While there has rightfully been a lot of discussion about the housing proposed West of Ifield, there has been far less attention or discussion about potential plans for building between 1,500 and 2,000 homes to the East of Crawley at Crabbet Park near Copthorne, which is a pity as the quantities being proposed are also very significant. Mid Sussex District Council, who covers that area, wishes to secure the adoption of a new Local Plan which includes this site allocation, but this is subject to a public examination by an independent Planning Inspector, which starts this week.
If other councils are going to build on our borders, rather than in their existing towns, that’s bad enough, but if they are, they are going to provide something that actually meets Crawley’s unmet needs, not build expensive large executive homes for the stockbroker belt. There’s plenty of the rest of affluent Sussex for them to do that.
The Crabbet Park model they want in their Plan is low density, with a level of proposed affordable housing which is far too low given the acute levels of affordable housing need in Crawley. Mid Sussex doing that at Woodgate was once too many and this Labour administration won’t sit idly by while they try and do exactly the same at an even larger scale at Crabbet Park.
This isn’t about being anti-housing, it’s about ensuring that a development justified as an urban extension to Crawley actually addresses our unmet housing need and has infrastructure and public transport provision that supports the increased population in this area so it won’t have significant negative impacts on Crawley’s own infrastructure, services and facilities.
This is a serious issue: Crawley’s unmet housing need has been assessed as amounting to 7,505 dwellings by 2040. Mid Sussex should also recognise Crawley Borough Council concerns expressed previously about Crabbet Park, including for transport, waste water, education, health and other infrastructure, by ensuring full engagement with the community on the eastern side of Crawley, working with this Council.
There needs to be an affordable housing requirement of 40%, not 30%, given the location is adjacent to Crawley, with a blended housing mix, taking into account Crawley’s need for housing mix types, as well as Mid Sussex’s. It needs clear requirements for more effective use of land, supporting the viability of public transport and clear requirements to enhance high capacity, high frequency bus services and active travel links into Crawley and improving sustainable transport accessibility particularly of Three Bridges and Crawley railway stations.
I am therefore putting forward a motion to this week’s Full Council which, if agreed, will speak up for our residents, ask Mid Sussex to change their approach and let the inspector of their Local Plan know these concerns are coming from the highest levels in Crawley.
Cllr Michael Jones
Leader, Crawley Borough Council