Duckmoor and Dedisham Farm, Billinghurst

As part of Reside Developments’ team of expert advisors, Motion proposed an offsetting scheme at a dairy farm to satisfy the latest water neutrality requirements for new homes at Duckmoor, Billingshurst.  An appeal was subsequently upheld for the development of 83 houses. 

Duckmoor was an unallocated site, so the challenge for Reside was to demonstrate the suitability and sustainability of the scheme.  To add to the project complexity, the new water neutrality guidance was introduced in the middle of this process.

The strategy was to reduce water consumption at the Duckmoor development and retrofit a rainwater harvesting system at nearby Dedisham Farm.  In addition to utilising existing buildings to capture rainwater, a new barn was proposed to provide additional roof space.

The structure would help increase the amount of water captured and also provide cover for silage pits, significantly reducing the volume and movement of dirty water that would usually need to be treated and stored to prevent it from entering the watercourse.

Motion participated in the hearing to explain the practical application of the offsetting scheme.  Under a Grampian condition stipulated by the inspector, development at Duckmoor could not commence until the offsite works were permitted by the local authority to facilitate the system at Dedisham Farm.

Motion demonstrated the application and efficacy of the proposed mitigation.  The water-saving measures have unlocked the residential development at Duckmoor, delivering benefits to the farmer, the developers and the residential scheme’s eventual occupiers.

The offsetting scheme now supplies 10 cubic metres of drinking water daily for a herd of 430 permanent dairy cows and 200 young stock on a seasonable basis.  The project became one of the first operational offsetting schemes in the region that does not draw water from a private borehole.  Meanwhile, the site at Duckmoor has since been sold to Bellway Homes.

Sustainability impact:

• Reducing pressure on water resources
• Water-efficiency benefits for local agriculture
• Protecting the local watercourse

“Motion was instrumental in helping us navigate and make sense of the emerging technical requirements, to turn our idea into something deliverable.”

Andrew Munton, Planning Director, Reside Developments