West of Ifield development consultation events postponed by Homes England

The meetings were intended to give people the chance to ask questions about the plans, which have received a mixed reaction from councils and the public.

They were due to run from November 23 to December 7 but a Homes England spokesman said they would be rescheduled ‘as soon as possible’.

He added: “We are having to do this due to the fact in the run up to an election public bodies have a duty to ‘not take any steps during an election period that will compete with parliamentary candidates for the public’s attention’.

“And for this reason, it is clearly important that we do not hold these events in the next few weeks.

“We will reschedule the meetings as soon as we can. We will take into consideration that events over the festive period are not ideal during the planning.”

A petition opposing the development has been signed by 1,800 people. To view it, log on to www.change.org/p/horsham-borough-council-stop-the-build-of-10-000-houses-across-ifield-west