LETTER: Good sense to use brownfields first

I read Joshua Powling’s piece: ‘Countryside Charter to defend greenfields’ with great interest. It explained how and why the Sussex Branch of the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) is trying to get residents, MPs and councillors to sign up to a set of basic development principles – not least to use brownfield sites first.

It all makes good sense and I applaud the CPRE initiative (cpresussex.org.uk). At the time of writing this 27,875 had supported this initiative.

The piece also detailed Roger Arthur’s endeavours through the influential ‘38 degrees’

(https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/stop-indiscriminate-housing-development)

to petition the Planning Minister Nick Bowles asking him to allow planning committees in local authorities to adjust housing targets in accordance with real house-building experience in their area.

Cllrs Dawe and Vickers included a 650 per year housing target in the HDC plan approved on 30 April when they pushed their flawed plan through Horsham District Council. Nothing like that annual build was reached in the good years before the 2008 crash – so how on earth will 650 be attained.

I hope your readers will support both the CPRE and Cllr Arthur’s initiative.

CARRIE CORT

Billingshurst Road, Coneyhurst, Billingshurst