Latest Questions
1. The increase in population will create an increase in demand on local public services such as education and health. How will the population tackle that?
Permission is sought for up to 19,620m2 of educational space which will include two primary schools with early years and special education needs and disabilities (SEND) provision and a secondary school campus also including SEND provision.
If the Horsham and Mid Sussex Clinical Commissioning Group do not require an on-site facility, a financial contribution towards off-site healthcare improvements in the locality will be provided.
2. Will local utitlities be able to cope with over 3,000 new homes?
The existing 132kv primary electricity substation to the west of Jane Murray Way (A273) will be extended by up to 3,020m2 to provide additional electrical capacity to serve the development although it should be noted that this falls outside of the application site boundary. The existing 132kv overhead power lines to the north west of St Paul's Catholic College will be undergrounded.
In terms of water supply, Homes England is in ongoing discussion with South East Water to confirm proposed point of connections for the different parts of the site. The development will be served by a network of utilities infrastructure, including surface water attenuation and common service trenches for utility and broadband networks.
3. How can I comment on planning applications for the new bridge and link road?
The planning application can be accessed via Mid Sussex District Council's planning register by using reference number DM/19/3313. Comments can also be made by writing to Planning Department, Oaklands Road, Haywards Heath, West Sussex RH16 1SS.
4. How will you encourage the use of public transport?
Public transport will be critical to embed sustainable travel habits from the outset of the development. The layout of the site has been designed to facilitate a main public transport corridor which will help to ensure that all parts of the site have access to bus based public transport. On Maple Drive for example, pedestrian and cycle improvements to enhance connections to Wivelsfield railway station will be provided. We are also proposing a new bus route that will pass through the Northern Arc on the spine road between Jane Murray Way in the west and Maple Drive in the east. This will be a high frequency route that will connect the Northern Arc to key destinations in Burgess Hill including the railway stations, the town centre and the main employment centres.
These improvements will support Mid Sussex District Council and West Sussex District Council's 'Place and Connectivity programme' which will deliver significant infrastructure improvements across Burgess Hill.
5. The new development at Freeks Farm will increase traffic on Maple Drive and the surrounding areas, what will be done to address this?
The planning consent for Freeks Farm allows for 130 homes to be built and occupied and accessed from Maple Drive. Further development will only be possible once the highway and bridge connection to the A273 Isaacs Lane is complete. The planning application, approved in January 2020, can be accessed on Mid Sussex District Council's planning register – reference DM/19/3313.
6. How will the local road network deal with the increase in traffic that the development will bring?
We are committed to delivering a well-connected development and are working closely with Mid Sussex District Council (MSDC), West Sussex County Council (WSCC) and Highways England to deliver a wide range of improvements which will benefit both existing and new residents of Burgess Hill.
These include:
• Increasing the capacity of key junctions including three existing roundabouts on the A273 Jane Murray Way, at York Road, Coulstock Road and Sussex Way.
• A spine road through the site which will provide a link road between the A2300 and the A272 Isaacs Lane. This will also relieve parts of the existing highway network in Burgess Hill by providing a more convenient route for some through traffic travelling between Isaacs Lane, the A2300 and Jane Murray Way.
• Contribution to the dualling of the A2300 being delivered by WSCC.
• A Public Transport Strategy, developed in consultation with WSCC and Metrobus, which will ultimately see buses connect Brookleigh with key destinations in Burgess Hill via buses every 12 minutes, like the town centre, railway stations and key employment areas. Discussions are ongoing with other bus operators to further enhance this bus service. • A three-tier network of cycling and walking routes throughout Brookleigh, which will cater for a mix of ages and abilities