Masterplan

The Kingswood Masterplan will champion excellence in place creation

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Overview

The masterplan sets out how Kingswood will be built, phase by phase, and organises the key elements of the nascent town; the buildings and other structures; the street networks; and open spaces and landscape areas.

The masterplan has been developed to ensure deliverability in line with Horsham District Council’s requirements and informed by:

A comprehensive understanding of the site and a thorough assessment of the suitability of this land for development;
A clear vision to deliver a sustainable settlement informed by best-practice placemaking principles, incorporating the key characteristics that distinguish successful Sussex communities;
Our Place’s ambition to create an exemplary new settlement, where people will be proud to live;
Detailed technical analysis and response to constraints such as transport, ecology, landscape, infrastructure, heritage and archaeology; and
A solid understanding of how to construct and deliver successful places, an appreciation of the housing market, and the practicalities of establishing a new community.

From Poundbury to Kingswood - a track record of delivery

Hear how our Director of Development delivered the exemplar project at Poundbury over 25 years, and how this influences Kingswood.

1 & 2. Education Provision

A through school, comprising a two form-entry primary school a six form-entry secondary school, will be built in the first phases of the development, with a second two form-entry primary school built later. Healthcare, leisure and community facilities will also be provided, making for a vibrant and social atmosphere.

3. Access

Kingswood will be connected via an upgraded junction to the A29, and the construction of a new bridge over the Arun Valley railway line will knit the site together. Further upgrades on the B2133 will connect the site to the existing road network. Other sustainable links will also be facilitated such as walking/cycling corridors to public transport.

4. Allotments

0.75 hectares of allotments and 1.5 hectares of orchard are planned, available to members of the Kingswood community.

5. Movement

An interconnected green network of pedestrian, cycle and vehicular routes drawing from traditional street hierarchies, linked to existing infrastructure and encouraging sustainable transport choices.

6. Town centre

The Town Centre will be the heart of the Kingswood, providing places of work, shops, cafés, open public space and other uses.

7, 8 & 9. Neighbourhood Centres

Three neighbourhood centres (7), (8) and (9), will be focal points for different neighbourhoods throughout the town, containing shops and workplaces to supplement those found in the town centre. The first neighbourhood centre (7) will be built in the first stage of development.

10, 11, & 12. Woodland

Existing mature woodland will be celebrated. Three pockets of ancient woodland will be retained, protected and made accessible to the public, while other wooded areas will provide wildlife corridors and public amenity across the site.

13. Rail Link

In line with our aspiration to build a new station at Kingswood, land has been set aside adjacent to the Arun Valley railway.

Residential character Areas

Kingswood will have a variety of neighbourhoods with different house types, based upon existing landscape qualities and other contextual cues.

Residential

There will be about 2,850 dwellings at Kingswood, of a range of types, sizes and tenures.

Retail and employment

Retail space will be focused in the town and neighbourhood centres, alongside commercial space for offices and other types of employment.

Green Space

A variety of formal and informal open spaces, large and small, for sports, recreation, and passive enjoyment. In total, over 44 hectares of multi-functional green space are set out, including for sports, recreation, exercise and play.

Delivery

What to expect in the first five years at Kingswood

Our Place is well advanced in preparing for the new settlement at Kingswood, not only in terms of its vision for the new town, but also the work that must be carried out to see the project to completion: site assessment works, planning, infrastructure delivery, and design. Inspired to meet the highest standards of sustainable urbanism, Kingswood will be a proper community with walkable neighbourhoods, mixed uses and design which draws heavily on local precedents in West Sussex.

We continue to refine and improve our plan for Kingswood, in parallel with the preparation of Horsham District Council’s Local Plan. Once the Plan is published and planning permission granted for the development, we will be ready.

Phased Place Creation

We have a phased placemaking strategy, which will ensure that important infrastructure and amenities are built at the very start of the project. This will be most visible at the first village centre, which will serve the first several hundred houses built. Shops, commercial spaces, homes and a village hall will be arranged around a grassed square, which will be connected into the transport network by roads, footpaths and cycleways.

Infrastructure-LED

Infrastructure at Kingswood will be delivered in a timely manner, installed early to meet anticipated demand according to a phased strategy appropriate to the incremental growth of the development. This includes utilities and services, shops and offices, two schools, nurseries, a healthcare centre, children’s play areas, allotments, and accessible open space.

Quality and stewardship

Our Place will bring consistency and a long-term commitment to quality. It will lead the delivery and execution strategy for Kingswood, which will be structured to ensure the long-term socio-economic success of the place, as well as the continued viability of the development throughout construction as it comes to fruition.

From the very first homeowner, the people who live and work in Kingswood will be invited to participate in the creation of the new town and will be encouraged to play their role in the daily running and social life of the community, principally through the Kingswood Legacy Trust.

Why Kingswood?

Planning engagement

As the Local Plan process progresses, we will engage with all stakeholders. Our proposals for Kingswood will be created following a comprehensive engagement process with local residents, which will inform our masterplan to provide a small Sussex town which is truly reflective of local needs and benefits the whole community.

You can read more about Horsham’s Plan using the reference documents.