Planning is at a low ebb...

Like last week’s contributor from Rusper, I am dismayed by the approach taken by Horsham District Council in its draft district plan.

Strongly encouraged by Horsham District Council, in Itchingfield parish we have spent substantial amounts of volunteer time, and thousands of pounds in expert fees, to prepare our neighbourhood plan, which is currently awaiting a date for referendum. We devoted substantial resources to the selection of potential development sites, having to choose from a total of 28 sites put forward by residents and developers. Of those 28 sites, two were chosen, after rigorous scrutiny, to meet our housing needs, and those sites have been supported by HDC and by the examiner.

We now find that, in the draft district plan, HDC has largely ignored our site selections, has decided to allocate different sites and has failed to include a third site for which planning consent was recently granted on appeal.

This site allocation has been done without any form of consultation with the parish council, and wholly undermines the basis of our emerging plan. Such lack of consultation is of course contrary to both the letter and spirit of the Localism Act 2011, which requires such consultation and cooperation to take place.

We have always sought to work constructively with HDC during the preparation of our neighbourhood plan, but now feel betrayed by its attitude.

HDC and its planning process is at a low ebb.

IANWALKER Chairman, Plan Steering Group, Itchingfield Parish Council,

Trout Lane, Barns Green