Demolition of glasshouse for seven new houses in West Sussex village approved

The new houses will be built at the former Hillside Nursery site in Bury.

Office space will also be allocated as part of the building works.

The site is currently comprised of existing dilapidated glasshouses and associated horticultural structures which formed Hillside Nurseries, a garden centre retail business which has since closed.

The site is currently vacant, having previously been used for horticultural retail as a garden centre. The proposals seek to maintain employment use within the site, whilst also providing additional residential dwellings.

The new development will comprise of seven residential houses which will include two four-bed houses, three three-bed houses and two two-bed houses.

The two-two bed houses will be provided as affordable dwellings whilst the remaining five houses will be open market.

The commercial element consists of a total of 650 square metres divided into seven units of varying sizes to be used for creative craft industries or office use.

The plans have proved to be controversial among residents with many writing into the South Downs National Park Authority both for and against the development with 15 in support and 25 objecting.

One of those in support was Rita Mannion who said: “The plan put forward with the offices/workspace brings local investment to the village along side the residential need for the affordable houses for younger families of the village.

"This development will also hopefully provide the school with more children, the church with more parishioners, which will all enhance the Bury Community and make use of the Village Hall.

“This will make a lovely place to be able to work and live, nestling within the base of the South Downs with its natural beauty maintained.”

However the sentiment was not shared by Sean Friedman who said: “I feel that there are too may houses proposed on the site and if there were fewer dwellings I think the overall proposition would be more acceptable.”

To view the full application visit the South Downs National Park Authority’s planning portal using the reference: SDNP/21/05619/FUL