Lovell Partnerships is preparing to start construction on the first phase of a major residential regeneration scheme in Horsham, transforming the former Novartis Pharmaceuticals campus into a new neighbourhood of around 450 homes.
Work is expected to begin in October on Lovell’s 206-home development across the 2.72-hectare site, with the scheme combining new-build houses and apartments with the sensitive conversion of the site’s landmark 1930s Art Deco clock tower building.
Designed by architect Ayre Chamberlain Gaunt, the development will retain the locally listed tower as the architectural centrepiece of the new neighbourhood, preserving an important part of the site’s pharmaceutical and industrial heritage.
Around 35% of the 206 homes within the first phase will be affordable.
The existing multi-storey wings positioned either side of the clock tower will be demolished due to significant structural problems and replaced by new five-storey apartment buildings. The retained Art Deco building itself will be converted to provide 51 apartments, with a further 155 new apartments and townhouses constructed across the site.
The masterplan has been designed with a varied building scale to help integrate the development into the surrounding area. Heights will begin with two-storey homes along Parsonage Road before increasing to three-storey properties around a new central boulevard and landscaped public square.
The main retained building will rise to four storeys with a set-back upper level, while the existing 24m-high clock tower will remain the tallest and most prominent feature of the development.
Public realm and landscaping will also play an important role in the regeneration. A new tree-lined boulevard will run through the neighbourhood towards landscaped space in front of the restored Art Deco building, helping to establish the clock tower as a focal point for the wider scheme.
Lovell’s development represents the first phase of the planned transformation of the former pharmaceuticals campus.
Muse is progressing proposals for the eastern section of the site, which would add a further 244 homes and take the overall development to approximately 450 properties.
All 244 homes proposed within the Muse phase are planned as affordable housing, supported by grant funding from Homes England. A separate planning application for this element of the regeneration is expected to be submitted.
With Lovell preparing to move onto site in October, the redevelopment will mark the beginning of a significant new chapter for the former Novartis campus, combining heritage-led regeneration, new housing and affordable homes with landscaped public spaces to create a new residential neighbourhood in Horsham.
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