LETTER: We object till we are blue in the face

Firstly, yet again the pressure this is going to put on East Surrey hospital is ridiculous. Why does the council not put forward to central government our need for another hospital in the area BEFORE all these houses are built? We are at capacity as it is not to mention the pressure on the road to even get to East Surrey at the moment. Also if, and really I mean when, the second runway is built at Gatwick, as this will go ahead no matter how much we object. How is East Surrey going to cope should there ever be a disaster at the airport, plus the added traffic on the M23, which weekly has accidents which have to be treated by East Surrey? WE NEED ANOTHER HOSPITAL, before any further development.

Why do we also need further industrial building on ‘green land’, we have an office building in Langhurstwood Road, which has been at one-third capacity for as long as it has been completed. We are about to see the recycling incinerator go live at Langhusrtwood Road site in October, that in itself is an increase in heavy traffic which the area does not need. We objected to that but where did that get us?

The roads which run adjacent to the London-bound A24 which some are minor B roads, suffer the increase in traffic, ‘rat running’ to avoid the A24 especially if there has been an accident, yet again, which seems to happen weekly.

The village of Rusper and surrounding roads suffer heavy traffic at rush hour times and the increase in traffic will eventually destroy the beautiful listed houses and buildings with pressure on their foundations through this increase in heavy traffic. Will the council pay for these repairs?

The roads also are in a very bad state of repair, pot holes are filled in and stamped on, then a week later are open again. WE the residents in Friday Street suffered the installation of the main power for the incinerator a year ago, we are still suffering the poor state of the road, plus even now the increase in traffic and this is before a massive housing estate is built at the end of our road.

Local farmers have to use this road for their livelihood constantly pulling off the road to let heavy lorries, delivery vans and speeding commuters pass, the verges are non-existent and there WILL BE A SERIOUS ACCIDENT SOON. We are not getting the roads resurfaced now what hope have we for the future with the increase in traffic this development will bring.

A local farmer a few years ago put in an application to build an abattoir, this was turned down by the council ‘due to increase in heavy traffic on local minor roads’, and to be of no benefit to the area, where was the justice in that? He would have employed local people I am sure, not brought in people from out of the area who would need housing?

So why do we need more homes and especially in the numbers quoted and on green land? Are the current 7,000 homes already being built not enough? Where would all the people come from to fill them? Surely smaller developments on brownfield sites should be explored first making smaller friendlier communities rather than massive housing developments; we are not an inner city with inner city housing problems!

Could any councillor hand on heart stand up and say they wholly agree with this and what benefit it is to us in and around Horsham especially without the infrastructure needed to support us now let alone this increase in people?

We object till we are blue in the face but what good does it do? I can fully understand why people become lethargic about complaining on these issues as nobody in local or central government seems to give ‘a jot’!

As somebody commented: Central Government say ‘jump’ HDC says ‘how high?’.

Mr & Mrs J Richardson

Friday Street, Rusper