Welcome to Wealdcross, A new community that benefits everyone

Here at Thakeham we are responsible for creating great places. As a local award-winning community creator, it's a responsibility we take very seriously.

 

Thakeham is based in Horsham District. Many of our staff are Horsham residents raising families in the area. We care passionately about Horsham District. That's why we want West Sussex County Times readers to be amongst the first to discover more about our exciting and unique plans for a stunning new community at Buck Barn, called Wealdcross.

 

We believe that, for too long, the creation of places has just been about building houses. That has to change. Wealdcross isn't about building houses. Wealdcross is about creating a place. It's about creating a community. It's about community values.

 

Thakeham has an industry-leading reputation for delivering on our promises. The following pages include a few highlights of our vision for Wealdcross. It's a sneak peek into how life will feel for residents in the new Wealdcross community.

WealdCross at Buck Barn will deliver


£5m pedestrian-free green bridge over the A24 to support and sustain wildlife and biodiversity


20% biodiversity net gain, with 4.2km of new hedgerows adding to biodiversity corridors


Policy-compliant affordable housing for local people


Zero carbon emissions from the production and operation of all Thakeham homes


A range of off-site highway improvements including new northern access junction from the A24


Fast electric car charging points for every home


A new secondary school, two new primary schools, a local centre with healthcare provision


Gifted shops, cafe, co-workspace, allotments and new community businesses

 

Significant commercial space for new jobs and businessess

 

A new indoor sports hall and mixed use 3G/4G pitches for schools and the local community

 

 

The total number of homes listed on the Horsham Brownfield Land Register (2020) without planning permission is 78. That's why the proposals for Wealdcross are vital, to ensure that new homes, including 40% affordable homes, can be created while respecting and enhancing the natural environment. Let's take a closer look.

 

Find out what makes Thakeham different

Proud to Deliver on Our Promises

Find out more about Thakeham's four key promises and our mission to change the way people think about sustainable community creation.

Zero carbon homes
with renewable technology

At least 20% net
gain in biodiversity

Policy compliant
affordable housing

Delivering a range of employment space,
co-working facilities and home office hubs

Local track record
for delivering

Community owned
facilities

Encourage walking and
cycling over use of the car

Comprehensive public transport network
and electric car charging for all homes

Carbon neutral in production, with
insetting and offsetting of carbon emissions

A new country park and a
range of sports facilities

Primary and
secondary education

High quality
design and delivery

£5M pedestrian-free Green BRIDGE OVER THE FOUR LANE A24

Bordered with a continuous thicket to reduce disturbance from light and noise emitted from passing traffic, OUR PEDESTRIAN-FREE GREEN Bridge will span four lanes of the A24 at Buck Barn and connect biodiversity corridors from Climping in the South AND St Leonard's in the North.

 

Green bridges are a great solution. But the UK is lagging behind. We only have three similar bridges in Britain whilst some countries in Europe have hundreds of them.

 

Thakeham specialises in maximising biodiversity net gain in its developments. We work closely with The WIldlife Trusts and Surrey Wildlife Trust to develop our own Biodiversity Principles. These principles are proven to work and our Martingales development was independently assessed and proven to have delivered a 41.38% biodiversity net gain - more than double the target set by authorities.

 

DISCOVER OUR GREEN BRIDGE

Proof: Nature and Buildings can Thrive Together

Enhancing the environment with a 20% improvement in biodiversity, including 4.2km of new hedgerows

 

There are already country estates in Sussex that successfully operate a portfolio of residential and commercial properties, whilst conserving nature and improving biodiversity. These estates inspire Thakeham to create sustainable communities. They prove that nature and sustainable buildings and infrastructure can thrive together without any risk of damaging the environment.

 

At Thakeham, our own local experiences back this up, and have formed our biodiversity principles. These principles have been implemented at a Thakeham development in Surrey. On completion, it was independently assessed by Surrey Wildlife Trust to deliver a 41.38% biodiversity net gain.

 

More about our biodiversity effort

40% AFFORDABLE HOUSING

WEALDCROSS WILL HELP DELIVER A MIX OF HOMES FOR EVERYONE IN HORSHAM DISTRICT.

 

Wealdcross will deliver 40% affordable housing for local people. This is about giving young people the chance to achieve their dream of home ownership, for the families on the housing register aspiring for better accommodation, the homeless taking their first steps into secure housing, the opportunity for older people to downsize. Wealdcross will help deliver a mix of homes for everyone in Horsham District.

Electric car incentives

ELECTRIC FAST CAR CHARGING POINTS FOR EVERY HOME.

 

As part of encouraging a sustainable future, all homes will have fast car charging points and we will provide a £3,000 incentive towards an electric car on house purchase, and further incentives for e-bikes too.

 

Wealdcross will also be the place for greener travel, with interlinking cycle routes and secure cycle storage for apartments and houses. There's a pedestrian-friendly village centre, and the new primary and secondary schools on-site means car use is greatly reduced. When people want to travel further afield, Wealdcross is also being integrated into the local bus network.

zero carbon

Every Thakeham home will be zero carbon in operation, and carbon neutral in production.

 

Thakeham was the UK's first housebuilder to sign the SME Climate Commitment, joining the UN's Race to Zero campaign. We are also leading the Home Builders Federation's Future Homes Taskforce. We are leading the charge towards zero carbon placemaking, including the production and the operation of all homes at Wealdcross.

 

Reducing the carbon footprint has been an integral part of the vision for Wealdcross from day one. A new home at Wealdcross will combine ultra-high energy efficiency with renewable technology, filtered air systems, and fast electric car charging points to achieve the highest environmental credentials.

Investing in schools and the local community

Thakeham will gift new indoor sports hall and mixed use 3G/4G pitches for schools and the local community.

 

At Wealdcross, we will gift a new indoor sports hall and mixed use 3G/4G pitches for schools and the local community, together with a new country park and village green. Thakeham are proud to invest in sport locally and are the main sponsors of Horsham Rugby Club, Atlantis Swimming Club, Billingshurst Cricket Club, and a range of sports teams across Sussex.

 

Looking ahead, in 20 years' time the trees will have grown taller and children will have grown up at Wealdcross, but our vision will have created a place that offers a truly rare quality of life.

OFF-SITE highway improvements TO THE A24

A range of off-site highway improvements including new northern access junction from the A24.

 

We are proposing off-site highway improvements, up and down the A24. This includes a new northern access junction from the A24, serving as the main site access, together with a new southern access junction at Buck Barn as secondary access, improving traffic flow on the A24. We are also looking at junction improvements from Washington, up to the Great Daux roundabout on the A24, and all junctions in between.

 

At our development at Woodgate, Pease Pottage we over-delivered £7 million of road improvements before completing the first houses, to ensure the road network was ready.

Share your thoughts

Make sure that your voice is heard as the Wealdcross development evolves, with early consultations available for any queries you may have.
We are here to listen.



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