LETTER: United against urban sprawl

I would like to express my deep concern over Mayfields. This company, unknown to most people in West Sussex, until their recent plans to decimate so far unspoilt areas of West Sussex, are claiming that local people are in favour of their schemes.

Since the announcement of Mayfields’ plans some months ago there have been many meeting, full to capacity, against every aspect of the scheme and I and all my neighbours in Henfield know that to ruin countryside that has not been touched since Anglo Saxon times is both foolish and unnecessary and should be left to be enjoyed unspoilt for the next generations.

There are millions of square acres of land, semi developed in and around London and most developed cities which should be used. The policy of allowing developers to buy cheap farmland to create sprawling, urban metropolises for the enrichment of very few, i.e. the developers, is totally unwarranted.

As it is at the moment, this area is rural, prone to flooding, has no transportation facilities and very few job opportunities in the area.

We only have to look at unemployment in the southern coastal regions to understand that until infrastructure is built, employment opportunities created and transportation guaranteed that projects of this nature should ever be considered and when they are land that is more suitable, i.e. semi developed or close to jobs and infrastructure, should be considered.

JILL SCULLY

West End Lane, Henfield