Pre-application stage
Land West of Billingshurst Road
Devine Homes is preparing an outline planning application for approximately 67 new homes on land on the north side of Ashington village, immediately west of Billingshurst Road.
What's being proposed
- Approximately 67 dwellings, of which 23 (35%) would be affordable housing.
- Mix of 1, 2, 3 and 4-bedroom homes, with a focus on 2- and 3-bedroom family houses.
- 2-storey buildings in traditional Sussex materials - brick, hanging tile, weatherboarding.
- Vehicular and pedestrian access from Billingshurst Road; on-site sustainable drainage with attenuation pond.
- Devine claim it is "compliant with Horsham's Shaping Development Planning Advice Note" - a non-statutory advice note adopted by HDC in September 2025.
Source: Devine Homes' presentation to Ashington Parish Council on 9 April 2026, published by APC on its Facebook page on 10 April 2026.
What stage is it at?
Devine Homes' presentation to the parish council confirmed they intend to submit the outline planning application in early May 2026. The build programme is approximately three years; works would commence within two years of permission. When the application is published by HDC, residents will have 21 days to make their views known.
Where the site sits in the village
The site is on the north side of the village. The western boundary is defined by an existing hedgerow along a Public Right of Way. The eastern boundary is Billingshurst Road. Devine state that the site "directly abuts the built-up area boundary" - meaning it sits just outside it, in countryside designated under the Neighbourhood Plan and the older Horsham District Planning Framework as not for housing development.
Why this site has come up before
By Devine's own admission, they have been promoting this land "for several years through the Neighbourhood Plan and Local Plan". Both routes have rejected it.
- The Neighbourhood Plan rejected it (2018). Site 4: "Land North & West of Oast House Farm, Billingshurst Road" was assessed during NDP preparation and recommended against allocation, with the same reasoning given for the Rectory Lane site - too far from the community cluster.
- HDC rejected it (December 2023). The same broader land was part of the consortium's joint 452-home proposal which HDC rejected in its Reg 19 Site Assessment Report Part IV on grounds of cumulative impact, scale not appropriate to a medium village, water neutrality, and absence of GP services.
Same parties, parallel applications
Devine Homes is one half of a consortium with Taylor Wimpey (and the Diocese of Chichester is the third major land-holder). The two firms are now pursuing two separate smaller outline applications - Devine's 67 homes here, and Taylor Wimpey's 120 homes at Rectory Lane - while continuing to argue for a 400–500-home version through the Local Plan Examination.
What residents can do
The application is not yet live. Sign up for a text alert and we will tell you the moment HDC publishes it. From that day, residents have 21 days to comment.