A DEVELOPER says it will not bow to pressure despite support for campaigners who fear a road closure could have a “catastrophic impact” on their businesses.

Shop and restaurant owners in Borde Hill Lane, Haywards Heath, have been fighting a developer’s plans to close the junction of Balcombe Road, Borde Hill Lane and Hanlye Lane this summer.

Redrow Homes intends to shut the road for three months from June 22 while it builds a roundabout for a new housing development called Penlands Green.

But campaigners worry this would cause “huge disruption” for residents and “threaten the survival of local businesses.”

Earlier this year, fifteen shops and restaurants clubbed together to form the Borde Hill Businesses Group. Their campaign challenging the full road closure has been gathering momentum.

Their petition has attracted more than 4,000 signatures, and last month MP Mims Davies visited the businesses in a show of support.

The petition warns: “At the end of the day a developer seeking to reduce its costs should not be allowed to do so at the expense of others who will have to bear a disproportionate financial and human burden.”

The group has proposed a “series of partial closures designed to fit in with the construction programme” rather than a full road closure.

Jeremy Ashpool, acting chairman of the group and owner of Jeremy’s Restaurant, said he had been hoping the “very harmful effects of a total road closure could be mitigated”.

But the developers are refusing to budge over the full road closure.

A spokesman for Redrow Southern Counties said: “There is a requirement for the roundabout to be built as part of delivering new homes at Penlands Green, works which Redrow received approval for in 2016. Once installed, the roundabout will ensure the area’s local infrastructure is improved to meet current and future needs, and will make the local highways network safer for local residents.

“Our consulting engineers and contractor advise that the safest and most effective way to construct the new roundabout is a full closure, a matter which we have discussed and agreed with the Highway Authority.

“The specific timings have been agreed with West Sussex County Council with particular consideration of the school holidays and the South of England Show to ensure minimum disruption.”

“We appreciate this will inconvenience local businesses and residents, which is why we took the decision to delay the works in excess of a year in order to give local businesses the opportunity to put in place appropriate contingency plans. This delay also allowed us to carefully re-assess all the various options for these works and the decision to fully close these roads has not been taken lightly.”

A spokesman for West Sussex County Council said: “We sympathise with residents and businesses as there will be a high level of inconvenience during these works.

“We made extensive efforts to try to find another option but there is no other, safe and practical option for the developer.”

“The works have been substantially delayed to give people time to plan for the temporary closure and we have focused on giving the community as much notice as possible, starting with the developer’s notices and letters, which were recently distributed in the area. We are also making it a requirement that the developer’s contractor undertake seven-day working to minimise the length of the closure.

“The roads have to be closed because of a big difference in the level of the existing road and proposed road alignment where the new road will join at the new roundabout (where Balcombe Road, Borde Hill and Hanlye Lane intersect). Engineered embankments have to be constructed to support the new road alignment and there is insufficient space to accommodate traffic and the construction activities.

“Once built, the roundabout will improve the current junction arrangement to meet current and future needs and make the local highways network safer.

“The highway improvement works are a requirement of the planning permission, granted in June, 2017, for 210 homes at Penlands Green.”