PLANS for a new market town which would provide thousands of homes are being considered.

The Mayfields Market Town scheme aims to “build a new town rather than another urban add on” near Henfield.

In a leaflet delivered to nearby residents, a spokesman from Mayfields said it plans to build “the latest state of the art infrastructure, communication hubs and community spaces”.

Debbie Aplin, managing director of Mayfields Market Towns, said: “Mayfields will be a brand new market town, designed to provide housing, employment and infrastructure.

“We will create a new community, comprising 7,000 new homes across a range of tenures and sizes from one bedroom to five bedroomed homes for the young first time buyer, families and the older generation, of which at least 35 per cent will be affordable.

“We will build new schools including primary, secondary, sixth form and special educational needs to serve the community, new commercial space for entrepreneurs and established business to thrive.

“Our masterplan has been landscape led with wellbeing at the forefront through the provision of public open space, walking and cycle tracks at the heart of the proposal. This is a town designed to encourage people to live locally and work locally, with all the community facilities such as schools, GPs, shops and other businesses within the town.”

The site lies within the Gatwick Diamond economic region, an initiative which aims to make the area surrounding the airport a “world-class place to live, work and do business”.

It also looks to supply “plenty of opportunities for small and medium businesses to expand”.

The spokesman from Mayfields said: “Provision will be made for start-up companies in a co-working hub, plus opportunities for new apprenticeships, especially in the construction of the town.

“We want to create enough employment space to ensure that there is a job opportunity for every home within Mayfields.

“We are not creating a new commuter town to London. Instead it is designed to encourage people to work in or near their new home.”

Horsham District Council is currently considering the plans as well as reviewing its local plan which it says “shows how we aim to meet the social, economic and environmental needs of the district”.

A spokeswoman said: “We are currently in the process of reviewing our local plan, as the Government requires us to do every five years.

“The Government is seeking a ‘step change’ in the number of houses which are built nationally.

“Horsham District Council has no option but to contribute to meeting the increased level of housing development through the revised local plan.

“As part of this process, we are looking at a range of strategic sites which have been put forward to the council to consider as part of the local plan review and the proposed Mayfield Market Towns development is one of those.

“As we carry out this plan-led process of reviewing the local plan we will focus on the need to create sustainable developments that balances social, environmental and economic needs whilst providing the homes where most needed and which meet Government requirements”