Redrow and Wates submit proposals for major re-development of 900+ acre Ford Airfield in West Sussex

Redrow’s Southern Counties division and Wates Developments have submitted the outline planning application for the former Ford Airfield in West Sussex.

The development will deliver 1,500 new homes along with a primary school, provision for a care home, a local centre with retail units, significant open space, allotments, play spaces and sports pitches.

The 900+ acre-site includes a mixture of agricultural land and the former historic Ford airbase which played a role in the Battle of Britain in WW2 and as a base for RAF Hunter jets.

The planning submissions follow extensive community consultation with Ford Parish Council and local residents since 2013, which has significantly shaped the subsequent masterplan and planning application.

As a direct result, the site was allocated as part of the Ford Neighbourhood Plan and Arun District Local Plan, representing the largest residential development ever allocated within a Neighbourhood Plan.

A spokesperson for Redrow Southern Counties and Wates Developments, commented: “We are delighted to have submitted the outline planning applications following six years of community consultation and engagement with Ford Parish Council.

“We are not aware of any other community in the country voting in support of 1,500 new homes as part of its Neighbourhood Plan. This success illustrates what can be achieved through constructive neighbourhood planning and sets a benchmark for developing new communities of a major scale.”

Redrow and Wates hope to work with Arun District Council to achieve a positive resolution on the applications over the coming months.