West Sussex village residents vow to fight proposals for ‘major new housing development’

Bolney Action Group (BAG) was formed to resist a proposed development on the fields of Foxhole Farm. Visit bolneyactiongroup.co.uk.

BAG said this has been ‘unexpectedly increased from 100 to 200 houses’ and is the only Bolney site in contention in Mid Sussex District Council’s revised District Plan.

A BAG spokesperson said: “This is despite widespread objections from local residents, and a number of other sites having already been proposed by the village as part of its Neighbourhood Plan.”

The residents, who feel they are not being listened to, said: “This comes after MSDC received more objections to the plans for Foxhole Farm than for any other proposed development in Mid Sussex during the previous District Plan consultation, which took place in spring 2023.”

The latest draft of the District Plan is out for a final public consultation before it goes to an independent planning inspector. This ends on February 23.

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BAG said it is particularly concerned that 200 houses could mean 300-400 more cars in a small rural village with narrow lanes, which could increase the danger to children, dog-walkers, horse-riders and cyclists. Residents said the increased traffic could lead to more congestion and collisions along the ‘accident prone’ A272. BAG said Bolney might not have the infrastructure to support 200 more houses either, calling transport links ‘very poor’.

A spokesperson said: “Residents rely on cars to reach schools, work, doctors, dentists, shops, train services etc. The development will put even more pressure on the village’s utilities, which are already stretched and unfit for purpose. Bolney already experiences flooding, regular power cuts and water shortages.”

Duncan Crocker of BAG said: “This is not a case of ‘nimbyism’. As a village, we recognise the need for proportionate and sustainable development, which is why there was such a high-level of positive engagement from the community during the drafting of our Neighbourhood Plan and a number of credible sites were put forward. Bolney is an historic Sussex village with 45 listed buildings, including a Grade 1 parish church. It is popular with walkers from across Sussex, who come for the beautiful rural scenery. A development like Foxhole Farm would permanently harm the nature of our village and its rural context.”

An MSDC spokesperson said: “The council is satisfied that in identifying sites for allocation in the District Plan proper, robust and transparent processes have been followed. This work is in the public domain and will be examined in public by an independent Planning Inspector. This work is explained in the Council’s FAQs which can be found here. The FAQs also set out the next steps in the process. The Council would encourage BAG to submit its concerns via the consultation process to ensure they are properly considered by the Inspector.”

The council said it is sharing the Plan across different media, including a video that explains plan making at www.midsussex.gov.uk/districtplan.

They continued: "We have engaged with residents, businesses and statutory organisations and have exceeded the statutory consultation requirements including holding staffed drop-in sessions at Bolney, which was well attended. We also met with the Town and Parish Council.”