A planning inspector has ruled that an application to build 41 retirement flats in Hassocks should be allowed.
An appeal was launched by Churchill Living after Mid Sussex District Council took too long to decide the plans for 68 & 70 Keymer Road.
A council spokesman said: “The council had been working proactively with Churchill on amendments to the scheme. However despite this they appealed for non-determination.
“In our submissions we stated that, had we determined the application in its current state, we would have refused planning permission due to the impact on the character and appearance of the area and the effect of the proposed development on the living conditions of the occupiers of nearby residential properties.”
The council received 21 letters of objection to the plans, with concerns raised including the height and size of the building, the ‘inadequate’ number of parking spaces, and loss of sunlight to neighbouring homes.
Officers had recommended refusal on the grounds that it was over-development and would harm the character and appearance of the area.
But planning inspector John Dowsett decided the development should be allowed.
In his report, he said that it would ‘result in the re-use of previously developed land which the council accepts is underutilised’.
He added: “Taken in the round, the appeal proposal would provide a type of housing for which there is an identified critical need, which could be delivered in the short term on a previously developed site that is well located in terms of access to shops, services, and public transport.
“These all weigh very heavily in favour of the scheme.
“In addition to this are the more modest consequential economic and environmental benefits.”
The development, for the over-60s, will include 27 one-bed flats and 14 two-bed flats in a two to two-and-half-storey building.
There will be a mobility scooter store and 18 parking spaces, 20% of which will have EV charging points. The rest would have ‘passive’ infrastructure, meaning they could be hooked up for EV charging at a later date.
A spokesman for Churchill Living said: “This is a very positive result and we will now look forward to starting work on this new development in Hassocks.
“Delivering new homes in this previously developed, central location will help to reduce the need for greenfield development to meet the urgent demand for new homes locally.
“By giving older people in and around Hassocks the option to downsize, it will also help release many larger, second-hand properties back onto the market for local families to move into, also creating opportunities for local first-time buyers to get onto the ladder.”
To view the application, log on to pa.midsussex.gov.uk and search for DM/23/3114.
