Burgess Hill boundary review petition ‘smashes’ target

While the 3,500-home ‘Northern Arc’ site is seen as an extension to the town it is currently in the parish of Ansty & Staplefield.

The town council has now gained the 2,000 signatures needed requesting Mid Sussex District Council undertake a community governance review with the aim of getting the changes in place by the 2023 elections.

The petition was officially handed in to MSDC’s offices in Haywards Heath on Tuesday (April 19).

This follows a decision by an MSDC scrutiny committee to delay a review until 2025.

Robert Eggleston, town council leader, said they had reached 2,700 signatures and ‘smashed’ their target.

He thanked everyone involved in collecting signatures, especially people in the community who had gone door-to-door in their own roads asking people to back the petition.

While there was still a lot to do between now and September, he added: “As a town we are really hopefully we can get justice for Burgess Hill and we can get the boundary moved so it incorporates the Northern Arc as was always intended.”

The issue was one of several discussed at the annual town meeting last Monday.

Mr Eggleston said they had been given promises and assurances on a number of occasions that the Northern Arc would form part of Burgess Hill.

He joked: “It’s the Burgess Hill Northern Arc, it’s not called the Ansty Southern Crescent.”

He told the meeting the evidence was ‘overwhelming’ and there were ‘good administrative reasons’ why the boundary should be moved before 2023. Without changes people in the Ansty and Staplefield parish would be electing district councillors for Burgess Hill.

Visit www.burgesshill.gov.uk/town-community/burgess-hill-community-governance-boundary-review