Loxwood 223 Homes Backed by Officers Despite 124 Objections

Plans for up to 223 homes on farmland west of Loxwood are recommended for approval, despite 124 objections and opposition from the parish council. Chichester District Council’s Planning Committee decides the outline application on Wednesday 4 November.

The application, LX/25/01686/OUT, is by Martin Grant Homes. It covers land at Loxwood Farm Place, off the High Street. Officers recommend the committee defers it for a section 106 legal agreement, then grants permission.

What is proposed

The site is a series of fields between the village and the Wey and Arun Canal, which runs along its southern and western edges. Only the access is decided at this stage. The rest would come later in a reserved matters application.

The officer report says the scheme includes:

• up to 223 homes, none taller than two storeys
• a children’s nursery of up to 400 square metres
• a “village green” beside the existing public footpath, play space and allotments
• vehicle access onto the High Street through the development already permitted to the south-east
• an upgraded bridleway through the site

Affordable homes

At least 40% of the homes would be affordable. The report sets out the mix:

Five per cent of the open market homes would be custom or self-build plots, and the scheme must include specialist housing for older people.

Why officers back it

Loxwood is allocated 220 homes in the Local Plan, and 165 of those are still to be found, the report says. The site is not one of the allocated sites, but officers say the village’s emerging neighbourhood plan identifies it as suitable.

The council can also show only 3.93 years of housing land supply, short of the five years national policy requires. The report says that means the scheme should be approved unless its harm “substantially” outweighs its benefits. Officers conclude it does not.

The objections

The report records 124 objections from residents after the plans were amended. Among the points they raise:

• far more homes than the Local Plan expects of Loxwood
• not enough doctors, primary school places or buses
• traffic on village roads
• sewage and surface water drainage
• the combined effect of recent building on the village’s character

Loxwood Parish Council keeps the objections it made in August 2025. In comments dated 12 October it welcomed the nursery being added back. It said six months of marketing before the space could be turned into housing was not “a genuine or comprehensive attempt” to find a business use.

Sewage is the sharpest concern. Southern Water told the council its network check showed the extra flows “may lead to a minor increased risk of impact on the sewer network”. It asked for a condition linking when homes can be occupied to any upgrades it makes to the network. Officers propose conditions to that effect, and the Environment Agency did not object on that basis.

What it means for you

• The decision is on Wednesday 4 November at the Planning Committee, which starts at 9.30am. The agenda and reports are online.
• Comments on the application are on the council’s public access system under reference 25/01686/OUT. Our Chichester planning news page tracks the district’s bigger schemes.
• If permission is granted, the homes still need a reserved matters application setting out the layout and design, so there is a further chance to comment.
• Earlier this autumn the committee backed 33 homes south of Farm Close, Loxwood, after the parish council withdrew its objection: see our September planning committee report.