Latest News of Local Interest

MSDC District Plan 2014-2031 Consultation Draft

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MSDC Location Map
Mid Sussex District Council is consulting on its draft District Plan, along with a draft Sustainability Appraisal and draft Habitat Regulation Assessment. The role of the District Plan is to say broadly what, where, when and how development will take place in Mid Sussex over the next 17 years. These documents can be viewed online.

Whilst the overall strategy of the Plan has not changed from the 2013 District Plan, we want to give residents and other interested parties an opportunity to comment on the updated wording of the text and policies, some of which have changed significantly since our last public engagement. These changes have been as a result of responses received, discussions with the professional and statutory bodies including the Planning Inspectorate and Department for Communities and Local Government, cooperation with other local authorities and changes in guidance and national policy.

The draft District Plan does not include a housing number, although it does include policies which allocate land at Burgess Hill for development. The housing number will be set once all of the technical work on housing need and capacity has been undertaken and discussions with our neighbouring authorities have concluded. There will be an opportunity to make comments on the housing number when the Plan is published in May 2015.

Consultation starts 21st November 2014 for 8 weeks with the consultation documents available online from that date. Consultation closes midnight 16th January 2015.

We would like to hear from you and would welcome your views. Comments can be submitted online, by email, or by post (Planning Policy and Economic Development, Oaklands, Oaklands Road, Haywards Heath, West Sussex, RH16 1SS).

All comments received will be public information. More information can be found at www.midsussex.gov.uk/districtplan or by telephone on 01444 477053.

Rampion rampallion

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E.ON to split

Some discussion by engineers and others here.

Fred F. Mueller outlines the rationale for the move:

With just a 48-hour notice delivered by a personal phone call to Ms. Merkel on a Saturday, the CEO of E.ON, the largest German and European power producer, let it be known that the company had decided to split itself in two, one part grouping fossil and nuclear power generation and a second part encompassing the “politically correct” activities in the field of “renewable” energies. Sort of a “Bad E.ON” / “Good E.ON” move. The intention is to get rid of the “bad” part as soon as possible by putting it up for sale. At the same time, this also means the “good” part will cease to be duty bound to ensure a stable power supply under all circumstances. Obviously, such a liability is not enforceable from an entity whose only power sources are unstable wind and solar power plants. In a nutshell, the message behind this move is that the silverback of the “big four” German energy producers who group the bulk of the country’s conventional and nuclear power production is about to close shop at short notice.

Updated 11th December.

What is this land worth?

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What is this land worth?
Mayfield Market Towns have stated that they control 464 acres of land in Horsham District, and 135 acres in Mid-Sussex District, some within the site proposed for their new town and some outside, but they have not yet provided evidence to support this claim. LAMBS, by contrast, currently has over 4,300 acres signed up as ‘not available’. They have released an interesting two-page document [PDF] that deals with valuation and compulsory purchase issues.

PP Correction

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Please note that Bob’s contact number for the forthcoming Wine Quiz was wrong in the printed version of the Pigeon Post – it should be 271. That’s the Wine Quiz on Saturday 24th January, 7 for 7.30 pm. Tickets from Bob 271 or bob.pamrowland@btinternet.com

And hang a pearl in every cowslip’s ear

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Duke of Burgundy on Cowslip
The Duke of Burgundy butterfly is one of the most rapidly declining and threatened species of butterfly in the UK. Numbers have crashed by over 50 per cent since the 1970s and only about 100 colonies remain. In 2003, just eight Duke of Burgundy butterflies were recorded in the whole of Sussex. Over the next two years, Neil Hulme and Steyning Downland Scheme volunteers will be planting cowslip to encourage the Duke of Burgundy back to the chalk grasslands of the Steyning Downland. Neil has already been successful in seeing the Duke of Burgundy return to Chantry Hill, about nine miles west of the Steyning Downland. There will be opportunities for local people to work with Wakehurst Place/Kew; to collect cowslip seed and grow cowslip plants; to learn how to identify and monitor the butterflies; and to conserve their habitat. Anyone who is interested should go to the free launch event at the Steyning Centre at 7:00pm on Monday 8th December to find out more. More here.

Bobservation No. 2

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Preston Nomads Clubhouse - Downs in background

In praise of Preston Nomads Cricket Club…

The recent mini-furore over the licence application by Preston Nomads which, as I understand it, is to regularise their existing position, made me realise just how lucky we are in Fulking to have a cricket club of such note within the parish.

Other than the manic way in which some of the members can drive their cars from time to time, I do not recall any nuisance being caused by the club since the new pavilion was built and indeed before that.

In retrospect it was probably a pity that the principal access to the club was not arranged from the Poynings Road instead of Clappers Lane, but that is how it is and we all have to make the best of it.

I doubt there is, architecturally, a more attractive cricket club building in the South of England and the setting on a summer’s day is just magic viewed against the Downland backcloth.

Paul Hird, the Chairman of the club, has always gone out of his way to be welcoming to villagers and in particular St Andrew’s church has found the availability of the clubhouse for events a great blessing. The club have, over the years, been very generous in donating very attractive hampers for village events and making the clubhouse available to the village.

Let us count our blessings and see if we cannot appreciate the club more.

Bob Rowland

Arundel by-pass approved

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The pink/blue route for the Arundel by-pass

The pink/blue route for the Arundel by-pass

The West Sussex Gazette reports:

The Transport Secretary has today (Monday 1 December) announced up to £250 million of funding for a new dual carriageway bypass of Arundel, linking together the two existing dual carriageway sections of the road. Previous plans for an Arundel bypass were cancelled in 2003.

The new bypass will complete the “missing link” between the two existing dual-carriageway sections, running on the previous preferred ‘pink-blue’ route, subject to consultation with the South Downs National Park Authority, local authorities and the publication of this and alternative options.

Nick Herbert MP said:

Along with all of Arundel’s elected representatives at the town, district and county council level, I continue to believe that the bypass is needed, and that an offline bypass on the previously agreed ‘pink-blue’ route is by far the best option. I am glad that this is the starting point for the consultation, and I do not support other proposed routes.

According to the Department of Transport’s Feasibility Study there are around 25,000 traffic movements through Arundel on the A27 every day, nearly 80 per cent of which is through traffic and not local. Sussex Enterprise have calculated that poor transport links in the county are costing £2 billion a year.

St. Botolph’s reopens

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St._Botolph's
A special re-opening event is to be held at St Botolph’s Church, in Annington Road, Botolphs, on Saturday 6th December 6, at 2:00pm (followed by a carol service at 3:00pm), to allow people to see the results of the year-long first phase of the £380,000 restoration project. Mulled wine and mince pies will be served. The charge is £3 per head, children under 16 free with an adult. More here.

Our earlier posts on this project were Churches Conservation Trust takes over St. Botolph’s (April 2013) and The restoration of St. Botolph’s (April 2014).