User:MaisonGladys
Development Plans
[edit]MSDC are currently producing a new local plan for the District to run from 2006 until 2026. This will allocate a government quota to build 15,000-18,000 new homes under the [ South East Plan ]. The Council propose to allocate 4,500 - 6,000 of these houses to East Grinstead within the [Core Strategy]. This would increase the town by 50%-60%.
The Council has not published a comprehensive list of the housebuilding but has outlined these schemes:
| Scheme | House Numbers (min) | House Numbers (max) |
|---|---|---|
| Local Plan | 250 | 350 |
| Small Scale Housing Allocation | 270 | 420 |
| Town Centre Revitalisation | 380 | 600 |
| Strategic Development | 2500 | 2500 |
| "windfalls" | 1200 | 2000 |
| Total' | 4750 | 6000 |
The development proposals are highly contraversial and have generated vigorous opposition from residents in the town and the surrounding villages. When the scheme was first made public a town referendum was called in June 2003 where 96% of voters rejected the scheme. A new campaigning group the [Post Referendum Campaign] was formed and in 2004 10,000 people sigend a Petition opposing the scheme.
The Council held a statutory consultation in 2006 which generated the highest ever response at almost 7,000 responses - 99% of these opposed the Council's scheme. In March 2008 a further 3,000 objections were received as part of the Core Strategy consultation.
The [Town Centre Re-vitalisation] is part of a joint venture between the Council and [Thornfield Properties] which aims to rejuvenate the three main towns in the District. This is being brought forward under a supplementary planning document. The [Strategic Development] is being proposed in conjunction with the [East Grinstead Developer Consortium] which has options on land to the west and southwest of the town. This is being brought forward under a development plan document called the [East Grinstead Area Action Plan].
The Strategic Development location was identified in the county Structure Plan adopted in 2004. This requires the District Council to draw up a proposal for 2,500 houses contingent on specific infrastructure provisions. This includes a transport package to reduce traffic levels below 2004 levels through a relief road, improvements to the existing road system and a high quality public transport service to Crawley. Traffic reports based on a specially built transport model have been published in 2005, 2006 and 2007. In each case the traffic predictions have shown a substantial worsening across the town.