Comment Will public voices be heard before final decisions?

House building is always a subject guaranteed to spark controversy – it’s safe to say there are a lot of factors at play.

No-one wants the beautiful open spaces in our district to be lost to us or the wildlife which needs it to survive and thrive.

Neither do we want to lose the facilities which give people enjoyment and support active and healthy lifestyles.

We don’t want overbearing government targets or developer-led schemes which put profit above the desires of the local communities.

What we do want is affordable and sustainable homes for our friends and family, to ensure our loved ones can live close by and those in desperate need aren’t driven to homelessness.

There are balances to be struck and you’ll never please everybody all the time.

But it’s vital that everyone is given a chance to have their say, and feel they are being heard.

The oft-repeated criticism levelled at Horsham District Council’s cabinet is lack of transparency – that stakeholders aren’t consulted and when they are, their responses are irrelevant because the decision is a foregone conclusion, and made for unclear reasons.

We have three controversial sites now in the spotlight – the Broadbridge Heath running track, the Drill Hall and, of course, Rookwood.

The council is undoubtedly facing huge financial pressures and problems as a result of the pandemic, and this will have to play a part in its future decisions.

But is must now demonstrate that it has learnt from past mistakes, and conducts these debates out in the open, with a chance for everyone to get involved and have their say.

And it must continue to push back against unreasonable government housing targets that still threaten our communities and our countryside, and lobby our MPs to do the same.

Our councillors are the custodians of our district, elected by us to represent us.

So HDC – how is the debate over these sites going to proceed?