Against plan for several reasons

I object to the council’s plan to build on the Rookwood site for a number of reasons.

1) Horsham population need their green spaces and the area concerned provides approximately one third of the green space in the district but will only provide 3 per cent of the local target of 25,000 dwellings. Golf courses provide additional space for walkers, cyclists and nature lovers as well

as an affordable municipal golf course, which is hugely valuable.

In addition, the football pitch will be destroyed, adding to the reduction of activities available in the area.

All these reduce the possibilities keeping Horsham populace active, and their mental health maintained, particularly when so many more dwellings are already in place and so many more planned.

2) Wildlife in Horsham is well served by the current situation, because of the Warnham Nature Reserve and its co-existence with the golf course. The whole eco-system is threatened by the plan.

Diversity of habitats within this whole area is of vital importance and will be severely reduced by the plan, partly because of the area and habitats involved and partly because the area will be bisected by new roads, buildings etc. thus cutting the wildlife corridors.

3 Pollution and climate change are being increased all the time. This plan absolutely does further damage by cutting a great deal of green space and increasing traffic in an area that should be allowed to remain a wonderful green resource for current and future residents.

The amazing publicity from the Council says that:

A) ‘It should open up the area for the public.’ Actually, it will reduce the area available for the public dramatically and goes against H D Objectives of ; helping wildlife thrive, creating networks of land and maximising the opportunites, protecting and enhancing wildlife and tackling climate change.

B) ‘There will be no significant impact on Warnham Nature Reserve’, which is clearly totally untrue.

C) ‘There will be a ten per cent increase in biodiversity’ but absolutely no indication of how this might be achieved and clearly, given number 2) above, it is also completely

untrue.

As guardians of OUR health and general well-being, the council should be more active in stopping the reduction of well used green spaces and it should also be more open about its plans, allowing US to have input into them instead of secretly planning unwelcome changes for years.

Please, stop plans to develop Rookwood and take heart from the more recent reduction in the number of houses the Government is asking for since the change in their algorithm.

EVEALEXANDER SpringfieldParkRoad,

Horsham