West Sussex County Council has picked national urban regenerator, Muse Developments, to transform Horsham Enterprise Park into a sustainable and inclusive new neighbourhood.

The 18.5-acre masterplan and buildings designed by Cartwright Pickard will deliver up to 270,000 sqft of high-quality employment space, including offices, R&D facilities and an Enterprise Hub, alongside up to 300 new homes set amongst generous outdoor spaces, with 35% affordable housing provision.

The masterplan will create an innovative, sustainable landscape that minimises the impact of cars, as well as forming a network of safe pedestrian and cycling routes that will connect the scheme with the surrounding areas of Horsham. Rooted in creating a strong sense of place, the scheme will celebrate and sensitively refurbish the iconic 1930s Art Deco central building and strengthen the sense of arrival created by the grand avenue of blue cedar trees across the development.

Duncan Cumberland, Development Director at Muse Developments, said:

“To receive the news that our submission to West Sussex County Council to deliver Horsham Enterprise Park had been successful, is testament to the hard work of everyone involved in the bid process. This is an exciting opportunity to create a thriving, sustainable place and we’re proud to have been selected.”

James Pickard, Director at Cartwright Pickard, said:

“We are delighted to be building on our long-standing relationship with Muse, which spans over two decades of successfully unlocking the potential of regeneration sites. Horsham is a wonderful town and this project represents a fantastic opportunity to transform a large underused site for the community, creating space for local businesses to grow in cutting-edge workspace and boosting the local economy for years to come.”

As part of the development, Muse has engaged with Oxford Innovation to deliver the Enterprise Hub. This will encourage new business and economic activity, with a focus on start-ups, micro and small businesses. The Enterprise Hub will support small business growth in and around the Horsham area.

The next stage will see a reserved matters planning application submitted to Horsham District Council in late Autumn for the first phase of homes, following a community consultation exercise.