Mid Sussex District Council must not allow developers to cherry pick new housing sites

Government plans to force 17,100 new houses on Mid Sussex District Council could cost £1 billion in infrastructure costs to pay for new roads, sewage systems, schools and community facilities. Yet at the same time the number of housing starts this year in the UK is set to be the lowest since 1924 and with the decline in house prices, the dependence on developers to contribute for new infrastructure may not be forthcoming.

Fears about future infrastructure expenditure were borne out by the news last month that plans for 2,500 homes in East Grinstead have been scrapped by builders because of the credit crunch. The plans included a relief road paid for by the developers and puts in doubt other ambitious plans for local infrastructure to be paid for in this way. This comes after news the completion of the Haywards Heath "ring road" paid for by developers were again put on hold last year.

Not only is central government imposing too many houses on Mid Sussex, it will not provide the money required for infrastructure improvements - the current fund provided for the whole of the South East is only £35 million! A particular concern is that developers are not allowed to cherry pick green field sites which are cheaper to develop, rather than brown field sites such as the old gas works site in Burgess Hill.

Development options should be phased, with clear guidelines to ensure the most viable locations are chosen with the greatest benefit to the community, not to developers. Developer contributions should also be used to ensure that less sustainable housing projects are only taken forward when the true cost of the new development is included in the assessment. We need a clear statement of what contributions are required from developers, how the council will monitor this, and based on a clear priority list of infrastructure requirements that has been consulted with local residents.

Mid Sussex District Council (MSDC) is currently drafting a "core strategy" outlining planning policy in the area for the next twenty years, and particularly where new housing could be built. A first round of consultation took place in 2008 with the council currently formulating a strategy to be put out to consultation in this spring. Once agreed the strategy will provide the guidelines around which detailed housing plans can be judged so it is important that the right safeguards are included from the start to ensure the necessary infrastructure is put in place.

For an additional article and associated web links see: http://simonhicks.mycouncillor.org.uk