Horsham Approves Change of Use from Bus Depot to Car Sales and Repairs
Planning permission from Horsham District Council for the change of use of a redundant bus and coach depot in Warnham to a sui generis car sales and light repairs use in the countryside, overcoming objections on noise, amenity and highway grounds.
PLANNING APPROVALSHORSHAMWEST SUSSEX
Andrew Ransome
6/23/20262 min read
In 2019, Horsham District Council approved a change of use from a redundant bus and coach depot at Warnham to a mixed sui generis car sales and B1/B2 light repair use.
The site is in the countryside outside any settlement boundary — a planning policy context that required careful justification. Despite neighbour objections on noise, amenity and highway grounds, I demonstrated that the proposal retained an employment use on an established commercial site and caused no greater impact than its predecessor use.
Change of Use to Car Sales and Repairs in Horsham
I secured planning permission from Horsham District Council for the change of use of a redundant bus and coach depot at Warnham, West Sussex to car sales and repairs.
The approved scheme permits up to 25 vehicles for sale on site, together with general servicing, cambelt and clutch replacements, tyre changes, check overs and light welding — all carried out within the existing workshop building.
The site lies outside any defined built-up area boundary — a location that required the application to be assessed against Horsham District Planning Framework Policies 9, 10 and 26, which cover employment development, rural economic development, and countryside protection respectively.
The planning case I advanced was built around three key arguments.
On principle, the site had a long and established history of commercial employment use going back to the 1980s, and the proposed use would retain that employment function.
The change of use was from one commercial use to another — not a departure from employment use — and would generate employment for six people. Policies 9 and 10 of the HDPF were satisfied on that basis, and the proposal accorded with the NPPF's support for sustainable rural business.
On design and amenity, no external alterations were proposed to the existing building.
The coach and bus depot had for many years generated noise, vehicle movements and activity at this rural location. The proposed car sales and repair use was not expected to generate activity significantly above what had historically existed. Noise conditions controlling hours of operation for both the sales and repair elements were accepted as sufficient to manage any residual impact on neighbouring residents.
On highways, West Sussex County Council Highways raised no objection. They noted that while the sales element might increase some customer trips, the re-use of the site under broadly similar conditions was sustainable and consistent with NPPF guidance.
The Council received neighbour letters raising concerns about noise, air pollution, traffic, visitor parking and the condition of the access road. Each concern was addressed in the planning case, with the Council satisfied that conditions could adequately control the use.
Horsham District Council granted permission.
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Andrew Ransome MRTPI - Email: andrew@andrewransome.co.uk
About me
Andrew Ransome is a Planning Director and a Chartered Member of the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI), with more than two decades of experience in town planning.
He specialises in delivering strategic planning solutions for complex developments across both rural and urban environments, helping clients navigate planning challenges and unlock development opportunities. Connect with Andrew on Linkedin.
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