Letters of objection as company applies to build 36 homes and remove trees on land at West Sussex hospital

Macar Partnerships (QVH) Limited applied to Mid Sussex District Council to build the dwellings at Hackenden Lane with access from Oakfield Way.

The application is also for 77 car parking spaces, three disability spaces and 72 cycle spaces, as well as landscaping.

People can view the application at pa.midsussex.gov.uk/online-applications using reference DM/24/2704.

The design and access statement by RIBA Chartered Practice said the application is ‘for a revised scheme based on the previously consented scheme planning ref DM/21/1842’.

It said: “The consented scheme provides planning permission for the erection of 30 dwellings along the access of Oakfield Way along with parking and landscaping.”

It said planning permission for this was granted on February 15 this year.

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The statement said: “The proposal is to increase the number of dwellings to 36 by replacing the six detached properties with six pairs of three-bedroom semi-detached houses. Plots 1-6, which are consented as three-bedroom semi-detached houses will amended to become four bedroom houses.”

The statement said the site covers an area of about 1.8 hectares. It continued: “The site is almost entirely wooded and there is an area TPO (tree protection order) that protects the northern half. Extensive tree removals, including protected trees, will be unavoidable. An Arboricultural Impact Assessment was produced in support of the consented scheme. The layout has been designed to minimise the required number of tree removals and to incorporate retention of the category A trees wherever possible. Only one category A tree will be removed, and this is due to Japanese Knotweed treatment rather than conflict with the development.”

The statement added that the consented design consists of ‘traditionally designed detached, semi-detached and apartments’ and said the new proposal ‘follows the basic footprint of the consented scheme’. It said: “The new houses and apartments have been redesigned with the emphasis on maintaining the design intent of the consented scheme with traditional design concept.”

The application has received dozens of objection letters from East Grinstead residents, with many saying the area cannot cope with increased traffic caused by the development.

One resident said: “The additional units, which seem solely driven by profit, will have an enormously detrimental impact here.”

Another said: “The road can't handle more cars or traffic.” They added: “More cars and traffic will make this road unsafe. We have a school and preschool on Blackwell Farm Road and adding more traffic to this already busy road is madness.”

Another resident said: “There isn't adequate GPs or dentist in the area without these extra houses, therefore extra will put pressure on the services.”