Letter: Horsham District Planning Framework (HDPF)
Written by Roger F SmithLetter published by the West Sussex County Times 9 July 2015
Sir,
Horsham District Planning Framework (HDPF) – Resumed Hearings
According to a press release issued by the Prime Minister’s Office, Saturday 4 July, “The Government believes that wherever possible, planning decisions should be made by local people”, and “will focus” on “what people care about – local roads, schools and homes that meet their needs. That means giving local people more of a say on where new homes go and what they look like.”
Power to the people! Plan to build homes in "gap" shelved.
Written by Michael BrownResidents of Hassocks in Mid Sussex are celebrating their success in fighting off a misguided application by developers, Gleesons, to build 97 houses in a strategic gap between Hassocks and Hurstpierpoint. And that success is all down to their own hard work in developing their own case and robust evidence.
Copy of Media release: Reject airport expansion or risk “major long-term environmental and health damage,” warns CPRE.
Written by CPRE Sussex
Chairman of the Sussex branch of the Campaign to Protect Rural England, David Johnson is urging the government to reject all the Airport Commission’s recommendations for aviation expansion in the south. He says politicians should focus instead on safeguarding people’s quality of life, and protecting the irreplaceable countryside and communities which are under threat.
Media release: Reject airport expansion or risk “major long-term environmental and health damage,” warns CPRE.
Written by CPRE Sussex
Chairman of the Sussex branch of the Campaign to Protect Rural England, David Johnson is urging the government to reject all the Airport Commission’s recommendations for aviation expansion in the south. He says politicians should focus instead on safeguarding people’s quality of life, and protecting the irreplaceable countryside and communities which are under threat.
29 June 2015
The following letter has been sent to the Evening Argus, in response to their report of 9 June 2015 MPs are United on A27 Widening Through Sussex:
Dear Evening Argus Editor,
Re the A27: your article earlier this month entitled ‘MPs are united on A27 widening’ seems to imply that all our problems will be solved by converting the A27 into a motorway style dual carriageway. Reports produced for the Department for Transport glibly talk about things like 35,000 extra jobs and £860 million of economic benefit for Sussex. These figures have never been justified.
Article: "Developers race to concrete over East Sussex countryside"
Written by CPRE SussexPublished in Kent Courier, 19 June:
The air we breathe, food we eat, water we drink, and even the natural habitats and landscapes we enjoy, these are just a few of the essential benefits of nature that contribute to our health and well-being. In Europe, the Birds Directive, Habitat Directive and the Natura 2000 network of designated conservation sites have served us well for decades in protecting and enhancing the natural environment. However, these laws are under threat of being weakened through the European Commission's REFIT review, which is evaluating whether the existing nature regulations are fit for purpose.
Local MPs have thrown their weight behind the controversial plans to widen the A27.
Tim Loughton, MP for Worthing East and Shoreham, and Maria Caulfield, MP for Lewes, have added their voices to those who want to see their sections of the road widened to increase traffic flow.
Some years ago Lewes District Council embarked on a Regeneration Strategy, to identify superfluous council-owned sites that might be put to good alternative uses, such as the provision of affordable housing, or sold to realise assets. That seems an entirely sensible project. The council decided to seek a commercial partner to help it realise maximum value; again an entirely sensible precaution if the council itself lacked the necessary expertise.
As the project progressed, some concerns began to be raised. The principal issue was that, on the grounds of commercial confidentiality, the council refused to share with its residents, or even with its town and parish councils, which of the sites it owned were being considered for inclusion in its list of superfluous assets. The news did leak out that there were 49 of them, and there were strong rumours, not denied by the council, that the list included sites that were in current use in such roles as community centres, car parks and playing fields. The council steadfastly refused to explain or justify its plans and claimed exemption from FOI requests.
