Crawley activists have rebuked Homes England’s plans for a new 10,000-home garden village in Ifield, dubbing the scheme “grotesque”.
Last month, EG revealed that Homes England had agreed to acquire 160 acres at Ifield Golf Club in a major step to deliver a £3bn garden village in Sussex.
The Ifield Society is campaigning to “protect and preserve this ancient parish of Ifield” from the “monstrous re-submission by [the] monster consortium”.
Richard Symonds, of the Ifield Society, said: “It’s outrageous. Grotesque.”
The group argues that the local authorities do not support the development at the West of Ifield site, which has been identified as an area for potential housing growth.
The final decision to allow development will fall to Horsham District Council as part of its Local Plan Review in 2020, and any subsequent planning applications.
The council listed the 480-acre strategic site in its 2018 housing report, flagging a number of issues that would need to be addressed in order to enable development.
A Crawley Borough Council spokesman said neither Crawley or Horsham councils have officially supported the development.
They added: “This site is likely to be one of several strategic sites that Horsham District Council will have to consider for development as part of its Local Plan Review, and this council will be involved in that process at the appropriate time.”
A Horsham District Council spokesman added: “Horsham District Council has no option but to contribute to meeting the increased level of housing development through the revised Local Plan.
“As part of this process, we are looking at a range of strategic sites which have been put forward to the council to consider as part of the Local Plan Review, and the proposed development site on land West of Ifield is one of those.”
A Homes England spokesman said: “We are developing plans based on Crawley’s neighbourhood principles, and are uniquely placed to invest in the infrastructure needed to unlock the site West of Ifield. We understand the concerns of local residents, however the relief road, schools and other investment will benefit the new and existing communities, and the development will support the future of the existing town centres.
“The site is being considered as part of the Local Plan Review process for both Horsham District Council and Crawley Borough. If the site is included in the emerging Local Plan, we will then submit a planning application and undertake full consultation at this point.”
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