Countryside charity and dozens of residents object to application for 80 new houses in Haywards Heath

Miller Homes recently applied to Mid Sussex District Council to build the homes, saying 18 would be ‘social, affordable or intermediate rent’ and six would be ‘affordable home ownership’.

The development would be on land at Colwell Farm on Lewes Road and the plan is also for associated landscaping, open space, infrastructure and vehicular and pedestrian access.

Miller Homes has responded to the objections to say their properties would provide ‘much needed housing’ for the area. View the application (DM/25/0445) at pa.midsussex.gov.uk/online-applications.

One letter of objection to MSDC is from CPRE Sussex, the countryside charity who said: “We would support a decision by your council to reject this application.”

The letter said: “It is our opinion that this is not a site that can be developed sustainably, and any attempt to do so would be seriously damaging to its important ecology and its planned environmental purpose. The proposed development application itself fails both the social and environmental objectives required by the NPPF (National Planning Policy Framework).”

CPRE Sussex said there are ‘undoubted benefits’ the development would offer in terms of needed housing and construction employment. But they said the benefits would be ‘significantly and demonstrably outweighed by the cumulative effect of its locational, ecological, safety and car-dependent downsides when considered by reference to national planning policy, your District Plan and the Haywards Heath Neighbourhood Plan (HHNP)’.

CPRE Sussex said the three fields of the application site ‘back onto’ the southern edge of the Lewes Road Conservation Area. They said the HHNP identifies features contributing to the character of the Lewes Road Conservation Areas, which include: the variety and style of buildings (most being large properties set back from the road); the presence of trees and hedges between buildings; grass verges, hedges and ‘fingers’ of agricultural land between dwellings; and the low density of development, which creates ‘a gradual transition form the countryside to the urban area’.

The letter said: “We note that he applicant's Design and Access statement acknowledges that the Conservsation Area is one of the high heritage significance and its acceptance of the potential for the area to be affected by the proposed development.”

CPRE Sussex said the fields behind the conservation area ‘play a significant role in creating the relative openness and rustic feel that are essential characteristics of the area itself’. They said a large scale development and road would have ‘an inevitable negative impact’ on the setting of the conservation area.

They also believe the three fields form a key part of a designated green corridor, which could be lost. They called it ‘an open space of continuing public value’ that maintains ‘the rural setting of the town’ and acts as a ‘wildlife corridor’.

They expressed concerns about the possible impact on the wildlife of this previously ‘undisturbed’ site too.

One Robertson Drive resident said: “The area supports a diverse range of species, some of which may already be under threat due to habitat loss. Building on this land would lead to irreversible damage to the ecosystem, disrupting breeding grounds, food sources, and natural corridors essential for wildlife movement.”

A Farncombe Close, Wivelsfield Green, resident objected, saying there was insufficient infrastructure for the development, as well as over crowded local roads, a lack of local amenities and insufficient drainage.

One Willow Park resident said: “There is a distinct lack of public transport, contrary to the applicants submission, meaning this would become yet another ‘car dependent’ housing estate.”

The objections came as Miller Homes reported a diversity of wildlife in fields off the Lewes Road. They had included an Ecological Impact Assessment (EIA) in support of their application, which found the site to be of ‘county importance’ for one the UK’s rarest mammals, the endangered Hazel Dormouse (Muscardinus avellanarius), as well as finding rare bats, birds and reptiles.

A spokesperson for Miller Homes, said: “Our plans for a development of 80 new homes in Haywards Heath will provide much needed housing for the area, including a proportion of affordable homes. Over half of the proposed development will be dedicated as public open space, providing additional landscaping and wildflower meadows to support biodiversity on the land, plus an on-site play area for children.

“All our homes will help meet the need for sustainable new housing, using modern methods of construction and technology including air source heat pumps, electric vehicle charging points and photovoltaic solar panels, while a water-saving technology system will be installed as part of the development to create a sustainable housing scheme while saving our residents money on their household energy bills.”