West of Ifield: Third consultation starts on plans to build thousands of homes in Crawley

Some changes have been made to the proposals for 3,000 homes – the most obvious being that the number has dropped from 3,250. If approved, it would be the first of three neighbourhoods which could see 10,000 homes built over the next 30 years.

A string of concerns and questions were raised by members of the public during the previous consultations – one held before the pandemic and one which was held online.

And, while Homes England staff were under no illusions that people would be happy with what they’ve come up with, they said the organisation had listened to the views of those who took part in the consultations.

One of the changes concerned Rusper Road, which residents feared would become a rat-run for people driving from the new homes to Crawley. The plan now is to close part of the road to traffic at the edge of the new neighbourhood, re-opening it on the other side of the Western Link Road.

This would mean anyone wishing to get to and from Crawley would have to use the link road. Other concerns centred around the potential loss of Ifield Brook Meadows and the possibility of subsidence at St Margaret’s Church due to the vibrations caused by building work.

The latter issue was raised during a Crawley Borough Council meeting on Wednesday (October 19) with officers reporting that ground conditions were ‘unlikely to change’. It was a view echoed by Homes England on Thursday (October 20).

As for the meadow, the boundary line for the site ends at Ifield Brook, with the meadow outside of the development area. Infrastructure was another huge concern raised during the previous consultations.

While the development would be part of the Horsham district, Crawley would have to bear the impact on its infrastructure. Kate McBride, project director, said: “We’re committed to getting the right infrastructure in place early, alongside building new homes and schools and supporting our vision for a sustainable, 15-minute community.

“This is an area of acute housing need, and West of Ifield is an emerging allocation in the Horsham Local Plan review.

“[The] 3,000 new homes for the area will help address local affordability issues, which are among some of the worst in the UK.

“West of Ifield also has the potential to provide school places that will benefit new residents and existing communities. The early construction of the first phase of the Crawley Western Link and making changes to the Rusper Road are also priorities for the early development phases.

“Our plans for West of Ifield so far have been developed through early engagement with the community and partners.

“Understanding local need, as well as opinions and ideas about West of Ifield, continues to be important to us and we would like to thank everyone attending our consultation events or providing feedback online.”

Consultation events will be held on:

Friday 21 October at Ifield Theatre Barn, from 2pm-7pm;

Saturday 22 October at Rusper Village Hall from 10am-3pm;

On Tuesday November 1 a webinar will be held from 7-8pm.

Email [email protected] to receive a sign-up link 48 hours before the event.

You can also log on to www.westofifield.co.uk to look at the plans and share your views.

Some people have already done so, with one saying: “I like the greenway and I really like mixed-use, denser development.

“However, I feel that the whole project’s footprint should be considerably down-scaled, meaning that the centre may be better somewhere else, and could be smaller.”

Another wrote: “The roads, sewers, facilities are not designed for an influx of 25,000 more people, and 10,000 more cars if not more. The green space you wish to build on provides an area for wellness.

“To cram more people into this area is essentially creating a cramped, overcrowded place which has negative impact on health, both physical and mental.”

And members of the Ifield Society met outside the Apple Tree Centre on Thursday to oppose the plans, telling Homes England: “Your vision, our nightmare.”