‘Revised Rookwood proposal is innovative project to be proud of’

We chose to serve our community in this way because not only do we care about our district, but because we decided to try and have direct input into decision making by becoming councillors.

I am an enthusiastic protagonist for wildlife and flora and well known for raising objections at planning committees to felling trees and development that causes harm to areas important to wildlife.

Furthermore I am committed to the concept of providing more affordable housing for those who simply cannot afford the cost of housing in this district, due to its reputation as being in the top echelon of the best places to live in the UK.

As councillors we are also residents of our district and we too despair at the amount of housing we are required by the Government to accept and the requirements that go with that.

However considerable discussion and concern is behind every potential development and change that comes before the council.

When Rookwood was suggested as a site entirely for housing, I along with others felt we would be depriving Horsham residents of a valuable asset in terms of walking and enjoyment of wildlife.

Following much public input, the council has listened and I consider the greatly revised proposal for Rookwood to be a forward looking and innovative project to be proud of.

The latest scheme will not only protect the nature reserve and existing walkways, but open up a large area of what is normally really only accessible to those playing golf to recreational use for us all and will further enhance Horsham’s reputation as a desirable place to live.

Finally I draw attention to the amount of difference Covid has made to the financial fortunes of not just our district but our country.

This may require us to take some difficult decisions that may not be in tune with what some residents may want.

We must though do our level best to ensure that we continue to try to provide our residents with all that we hold dear, our leisure centres, our swimming pools, our parks, our theatre, our museum and so many other services dedicated to looking after all in our district, including those who are in desperate need of affordable housing, which Rookwood, were it to go ahead, would provide.

How nice it would be if we could please all of the people all of the time but we can’t!

It is often easy to criticise a decision from a single viewpoint and we can certainly take such views and comments on board.

However, as councillors our job is to try our very best to balance every consideration to reach a solution that works and is best overall for our district and our residents.