LETTER: School eligibility will be lost

1) If a new station, which is being proposed for Crawsham, to support an unsuitable, isolated site for 2,500-5,000 homes, a huge industrial estate (500,000 sq ft) and a supermarket is built (although some councillors doubt the feasibility of this at all), network operator will cut services at Littlehaven and abandon Faygate.

North Horsham residents will not be able to access the new station due to distance, parking expense and traffic congestion.

Those currently walking or cycling to Littlehaven would have to purchase vehicles. Commute time for North Horsham residents will be vastly extended or made impossible.

For the above reason alone, the isolated fields across the A264 are completely unsuitable.

2) If a Crawsham is built, North Horsham families will lose their catchment area eligibility for Millais and Forest schools.

The above has been hidden from residents behind council jargon.

3) Building a cramped subdivision north of the A264 adds intolerable pressure on our transport, our nurseries, playgroups, playgrounds, parks, leisure centres, libraries and surgeries.

There would be at least 10,000 new residents in Crawsham, in addition to 30,000-40,000 people already scheduled for 7,000 houses being built near A24.

The quality of all our services and amenities is about to sharply deteriorate as it is. Horsham will soon be one of the worst, rather than best places to live.

4) An unprecedented increase in environmental pollution, traffic congestion, parking problems is already imminent due to 7,000-plus units already approved here. Horsham cannot put up another 2,500-5,000 houses within such a short time.

Destroying greenfields is an unsustainable and irresponsible approach.

The plan destroys the character of an attractive historic market town and nearby villages. Tourists would not stop here, seeing empty industrial estates and dreary suburban sprawl.

This proposed site is adjacent to Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and their protected habitats. It cannot be built upon for this reason alone.

Horsham and towns in the UK already have many 1,000s of sq ft of empty office and industrial space. Building more, when companies are leaving UK for abroad for lower taxes and wages, sounds like an awful joke.

Object now by writing to councillors Vickers, Dawe, Baldwin, Croft, Cornell and others, as otherwise, this plan will be passed in September/early October.

See here: http://www.horsham.gov.uk/1632.aspx

M. MICHAELIS (Mrs)

Deer Way, Horsham