The Site

The site is approximately 1.3 kilometres north east of Horsham Town Centre, and approximately 7.5 hectares (roughly equivalent to 300 tennis courts) in size.

The site is triangular in shape, bounded by Wimblehurst Road and Parsonage Road to the west and north. The south western and east boundaries are defined by railway lines linking with Horsham Station.

Access to the site is currently provided from Parsonage Road and Wimblehurst Road.

The site itself was formerly made up of various office blocks, laboratories and workshops as part of Novartis' operations. Most of these buildings have now been demolished.

The most distinctive feature of the site is the striking central tower, built at the end of the 1930s. This building is locally listed due to its Art Deco style, and will be sympathetically retained as part of the proposals.  

Some landscaping features can also still be seen, most notably the avenue of nine mature Cedar trees leading from the Wimblehurst Road entrance. This historically served as the main entrance to the site and leads to the central tower building.

The site surroundings are predominantly residential, with housing to the north and west, and commercial towards the east. There is a general industrial area located east of the adjoining railway line. To the south of the railway line, there is a mixture of housing, retail and light industrial uses, as well as the College of Richard Collyer.