29), Mark Baynham, cabinet member for finance & resources, asked to increase the figure.

He said:

“Following discussions with Saxon Weald, and recognising the need to maximise the number of affordable homes for rent, it’s now possible to deliver this scheme as 100% social rent.

“Saxon Weald, as a result of this, requires a further grant of £520,000, bringing the total grant to £720,000.”

Mr Baynham said that Saxon Weald had received ‘an informal positive steer’ from Homes England about receiving extra money from its Affordable Housing Programme, should the council agree to the provide the full S106 amount.

Cabinet members agreed to include the extra money in the budget, which will be put to the full council on February 24 for final approval.

Sam Raby, cabinet member for housing, said every single one of the homes was ‘desperately needed’, adding:

“To be able to get eight families into decent homes that are affordable is just fantastic.”

Paul Clarke (Con, Pulborough, Coldwaltham & Amberley) praised the project as ‘a good use of S106 money’.

He added:

“It’s a very good example of stuff that we could do, without busting the budget, so to speak, and I hope other occasions will spring where we can do this sort of thing.”