Mid Sussex District Council’s draft District Plan: How many new homes are proposed?

During a scrutiny committee meeting on Tuesday (October 18), members discussed some of the 21 sites which have been proposed to take a total of 2,007 new homes.

The sites are:

Batchelors Farm, Keymer Road, Burgess Hill – 33 homes Land at Hillbrow, Janes Lane, Burgess Hill – 25 homes Land near Burgess Hill Station – 300 homes Land off West Hoathly Road, East Grinstead – 45 homes Land at Hurstwood Lane, Haywards Heath – 45 homes Land at the junction of Hurstwood Lane and Colwell Lane, Haywards Heath – 30 homes Land east of Borde Hill Lane, Haywards Heath – 60 homes Orchards Shopping Centre, Haywards Heath – 100 homes Land to west of Turners Hill Road, Crawley Down – 350 homes Hurst Farm, Turners Hill Road, Crawley Down – 37 homes Land to the rear of 2 Hurst Road, Hassocks – 25 homes Land west of Kemps, Hurstpierpoint – 90 homes The Paddocks, Lewes Road, Ashurst Wood – 8-12 homes Land at Foxhole Farm, Bolney – 200 homes Land at Chesapeke and Meadow View Reeds Lane, Sayers Common – 33 homes Land at Coombe Farm, London Road, Sayers Common – 210 homes Land to west of Kings Business Centre, Reeds Lane, Sayers Common – 100 homes Land south of LVS Hassocks, London Road, Sayers Common – 200 people Ham Lane Farm House, Ham Lane, Scaynes Hill – 30 homes Challoners, Cuckfield Road, Ansty – 37 homes Land to the west of Marwick Close, Bolney Road, Ansty – 45 homes.

According to the Government’s Standard Method of measuring housing need, Mid Sussex needs to build 20,142 homes during the life of the plan – 1,119 per year. In January, the figures stood at 1,093 homes per year – a total of 18,581 up to 2038.

The plan was ‘paused’ that month while leader Jonathan Ash-Edwards wrote to the government to call for the district’s housing targets ‘to be reset to a level more consistent with our environmental and infrastructure constraints’. That ‘reset’ never arrived.

Councillors agreed the draft District Plan should be put out to public consultation between November 7 and December 19.

A suggestion from Anne Eves (Green, Burgess Hill – Leylands) that it be extended from six weeks to 12 weeks because of how close it would be to Christmas was voted down. Officers told her that the six weeks was the requirement – not a minimum.

The subject of allotments – namely those currently on the site near Burgess Hill Station – came up repeatedly during the meeting.

Robert Eggleston asked if the proposed 300-home development for the site could be reduced to 150 to save some of the allotments. That idea, too, was voted down.

Officers told him that the District Plan made it clear that whoever comes forward to develop the site would have to include provision for allotments.

In addition, a survey would be carried out to judge the need. Mr Eggleston pointed out that, with 246 people on the waiting list for plots in the town, the need was definitely there.

The recommendation to put the draft District Plan out to public consultation is scheduled to be approved at a meeting of the full council on November 3.