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The plans, submitted by the Cowdray Estate and Metis Homes Limited, will see a total of 58 homes built – 20 at the Cowdray Works Yard, in Easebourne Lane; 20 at the former school building, in Easebourne Street; and 18 at the former recreation ground and allotment gardens, in Egmont Road.

The sites will be made up of one and two-bedroom flats, and two, three, and four-bedroom houses.

The former primary school building will be converted into three flats.

A trio of applications to build homes on three sites in Easebourne have been approved by the South Downs National Park Authority. Image: Metis Homes Ltd

Outline plans for some 1,000sqm of commercial space have also been approved for the Cowdray Works Yard site.

The three developments have been in the pipeline for some four years, prompting much discussion among residents.

An online public consultation was held during the pandemic to allow residents to have a say.

But a statement submitted to the authority from the Residents Action Group appeared less than impressed with the level of community engagement.

It read: “It is important to note that community engagement with residents has been severely lacking – reference the online ‘consultation’ during lockdown, where residents who were aware, which were not many, struggled to fully understand what was being proposed.

“There has been ample opportunity for face-to-face resident engagement on all sites since 2019 but this has not been forthcoming.”

Metis Homes Ltd has three years to start work on the developments.

To view the applications, log on to planningpublicaccess.southdowns.gov.uk and search for 21/04040/FUL, 21/04041/FUL and 22/01858/FUL.

58 homes approved for Easebourne