Both plans for fields south of the A264 at Copthorne Common were approved on 15 October: up to 86 homes, 26 affordable, voted 9-1, and a 101-unit retirement village.
Two rival plans for the same fields at Copthorne Common are recommended for approval, despite the land lying outside the village in the countryside.
Updated 30 October: councillors approved both schemes on 15 October, the retirement village by 10 votes to none and the homes by 9 to 1, with two abstentions on each, according to the minutes. Neither permission is issued until the legal agreement is signed. Read the decision story.
One would build up to 86 homes. The other would build an extra-care retirement village of up to 101 units. Both are on land to the west of Courthouse Farm, south of the A264 Copthorne Common Road. Both come from the same applicant, Option Two Development Ltd.
Mid Sussex District Council’s district planning committee decides on both on Thursday 15 October at 2pm, according to the meeting agenda. Officers recommend approval in their reports on the homes scheme, DM/25/3021, and the retirement scheme, DM/25/3020.
The two schemes side by side
Both are outline applications. Only the new access road is being decided now. Layout, design and scale would come later, in a further application.
| Homes scheme | Retirement scheme | |
|---|---|---|
| Reference | DM/25/3021 | DM/25/3020 |
| Size | up to 86 homes | up to 101 units, mostly flats with some bungalows |
| Affordable housing | 30%: 26 homes (19 for rent, 7 low-cost ownership) | none required |
| Who can live there | anyone | people aged 65 and over (or a couple where one is over 60) |
| Extras | 415 sq m play area, public open space | clubhouse with restaurant, salon, gym, yoga studio and pool |
| Representations | 33, of which 32 objections | 29 |
The two applications cover the same land, so they are in effect alternatives for the site.
Why officers back building in the countryside
The reports accept that both schemes conflict with the district plan and with the Copthorne Neighbourhood Plan, which puts the site outside the village’s built-up area. They say those policies now carry “very limited weight” because they are out of step with national planning policy.
The deciding factors, in the officers’ words:
- the council “is currently unable to demonstrate a five-year supply of deliverable housing sites”
- that brings in a national policy saying development outside settlements should be approved where it meets an evidenced unmet need and is “physically well-related” to an existing settlement
- officers judge the site well-related to Copthorne
- national guidance calls the need for housing for older people “critical”, and the council has an unmet need for it
The homes scheme has a further point in its favour. The council added the site to its draft District Plan as an extra housing site for 86 homes in main modifications published on 27 July 2026. The report says that draft allocation cannot itself be weighed in the decision, because the plan inspector has yet to consider it.
The reports accept the change from fields to housing would have “a permanent and noticeable impact” on neighbours. They say it can be softened with landscaping and by keeping the tree belts.
Who objects and why
Worth Parish Council objects to both applications. Its grounds include:
- conflict with the Copthorne Neighbourhood Plan and the emerging District Plan
- a lack of school places, with primary provision in Copthorne said to be “at capacity”
- pressure on water supply and sewage capacity
- an unsustainable location, with harm to the local landscape
Residents’ objections, as summarised in the reports, include the danger of crossing the A264, full schools and surgeries, flooding on low-lying land south of the road, and low water pressure in Copthorne. Objectors also said the neighbourhood plan was meant to stop development south of the A264.
The council’s own housing officer objects to the retirement scheme. They argue that self-contained flats and bungalows are not really a care facility, which is why it escapes the 30% affordable housing rule. Officers disagree. They point to a 2020 appeal decision for an 84-unit extra-care scheme at the former Hazelden Nursery in Albourne. They propose a legal agreement tying every resident to a care package and the clubhouse, plus an age limit.
What the homes scheme would pay for
If the homes scheme goes ahead, a legal agreement would secure payments for:
- Fairway Infant School and Copthorne CofE Junior School
- Imberhorne School and its sixth form in East Grinstead
- East Grinstead Library
- transport improvements on the A22 and A264 corridor
- the Parish Hub on Borers Arms Road and Copthorne Village Hall
- Copthorne Recreation Ground, Copthorne Pavilion, King George’s Playing Field and Copthorne Cricket Club
The sums would be set by formula once the mix of homes is known. If the legal agreement is not signed by 15 January 2027, officers can refuse either scheme.
What it means for you
If you live in Copthorne, the committee is the last point where councillors weigh the principle of building here. Later applications would deal only with the detail.
The full papers are on the council’s planning portal for the homes scheme and the retirement scheme. The meeting is broadcast live on the council’s YouTube channel. To watch from the chamber you must reserve a seat by 4pm on the working day before.
The same meeting will consider a £255,000 cut to the affordable housing payment at Maxwelton House in Haywards Heath. Other schemes across the district are on our Mid Sussex planning news page.
Have your say