Plans for 1,450 homes near Mid Sussex village: group launches fundraiser to fight application for ‘new town’

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A group has launched a fundraiser to oppose a planning application for a ‘new town’ in Mid Sussex.

The Cuckfield Society said they want to stop the building of 1,450 new homes on a 100-hectare (247-acre) site between Ansty and Cuckfield.

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Application DM/23/2866, which can be viewed at pa.midsussex.gov.uk/online-applications, includes plans for up to 90 residential care units, a primary school and school for children with special educational needs and disabilities, community buildings, a sports hub and shops.

The Cuckfield Society said they want to stop the building of 1,450 new homes between Ansty and Cuckfield. Photo of the area from 2022 by Steve Robards, SR2203222The Cuckfield Society said they want to stop the building of 1,450 new homes between Ansty and Cuckfield. Photo of the area from 2022 by Steve Robards, SR2203222
The Cuckfield Society said they want to stop the building of 1,450 new homes between Ansty and Cuckfield. Photo of the area from 2022 by Steve Robards, SR2203222

The Cuckfield Society said on its new GoFundMe page: “The Cuckfield Society is fighting to stop the building of a new town on the beautiful land to the south of Cuckfield.”

Visit www.gofundme.com/f/save-the-land-to-the-south-of-cuckfield-from-development to see the fundraiser, which has raised more than £1,500 of its £50,000 target.

The society said plans for more than 1,000 homes had previously been pulled from the draft Mid Sussex District Plan in June 2022 following a public outcry. The society said they have now have appointed a barrister ‘from one of the leading UK Chambers on planning and development together with planning and traffic consultants’ to argue against the Cuckfield/Ansty site being included.

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The Cuckfield Society and the Say No To Cuck-stye campaign want to stop the building of 1,450 new homes between Ansty and Cuckfield. Photo: Brad WilliamsThe Cuckfield Society and the Say No To Cuck-stye campaign want to stop the building of 1,450 new homes between Ansty and Cuckfield. Photo: Brad Williams
The Cuckfield Society and the Say No To Cuck-stye campaign want to stop the building of 1,450 new homes between Ansty and Cuckfield. Photo: Brad Williams

The society said: “Members of the community together with the support of local Parish Councils have already spent £39,000 on specialist reports to support our case and estimate that the total cost will be nearer £100,000. So, if you care about the future of both Cuckfield and Ansty and don’t want the roads permanently jammed, the water supply threatened and all local services and schools strained to breaking point please help us by giving generously.”

The application, which is pending consideration, has also received many letters of objection with nearby residents expressing concerns about the impact on the rural landscape, increased traffic, the ‘merging’ of Ansty and Cuckfield and the possible impact on wildlife.

Brad Williams, of Ansty & Staplefield Parish Council, said ‘it’s five to midnight’ for the ‘Say No To Cuck-stye’ campaign because the Planning Examination is just over a month away. Visit www.saynotocuckstye.co.uk.

He said: “We are incredibly grateful for all the community support we have received but still have a way to go to raise the funds required to ensure have have the best possible legal representation at the Examination.”

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The Cuckfield Society and the Say No To Cuck-stye campaign want to stop the building of 1,450 new homes between Ansty and Cuckfield. Picture by Brad Williams shows the community protest walk in October 2022The Cuckfield Society and the Say No To Cuck-stye campaign want to stop the building of 1,450 new homes between Ansty and Cuckfield. Picture by Brad Williams shows the community protest walk in October 2022
The Cuckfield Society and the Say No To Cuck-stye campaign want to stop the building of 1,450 new homes between Ansty and Cuckfield. Picture by Brad Williams shows the community protest walk in October 2022

He added: “Further to recent talk with MSDC and our consultants, we will be updating the community at a final public meeting on Thursday, September 26, 7.30pm, at the Talbot pub.”

The application’s design statement said the development will be ‘an extension’ of Ansty village that aims to ‘benefit and welcome the existing residents into the scheme just as much as the new’.

It said: “This change will be positive and necessary, and presents opportunity for growth and betterment. It will replace facilities and amenities which have been lost in the village, along with providing new ones to serve Ansty as a whole. It will provide much needed new housing, enabling young adults to stay within the vicinity, and provide accommodation for the elderly so they, too, can stay in the vicinity when they need to downsize or require additional support.”

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