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You have until 20th March to respond to the Mid Sussex District Council Core Strategy Consultation, which ultimately will determine how many houses are built in East Grinstead, and critically for Forest Row, whether or not there will be a full relief road. 

RESPOND: with help from these two documents

• a. Relief Road Response Briefing , which explains the situation as it effects us in Forest Row
• b. PRC Response Form – which  we fully endorse, and is the easiest way to respond to the consultation.

Please refer to these as guidance on how to respond to this important consultation.

For anyone who wishes to make a personalised response by email or letter (this is more powerful than the pre-printed stereotyped responses that will just be counted and put in a box) – use this email address: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or this mailing address: Planning Policy Division at Mid Sussex District Council, Oaklands, Haywards Heath RH16 1SS.. Tel. 01444 477 053.

And to download and view the Core Strategy Documents in detail, visit: www.midsussex.gov.uk/corestrategy.

FRIDAY 7th MARCH – 8pm – MAIN HALL – FR COMMUNITY CENTRE

The agenda for this workshop will be:

1. Update on the MSDC Core Strategy, and the implications for Forest Row.
2. Debate and discussion during which you can express your views
3. Advice as to how you can make your contribution to the formal consultation

See below for background information

Cllrs David Jonas & Vania Phitidis 01342 826 144

Mid Sussex Core Strategy Consultation

Deadline 20th March 2008

Background Information

Up until the 20th March you will be able to comment on the latest plan for new housing development in East Grinstead, and the extent of any relief road affecting Forest Row. Public comment will be used as “evidence” in preparing the final report for a government inspector in 2009, whose decision will be binding.

The latest twist came in October, when the government declared that there must be “cross border conformity” between the respective plans for Mid Sussex and Wealden, especially at the interface between East Grinstead and Forest Row. This forced Mid Sussex officers to reassess their plans for 2500 houses with relief road to the Brambletye Bends, and offer a contingency option of just 1500 houses with a “partial relief road” extending as far as a new intersection with the Turners Hill Road.

However, under pressure from central government to find sites for 15,000 houses in Mid Sussex, the larger scheme is still their preferred option, and this is why the “evidence” gathered in this consultation could determine the outcome. I am particularly concerned that Mid Sussex might point out to the government inspector that Forest Row residents have been asking for the road to be extended to the south of Forest Row (this is the Parish Council’s current contingency plan), and ask why Wealden District Council haven’t fully explored this option. This would come at a time when Wealden officers are trying to determine potential sites for our own government allocation of 9600 new houses.

If Wealden officers were forced to draft a plan in order to explore this option, it would involve building 1500 houses to the west of our village just to pay for the extension of the relief road, and a further 500 to pay for the expansion of our community infrastructure – more than doubling the size of our community. We would have no influence over the outcome, as it would be voted through by councillors from Polegate, Hailsham, Uckfield and Crowborough in the interests of relieving the pressure to build housing in their areas.

This is an important consultation, so be careful what you ask for!

Cllr David Jonas
3rd March 2008