Video and petition to save ‘nature haven’ in Burgess Hill: South of Folders Lane Action Group want SA13 site protected

South of Folders Lane Action Group (SOFLAG) said that they and Burgess Hill Town Council are campaigning to save Site SA13 between Burgess Hill and the South Downs National Park.

Alongside the change.org petition, SOFLAG has created a short film about the area, which has been viewed more than 1,000 times on YouTube.

The group called the housing plan ‘flawed’ and ‘destructive’, saying it would ruin a home for threatened birds, mammals and reptiles.

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Amanda Green from Burgess Hill and Michelle Parlett from Keymer told the Middy: “This is not the usual ‘empty’ development plot, but a rewilded nature haven, formed from what was an ancient field system.”

They said it has not been ploughed or chemically treated for decades and has no public access, which means it is undisturbed.

“There are wooded areas with both young and mature trees and areas of dense scrubland,” they said, adding that this forms a rich habitat for native wildlife.

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“It is, in effect, a mini biosphere, a green corridor linked to the adjacent South Downs National Park,” they said.

Amanda and Michelle are concerned that species in the site could become extinct in this part of Sussex if they lost their home.

They added: “Ironically, it is a perfect example of the sort of local rewilding that MSDC claimed to support when they proudly announced they had joined the Blue Campaign.

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They said that the council has publicly stated it wants to increase biodiversity and fight climate change, but that its actions demonstrate a ‘do as we say, not as we do’ attitude.

SOFLAG also said Site SA13 is a ‘ready made carbon sink’ and absorbs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

“Our site, which is land that has been undisturbed for decades, has much carbon locked into its fertile soil and the trees and vegetation that is thriving there,” said Amanda and Michelle.

“Plants themselves capture carbon dioxide in their leaves and pump the carbon down through their roots,” they said, adding that keeping soil covered with plants puts carbon back into the soil.

“By developing this land much of this ‘locked in’ carbon will be released into the atmosphere,” they said.

“The many standard mature trees, together with the mini oak forest growing there, are doing a great job absorbing CO2 and will cease to do so.”

The pair said they are excited so many people have signed the petition and watched their film.

“We know from the comments left by signatories that this is an issue that local people really care about,” they said.

Amanda and Michelle also said The Sussex Biodiversity Records Centre produced a list of species at the site, which includes nightingales, reptiles and birds.

“Critically endangered mammals such as hazel dormice and serotine bats (as well as other species of bat) have been recorded at the site,” they said.

“Nightingales and cuckoos are recorded and are heard by supporters who live adjacent to the site, with the cuckoo’s annual arrival recorded for the past 20 years (always between 21 and 28 April),” they added.

“These two, plus the swifts who also visit the site in the summer, are among many others on the site, that are on the RSPB red list.”

Ideally, SOFLAG would like the SA13 site removed from Mid Sussex District Council’s list of sites approved for housing.

They said the district has already passed the government’s housing delivery test so they could remove this allocation.

Visit facebook.com/southoffolderslaneactiongroup to find out more.

Councillor Robert Salisbury, MSDC Cabinet Member for Housing and Planning, said: “The number of homes we need to build in Mid Sussex over the next 15 years has been set by the Government and the Council is required by legislation to plan where those new homes should go.

“Nobody likes to see green fields lost to development but, in a rural area like Mid Sussex, there aren’t sufficient brownfield sites to meet the growing housing need and our options are limited.

“It is the role of the District Council to identify the most suitable locations for new housing in order to meet the growing needs of the local community, and that is what the Council has done with the Site Allocations Development Plan Document.

“Site SA13, along with the other proposed site allocations, has been subject to extensive consultation, and a public examination held by an independent planning inspector.

“SOFLAG put their points across to the inspector as part of that process and he will now make the final decision on whether the site is suitable for development.

“The Independent Inspector’s final report is expected shortly and, should he find the plan meets all legal requirements, the Council will be able to adopt the DPD.”