LETTER: Failure to meet local priorities

We raised many concerns with Liberty, including the lack of evidence of adequate infrastructure.

Our prime concern, however, was the developer’s lack of understanding of local priorities, despite the exhibitions claim that Liberty’s planning application was intended to address these. The clearest evidence of that lack of understanding is the failure to include in the development affordable housing of the kind and level we require in our district.

Horsham District Council has consistently failed to ensure that the planning process has achieved the council’s own targets for affordable homes. This failure is most noticeable in the largescale West of Horsham developments.

We must not see, with the proposed development North of Horsham, a repeat of the catastrophic failure to deliver affordable homes for local people. The family homes being offered at £400,000 and above on the West of Horsham development are not affordable and will do nothing to end the housing crisis here in Horsham.

Concreting over much loved countryside and delivering almost no housing benefits for the people of Horsham is not acceptable.

Horsham Labour Party is the only local party to consistently campaign for affordable homes and against both the West of Horsham and the North Horsham developments because of their failure to meet local priorities.

We believe all developments approved by Horsham District Council should have a minimum of 50 per cent affordable housing, nothing less will address the housing needs of our district.

We have drafted a petition calling on the council to reject Liberty’s planning application in its current form. An on-line version of our petition can be signed by following this link.

www.change.org/p/horsham-district-council-planning-committee-north-oppose-liberty-s-planning-application-call-for-the-affordable-homes-horsham-needs?

David Hide

Chair, Horsham Labour Party, Clarence Road, Horsham

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