Developer asks for feedback on new 10,000 home market town plans

The County Times exclusively revealed Mayfield Market Towns’ plans for the area in September 2012, who is now asking for people’s views on proposals.

At the time Lee Newlyn, director at Mayfield, said that the company had presented plans for five new settlements, but it wanted to hear from local people and councils before determining the exact layout of the scheme.

Earlier this month residents packed out a public meeting in Henfield to protest against housing development in the area. In attendance was Nick Herbert, MP for Arundel and South Downs. He told the County Times: “I said that, following the scrapping of the South East Plan, it is now up to our district councils to set the appropriate level of new housing, while villages can determine where development is located by drawing up a neighbourhood plan.

“I reiterated my view that while some new housing is necessary, it must be at sustainable levels.

“Neighbourhood Plans will help villages to protect themselves from speculative development that causes so much anguish, so I’ve been encouraging parish councils to take them forward.”

HDC is currently working on its draft Local Development Framework, which will outline where and how many houses are built in the next 20 years.

Mayfield was one of several developers that presented its scheme to HDC in June 2012 as it sought to get its scheme included in the LDF.

However earlier this year Ray Dawe (Con, Chantry), leader of HDC, said that a new market town was unlikely as it needed the co-operation of Mid Sussex District Council (MSDC), and the scheme had not appeared in the draft LDF that MSDC has published for public consultation.

Last week HDC announced it would be presenting a report on its Horsham District Planning Framework Preferred Strategy on July 25.

To make your views known email Mayfield on [email protected] or comment below.