Sussex residents campaign against greenfield housing plans

The Save Sussex Wildlife campaign was launched by "a group of concerned residents" in response to the proposed allocation of 35 sites for housing in Mid Sussex District Council's draft Local Plan.

A Local Plan is a document that sets out the long-term vision, policies, and framework for future development in an area.

Run by Haywards Heath resident Ingrid Marson, a campaign is calling on Mid Sussex District Council to prioritise brownfield development and to protect sites where rare wildlife has been recorded, in line with its election promise to do so.

Campaigners claim to have identified at least 11 "wildlife-rich" sites on the council’s draft Plan.

Many are thought to be home to species such as hazel dormice, slow worms, grass snakes, rare birds, bats, and butterflies.

Ms Marson said she had launched the Save Sussex Wildlife campaign "to challenge Mid Sussex Lib Dems about the way it allocates sites for housing.

"Many of the sites they have chosen are countryside sites supporting rare wildlife, such as hazel dormice, great crested newts and barn owls, while brownfield sites in our town centres that could deliver hundreds of homes have been overlooked.

“This isn’t an argument against new homes – it’s an argument for building them in the right places.

"I’m gutted that the council is allocating housing in sites that have rare wildlife such as hazel dormice and great crested newts.”

The campaign group has launched a website, www.libdemwildlife.com, and is encouraging residents to sign a petition at change.org/SaveSussexWildlife.

More than 460 people have already signed, with 1,300 signatures needed to trigger a council debate.

Responding to the criticism, Mid Sussex District Council said it was required to meet housing targets set by the government, as well as to assess if it was capable of meeting the housing need of neighbouring councils unable to meet their own.

The council said: "It is important to note that the environmental impact of new housing is assessed when developing the Plan and all the sites in the Plan have been subjected to a transparent selection process which considers the impact on the environment."

The council added that the government-appointed Planning Inspector plans to hold a six-week public consultation before he makes his final decision, giving all residents and stakeholders to get their views across.

The council also justified the need for a Local Plan in terms of "giving the local community greater control over where development takes place and helping protect the district from unwanted speculative development.

"Without a Plan, Mid Sussex is extremely vulnerable to more development through speculative applications and appeals, which would result in development in unwanted, inappropriate locations, with less influence for local communities and less opportunity to secure the infrastructure needed to support growth."

The 35 sites on the council’s current longlist remain under consideration.