Why this is a vehicle for sensitive organic growth

HORSHAM is a very pleasant town and we absolutely appreciate residents’ pride in it.

However, it is widely acknowledged that the country is drastically short of housing, with tens of thousands of young families having no prospect of having a home of their own – and to remedy this the government is determined to press ahead with new projects.

The site is one of nine identified by Horsham District Council and we were approached to submit plans to answer the needs for local housing and other amenities for the town.

As the development company behind one of the options being considered to expand the town we are deeply aware of the importance of sustaining that valued urban environment not only for today’s residents but for generations to come.

These new homes cannot be built just anywhere; they must be located where social and economic considerations dictate that the need is greatest.

That is in the south-east where pressures of space, population and history puts land at a premium.

The possible North Horsham development focuses on an area of low-grade agricultural land on the town’s fringe, and is not an erosion of the green belt or intrusion into countryside villages.

The new homes and employment space built there will complement the existing town, bringing with them a new vigour and prosperity.

This unique low density development will include a Country Park, retaining the flora and fauna and making the land much more accessible than it is now.

Moreover, the development as envisaged will have its own educational and medical facilities, supermarket, affordable homes and open spaces.

The intention is that it will be a vehicle for sensitive, organic growth over a number of years - akin to the residential expansion which our Victorian forefathers achieved with such notable success.

The simple fact is that Horsham, like other British towns and cities, must share the load when it comes to accommodating a growing population.

Liberty Property Trust is proud of its record of helping communities achieve this aim with as little angst as possible.

Those wishing to judge the company by its past works have only to visit the nearby Kings Hill development, West Malling in Kent. This new development has won the company widespread praise for its qualities as a sustainable new community including a valued accolade from highly respected real estate consultants CB Richard Ellis.

Its findings comment on the “very clear sense of community pride” which the Kings Hill project has engendered - putting it ahead of Prince Charles’ Poundbury Village, near Dorchester, as a leading example of modern urban planning.

Kings Hill was also a sensitive site, having been a wartime airfield where Guy Gibson was based.

Throughout the development we acknowledge this, with numerous reminders of the past in the form of sculptures, memorials and art.

It is also very low density with more land set aside for open space and recreation than for buildings and during development we worked closed with wildlife organisations, moving rare flowers and building nesting sites for birds.

I would urge anyone who would like to see the quality of our work to visit Kings Hill, which is less than an hour’s drive away. Or visit www.kings-hill.com