For those concerned with the protection of our countryside and rural communities, the planning picture within Mid Sussex remains deeply depressing: as previously reported, the District Council’s draft Local Plan was withdrawn from examination at the request of the Planning Inspector last December by reason of the Council’s failure to meet its duty to co-operate with neighbouring authorities over housing and other matters of mutual concern.

12 March 2014

Proposed test flow assessments by Cuadrilla at Balcombe: a new permit application is required

CPRE Sussex has made representations to West Sussex County Council which, as minerals planning authority, is considering an application by Cuadrilla Balcombe Limited to permit temporary gas/oil flow testing activity at its Lower Stumble Farm site outside Balcombe in Mid Sussex. This is intended to assist Cuadrilla to determine whether or not the site has future commercial potential. A copy of our 11 March 2014 representation letter can be viewed [Word docx]. This note explains the background to the latest application.

Haywards Heath has now published its town plan for public consultation. The draft plan recites a depressingly long list of speculative developments for over 1,500 houses that have been allowed, or are the subject of recent planning applications beyond the town boundaries. With this in mind, the plan prudently calls for brownfield site-only development within the town and a 5 year moratorium on building beyond its existing boundaries whilst the Town Council takes stock of the infrastructure implications of extending the town further.

The major issue is for 10,000 new homes on precious countryside between Sayers Green and Henfield – ‘Mayfields Market Town’.

An application by the Borde Hill estate owners to build a big housing estate at Penlands Farm on the north western edge of Horsham and another next door at Sugworth Farm (though that seems to be on hold).

19 June 2013

New Mid Sussex District Plan

The public consultation period has now ended on the proposed submission draft of Mid Sussex District Council’s new District Plan. This plan, if and when adopted, will direct strategic planning across the District from now until 2031. The plan will now go forward for a public examination by the Planning Inspectorate, probably around the turn of the year.

This developer proposal would involve the building of up to 10,000 new houses in the countryside between Henfield and Sayers Common in Sussex. CPRE Sussex would like to make clear its forceful opposition to this opportunistic proposal: it proposes a new town almost the size of East Grinstead of up to 25,000 people dumped in the middle of our open countryside: not a market town, but a commuter town, with few on the spot jobs available. This scheme meets no need for housing identified in the strategic plans that have been developed by Mid Sussex and Horsham District Councils. It would violate those Plans' proposed countryside protection policies, divert infrastructure and other investment from existing nearby communities, and clog up the local roads. It is also strongly objectionable on a variety of other environmental and non-sustainability grounds.

26 April 2013

News update from Mid-Sussex CPRE, including updates on the Mid Sussex District Plan.