District News
The current state of play with regard to the Rother Local Plan is that the second public inquiry was held at the end of January, and the Inspector promised then to be able to report in May.
However since the publication of the NPPF guidance in April, she has said that she needs to consider this and that the timetable will slip.
Our Summer visit will be to Charleston Farm on June 14th. We will be inviting members from Wealden and Brighton & Hove.
Currently our main concerns are:
CPRE Sussex's response to the Gatwick Runway Consultation
Written by Justin French-Brooks23 May 2014
Below is is CPRE Sussex's response to the Gatwick Runway consultations, discussed earlier.
16 May 2014
The following letter was published in the Mid Sussex Times in response to claims made by Mayfield Market Towns Ltd:
In last week’s edition you publish a report that a new 10,000 house town near Henfield and Wineham that is being promoted by developers, Mayfield Market Towns Ltd, would destroy the habitat of an important barn owl population.
The would-be developers claim that the real issue is whether their new town there would provide a better solution to delivering much needed new housing for local people. This claim perpetuates two myths - firstly, that there is an accepted local need for a new town on the southern borders of Horsham and Mid Sussex, and secondly that its proposed location is suitable and sustainable.
Neither is true. Both Horsham and Mid Sussex District Councils are in advanced stages of developing long term plans for their Districts: neither of their plans calls for any new market town to meet their Districts’ housing needs. As to location, it is difficult to envisage somewhere less suited to a mega-development than the lovely open countryside around Wineham with no significant local unemployment, with no road, rail or other infrastructure, and on low lying fields prone to flooding from the Adur. Not to mention the barn owls, nightingales and other wonderful wildlife.
We challenge Mayfield to publish the ecological and flood reports that it claims to have commissioned so that we can all judge for ourselves.
Michael Brown
Trustee, Campaign to Protect Rural England, Sussex Branch
9 March 2014
Following the unveiling of a proposal by property developer Lightwoods to build 315 new homes on land bordering the South Downs National Park between Woodingdean and Ovingdean, Brighton and Hove CPRE sent the following letter to The Argus:
Crowds Meet Rt Hon Francis Maude MP on Sunday in Warnham
Written by CPRE Sussex
10 March 2014
Last Sunday residents of the picturesque village of Warnham turned out in force to illustrate their anger at Gatwick’s new flight path trial that had been forced over their historic parish without warning.
Over 300 people of all ages as well as residents of Rusper, Slinfold, Horsham, councillors, CPRE and GACC representatives, gathered outside the parish church to hear their local MP, Rt Hon Francis Maude, offer words of support.
