Asbestos-clad town centre garages to be demolished for affordable housing

Funding has been approved to enable a set of garages in a town centre to be developed into affordable housing.

Horsham District Council has signed off the proposed development of nine affordable homes on the site at Dukes Square.

The location is currently occupied by a garage block that is no longer in use.

Councillor Sam Raby, cabinet member for housing and communities at Horsham District Council, said: “I am delighted that we have approved the funding for this new development to provide these much-needed homes for local households on our housing register right in the heart of Horsham town.”

Two of the homes provided will have additional accessibility features for people living with disabilities, something Cllr Raby said was “fantastic” as there are “very few available”.

The site was originally identified by the council as having potential for development in 2019.

It is no longer required in its present use, while the buildings are in poor condition and clad in asbestos.

The development will consist of five one-bed flats and four two-bed flats, built in three separate blocks.

Funding for the scheme will be allocated to Horsham District Homes, the council’s housing company, which was created to provide affordable rented homes on council-owned land and smaller development sites.

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The provision of affordable housing at Dukes Square is included as a key objective in the Council’s new 2026/27 Annual Plan.

Cllr Raby added: “Our new Housing and Homelessness Strategy has a strong focus on delivering more affordable homes for rent which will reduce the reliance on temporary accommodation and help prevent homelessness.”

Planning consent for the site was previously granted in October last year.

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