Richard W Symonds
Richard W Symonds
3 days ago
Opinion

Letter to the editor: Halt Homes England's 'insane' West of Ifield speculative planning application

Crawley Borough Council [CBC] Cabinet Member for Planning and Economic Development, Cllr Atif Nawaz, states [‘Crawley Borough Council restate opposition to plans for thousands of new homes West of Ifield’, Crawley Observer-Sussex World, June 5]:

Ifield Brook Meadows Local Green Space [as part of the Crawley Millennium Greenway - of which the 25th Anniversary falls this year]
Ifield Brook Meadows [in green] within the geographical centre of the ancient Parish of Ifield [boundary outlined in black]
Ifield Brook Meadows [in green] within the geographical centre of the ancient Parish of Ifield [boundary outlined in black] Credit: Map creation by Ian Mulcahy

“We understand that Homes England's West of Ifield planning application will not include any land located within Crawley's administrative boundaries”

‘Kingfisher - Ifield Millpond’ [Photo on display at the Ancient Ifield Exhibition - Crawley Museum]
‘Kingfisher - Ifield Millpond’ [Photo on display at the Ancient Ifield Exhibition - Crawley Museum] Credit: Photo by Dale Baldwin - with permission

Then you understand incorrectly, Cllr Nawaz.

Ifield Brook Meadows - a CBC-designated Local Green Space/LGS [one step down from a Local Nature Reserve/LNR] - is owned and controlled by the government housing agency and property developer Homes England [who have peppered this public beauty spot with ugly ‘Private Land’ signs].

Crawley Borough Council, Horsham District Council and West Sussex County Council must call upon the present Government to halt Homes England’s “insane” West of Ifield speculative planning application - without hesitation, without delay and without further waste of taxpayers money.

Richard W. Symonds MCIPD

The Ifield Society

Ifield Street, Ifield Village

Crawley, West Sussex