27 homes approved at the former Copper Beeches care homes on London Road, Rake, with fire-hit Heathmount rebuilt as flats. No affordable homes on site.
Twenty-seven homes will be built at the former Copper Beeches care homes on London Road, Rake. The site has stood empty since about 2019, and two of its buildings have been hit by fire this year.
The South Downs National Park Authority’s planning committee approved the scheme on 8 October. The authority announced the decision on 26 October.
Rake is about five miles north-east of Petersfield. The site is about 2km east of Liss, and the county boundary runs through it. The access and the south-east corner are in Rogate parish, West Sussex. Most of the buildings and grounds are in Liss parish, East Hampshire.
What will be built
The applicant is AYG Holdings Beeches Ltd (application SDNP/26/02039/FUL). The officers’ report sets out the plans:
- Heathmount, the late Victorian main house, restored and converted into seven flats
- Copper Beeches and Silver Birch, the two other care home buildings, demolished and replaced by 19 houses
- one detached three-bedroom house and offices in the old walled garden buildings off Hatch Lane
- public gardens and woodland walks across the 3.38-hectare (8.35-acre) grounds
The homes range from two-bedroom flats to detached houses with five or more bedrooms. Three of the new houses are to be built to Passivhaus standard.
The fires
The three buildings were care homes for up to 98 residents. The report says the care homes closed in 2018 or 2019 and the buildings have since fallen into disrepair. It records “significant arson incidents” at Copper Beeches in January 2026 and at Heathmount in August 2026.
The August fire gutted Heathmount. The report says it will be either repaired from what remains or carefully rebuilt using salvaged materials “wherever practicable”. The house is not listed, but the authority treats it as a non-designated heritage asset.
No affordable homes on the site
National park policy would normally require half the homes on a scheme this size to be affordable. The report explains why there will be none on site:
- the empty buildings count towards a national rule called Vacant Building Credit, which cut the requirement to four affordable homes
- the developer approached 17 housing associations, and none wanted to take on four homes
- officers accepted a payment instead, because restoring Heathmount was a priority
The payment is £458,536, to be spent on affordable housing elsewhere in the national park. The legal agreement also includes £41,000 to monitor wildlife gains on and off the site for 30 years.
Who objected
Both parish councils objected.
- Liss Parish Council “strongly objects”, the report says. It called the scheme premature and said the brownfield site’s potential had not been fully used, which puts pressure on the village’s greenfield sites.
- Rogate Parish Council said there were no safe walking or cycling routes and almost no public transport, so residents would depend on cars. In its June comments it called the walk down Hatch Lane to Liss “entirely theoretical”. It asked for a safe crossing on the B2070.
The report also lists 28 objections from the public. They covered the scale and design, drainage and the lack of mains sewage, traffic and the site access.
Natural England had a standing objection when the report was written. Its concern is recreational pressure on the Wealden Heaths Phase II Special Protection Area, where ground-nesting birds breed. The committee left that to be resolved after the meeting. Under the recommendation, nobody can move in until measures to protect the heaths are agreed.
How the plans got smaller
This is the second attempt to redevelop the site. A scheme for 68 homes, SDNP/25/01063/FUL, was withdrawn on 15 July 2025. Pre-application advice in 2024 had discussed up to 80 homes.
“It’s great to see a positive future for this site after its significant deterioration following the closure of the care homes,” said Curtis Badley, senior planning officer at the national park authority.
What it means for you
- Permission is not final yet. The legal agreement still has to be signed. If it is not done, or not making enough progress, within six months of 8 October, officers can refuse the application.
- Nothing happens on the heaths question until it is settled. Natural England has to be consulted again before the authority can confirm the decision.
- To follow the case, search the South Downs planning register for SDNP/26/02039/FUL. Our Petersfield planning news page lists other applications around the town.
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