Update on the former Pirbright Institute site, March 2025

The works to clear the former Pirbright Institute site, undertaken by Cognition Land and Water have now concluded and Homes England are taking the next steps towards delivering up to 160 homes on it.

Over the coming months, Homes England will be engaging with local people on the proposals. We are pursuing two ongoing workstreams that will both be subject to consultation with the community.

First, we are bringing forward a new outline planning application which will make some minor changes to the existing planning permission including around sustainable urban drainage systems and proposals to enhance the wildlife habitat area at the northern end. We are not proposing any substantial changes to the extant permission, and the number of up to 160 homes will not change. The application would preserve permission for the redevelopment of the site for another three years as the existing permission runs out in March 2026. We will be hosting a series of workshops and events to give residents the opportunity to have their say on this application.

At the same time, Homes England are seeking a developer, or developers, to take the delivery of the proposals forward. That would involve taking the site through the Reserved Matters planning process, within the confines of the existing outline planning consent. For that to happen the RM process would need to start prior to March 2026 when the current permission expires. This is our preferred approach, but it will depend on the level of interest in the site from the market. Any developer bringing forward Reserved Matters applications will be required by Homes England to engage the community.

Homes England enjoyed the opportunity to show the Parish Council, the District Councillor and the editor of the Penny Post around the site; and present to the Parish Council on 10^th March. The Homes England team will be engaging further with Compton Parish Council, and the local community in the coming months.