VIDEO: Action group promises to give Mannings Heath ‘a voice’ in fight against development

Mannings Heath residents pack out the village hall to hear the latest from the village action group, formed to fight housing proposals (JJP).

More than 150 residents turned up on Tuesday night to hear the latest around proposals for 64 new homes proposed on Sadlers Farm, with an application expected to be submitted soon.

The plans were originally floated in March by the managing director of Exclusive Hotels, which runs Mannings Heath Golf Club, with the action group formed soon after to fight it and other development villagers deem inappropriate.

Roger Cato, voted as chairman of MHAG, said: “What this group can do is make sure our voice is heard.”

He and others looked forward to working with Horsham District Council and Nuthurst Parish Council and added: “I’m not interested in how we get here, I’m interested in how we move forward and how we put this into place.”

HDC is currently drafting its Local Development Framework and has asked parishes to come up with their own Neighbourhood Plans to sit alongside its LDF to inform development in their area.

The parish council is one of several in the district that has started work on a Neighbourhood Plan.

The meeting was also attended by district councillors Duncan England (Con, Nuthurst) and Roger Arthur (UKIP, Chanctonbury), and county councillor Brad Watson (Con, Southwater and Nuthurst).

For the full story see Thursday’s paper.