Councillors voted 9-3 on 15 October to cut McCarthy Stone's affordable housing payment for 50 Boltro Road flats from £913,000 to £658,000, with a late review.
The developer of 50 retirement flats on Boltro Road in Haywards Heath should be allowed to pay £255,000 less towards affordable housing, council planning officers say.
Updated 30 October: the district planning committee agreed the cut on 15 October by 9 votes to 3, according to the minutes. The deed of variation must include a late-stage viability review when 75% of the flats are sold or let, so that a further payment is due if the scheme makes more money than forecast.
McCarthy and Stone Retirement Lifestyles is building on the site of the former Maxwelton House, at 41 to 43 Boltro Road. Its legal agreement with Mid Sussex District Council requires a payment of £913,000 towards affordable homes elsewhere in the district. Officers recommend cutting that to £658,000.
The figures are in the officer’s report for application DM/26/0679. The district planning committee decides on Thursday 15 October at 2pm, according to the meeting agenda.
The company first asked to pay nothing
The application, as first submitted, asked for the affordable housing payment to be cut to nil. The £658,000 figure came out of negotiation, the report says. The council’s own viability consultant reviewed an updated financial assessment from the company and considers the reduction acceptable. The council’s principal housing enabling officer supports it.
The report calls the reduction “regrettable” but says it complies with the district plan’s affordable housing policy, which allows lower payments where a scheme can be shown to be unviable.
Why McCarthy Stone says it cannot pay
The company’s covering letter, quoted in the report, gives three reasons:
- rises in the cost of materials and labour have “dramatically” increased the build cost
- the retirement housing market is going through “a period of stagnant growth, far below that of open market housing”
- other savings have already been made, including a change of materials the council approved in December 2025, which swapped glazed balcony screens for railings
The letter says all works on the site “have regrettably been ceased”. The officer’s report, written later, says works “are progressing on the site”.
What has already been paid
The scheme was approved under application DM/22/2218. Its legal agreement also required six other payments, and the report says all of them have been paid in full:
| Contribution | Amount |
|---|---|
| Health | £58,573 |
| Total Access Demand (transport) | £66,335 |
| Formal sports | £28,941 |
| Local community infrastructure | £28,964 |
| Community buildings | £25,522 |
| Libraries | £14,547 |
| Total paid | £222,882 |
Only the affordable housing payment is outstanding. Under the agreement, half was due before above-ground building started and half before anyone moves in.
The money could still go up
If councillors agree, the deal includes a late check on the scheme’s finances. It would happen once 75% of the flats have been sold or let. If the flats have made more money than now forecast, a further affordable housing payment would be due.
The first half of the reduced sum, £329,000, would have to be paid within 10 days of the new legal agreement being signed.
What it means for you
Payments like this one fund affordable homes elsewhere in Mid Sussex, because the Boltro Road flats themselves include none. A smaller payment means less money for that.
You can read the papers for application DM/26/0679 on the council’s planning portal. The committee meeting is broadcast live on the council’s YouTube channel. Anyone wanting a seat in the chamber must reserve one by 4pm on the working day before.
The same committee meets on the same afternoon to consider two schemes for up to 86 homes or 101 retirement units at Copthorne Common. Affordable housing is also missing from the Clair Hall plan going to cabinet on 12 October: its 39 homes include none.
For more on what is being built across the district, see our Mid Sussex planning news page.
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