Copthorne warehouses and offices approved despite noise concerns

The application from St Modwen Developments Ltd, for land in Barbour Drive, was given the nod by Mid Sussex District Council’s planning committee at a meeting held on Thursday (September 15).

A report to the committee said the development would see an estimated 117 HGVs going back and forth through the night – though the indications were that the noise would not exceed guidelines. But the report added: “The noise is however likely to be audible and could occur frequently throughout the night. Residents may therefore feel the need to close their windows at night to reduce noise.”

This suggestion did not sit well with some, especially given the recent – and likely to be repeated – heatwaves.

A letter from resident Stuart Leaver was read out during the meeting. Suggesting that HGVs should be limited at night, Mr Leaver added: “Please consider if you would be happy closing your windows in homes that are designed to keep the heat in.”

Chris Phillips (Ind, Copthorne & Worth) had similar concerns, calling the ‘close the windows’ advice ‘incredible’. Mr Phillips also raised concerns about vehicles queuing along Barbour Drive to go to and from the warehouses which have already been built, and the size of the development, which he said was ‘disproportionately large’.

While some members of the planning committee shared the concerns, others felt it was an ideal location for the warehouse. Pointing out that there had been no objections to the plans from either environmental health or the county highways team, chairman Dick Sweatman said: “Yes, there will be some sort of disturbance to some of the residents but overall there’s no reason to refuse this application as far as I can see.”

The site was also allocated for employment use development in the recently approved Sites Allocation Development Plan Document. Once built, the warehouse and offices will generate around 150 jobs. The building will have 2,408 solar panels on the roof and 30 electric vehicle charging spaces in the car park.