Burgess Hill development of 260 homes off Keymer Road and Folders Lane approved

The application for land south of Folders Lane and east of Keymer Road was discussed at length during a meeting of the planning committee on Thursday (July 13) before being given the nod by seven votes to three with three abstentions.

The joint application from Charles Church Developments Ltd & Thakeham Homes Limited has been the source of much consternation – a fact which was reflected in more than 550 letters of objection received by the council.

Last year, an action group even launched a legal challenge against the council’s planning document – the Site Allocations Development Plan Document – which included south of Folders Lane among sites approved for development.

The environmental impact of the new development was highest on the list of concerns, with a 38 per cent net loss of biodiversity predicted.

While the developer planned to off-set much of that with off-site improvements such as planting hedgerow at the Wiston Estate, residents and some councillors were less than impressed.

Anne Eves (Green, Burgess Hill Leylands) asked: “How is that in any way a solution or a comfort to the people or the wildlife of Burgess Hill?”

Addressing the committee as ward member, David Eggleton (Lib Dem, Burgess Hill Franklands) said the application ‘desperately needed to be re-thought’, adding: “We can do so much better than this.

“Our residents and our wildlife deserve so much better than this.”

Other councillors, though, could see no planning reason to refuse the application, despite expressing disappointment about the environmental impact of the new homes and the fact that none of the new roads would be adopted by West Sussex Highways.

The latter means the county council, as highways authority, will be under no obligation to maintain or repair the roads.

Rodney Jackson (Lib Dem, Hurstpierpoint) pointed out that there was a need for ‘less expensive market housing and social housing for rent’ in the district.

Of the new homes, 78 will be classed as affordable, with three-quarters of those being for affordable rent and the other quarter for first homes.

Vehicles will access the site will be via Willowhurst, which is currently a private road, while a second access for pedestrians and cyclists will run via Broadlands.