As Chairman of Friends of Ashenground Woods, I sat in the public gallery on the evening of November 15, while the Mid Sussex District

Council planning committee debated whether or not to approve the detailed planning application (phase two) of Crest Nicholson's Bolnore Village development in Haywards Heath.

There can be few experiences more depressing than to witness the casual indifference with which a bunch of local councillors pass sentence of death on another irreplaceable portion of the natural landscape of Sussex.

It rapidly became apparent the enormous significance attaching to their decision had completely passed them by. They seemed neither informed of nor concerned about the issue before them. Indeed, the only person on

the floor of the chamber who struck the listener as being in any way aware of the gravity of the situation, as well as understanding the social and physical implications of Crest's activity, was Dave Bangs, a local naturalist.

Mr Bangs was permitted the statutory - and ludicrously inadequate - two minutes to put his argument from the public speaking point.

Even so, he ran rings around the committee and was clearly better informed than the lot of them about the disastrous environmental impact Crest will continue to have on the Ashenground Woods area.

After Mr Bangs had spoken, the committee gazed vacantly into the middle distance.

The chairman looked vaguely about and, after some further perfunctory comments, phase two was approved without further ado.

To those readers who may think the planning future of Mid Sussex is in safe hands, I suggest they visit the public gallery at Oaklands sometimes.

-John Samson, Chairman, Friends of Ashenground Woods, Haywards Heath