Horsham District Council has given the go-ahead for a development of 74 residences in Ashington.

Penn Gardens Ltd submitted the proposal for a parcel of land situated to the east of Mousdell Close, which secured approval from the planning panel on Tuesday 17 March.

Council members considered 147 letters of protest regarding the scheme, with worries expressed about excessive construction, reduction of open areas, pedestrian safety, traffic buildup and waterlogging issues.

Opposition also centred on the fact that the land had not been designated for residential use within the Ashington Neighbourhood Plan, with the Parish Council submitting its own formal objection to the proposal.

The objection maintained that disregarding the adopted Plan seriously weakens the principle of enabling communities to guarantee appropriate development occurs in appropriate locations within the village – a central component of the Localism Act 2011.

The parcel appears in the district council’s draft Local Plan, which proposes a minimum of 75 dwellings – although that Plan will not undergo examination by the planning inspector until April.

Nevertheless, this still holds significance when determining a planning application, as does the council’s inability to prove it maintains a five-year supply of developable land.

Alan Manton, representing the independent ward of West Chiltington, Thakeham and Ashington, noted that the Neighbourhood Plan was less than five years old and already contained site allocations that had fulfilled Ashington’s housing target through to 2031.

He warned committee members that endorsing this application would not merely jeopardise a single village, but would signal to every parish throughout Horsham district that their adopted Neighbourhood Plans become meaningless whenever an applicant presents a draft proposal and claims a supply shortage.

Claire Vickers, the Conservative member for Southwater North, expressed sympathy with the parish council but highlighted that when the district council rejected an application for Southwater, it subsequently lost an appeal because it lacked the required five-year land supply.

Mrs Vickers indicated she harboured serious reservations about repeating such a scenario and comprehended why officers had advised approval of the scheme.

The scheme comprises 14 one-bedroom and eight two-bedroom apartments, alongside ten two-bedroom, 29 three-bedroom and 13 four-bedroom houses. Twenty-five of the new properties will qualify as affordable housing.

The proposal received approval by nine votes to four. The full application can be viewed at public-access.horsham.gov.uk using reference DC/25/1327.