Category: Mayfield

The Mayfield New Town proposal and the LAMBS opposition to it.

Mayfield writes to MSDC

Structural plan of a new garden cityMayfield makes pledges:

  • We undertake not to pre-empt the outcome of the Local Plan Process with a premature application or appeal.
  • We undertake to accept the housing need conclusions at the completion of the four local plans; if more homes than presently planned for are not needed, we will withdraw our proposals.
  • We undertake that even if the adopted local plans do identify the need for more homes than presently planned for, we will not apply for permission (or appeal) if additional locations excluding Mayfields are identified in the adopted Local Plans to meet these additional housing needs.

LAMBS responds:

To now speak of grandiose ‘pledges’ is frankly laughable. This is nothing more than a PR stunt to salvage some semblance of credibility for what is clearly a wholly unwanted, unsustainable and destructive proposal in the depths of our beautiful, unspoilt Sussex countryside. As for promising not to pre-empt the planning process – who are they kidding after spending the past two years trying to derail all four local plans? The most worrying message here is that they have ‘pledged’ to hang around tormenting our communities until all four plans are complete – which could be some time. This is more of a threat than a ‘pledge’ really.

LAMBS in The Telegraph

Jane Watson LAMBS Twineham MayfieldJane Watson LAMBS Twineham MayfieldA long report on the people involved in the resistance.

“Villagers like us haven’t been offered huge pay-offs but our homes and the beautiful countryside around us have been left under a huge Mayfield cloud, which shows no signs of dissipating despite universal local opposition. This is the kind of rural community that is becoming rarer and rarer in the South East of England and it should be valued, not destroyed. But apparently it doesn’t matter what we think.”

Brighton City Plan


Never say die:

Mayfield Market Towns, which is proposing a new 10,000-home town near to Sayers Common, raised their own concerns that the plan in its current existence does not address any solutions in either Horsham district or Mid Sussex district.

The developers claim that with Brighton and Hove City Council exhausting all avenues to find land for housing within its borders, decisions on meeting demand elsewhere should not be longer term considerations but an urgent need and that their specific scheme should be included in the plan.