'Strong hope' that 'Crawsham' homes will be ditched
Horsham District Council is expected to make a decision on 3000 homes connecting Crawley and Horsham over the coming months
Campaigners say they're still holding onto "strong hope" that controversial plans for homes connecting Crawley and Horsham will be dropped.
It follows a protest yesterday after a notice was served to Ifield Golf Club asking it to vacate by April 2027 as part of proposals for 3000 homes West of Ifield - nicknamed 'Crawsham'.
The plans have led to ongoing concerns about pressure on infrastructure, impact on traffic proximity of housing to Gatwick Airport's flight paths.
At present, it's anticipated it could be several months before Horsham District Council makes a final decision on the plans.
Campaigners: "We will continue to raise awareness"
Cathy Durrant, who's leading the campaign, told Greatest Hits Radio that their main concerns are being "echoed back ... by official consultees": "What we're doing is we're preparing further responses as we see particular issues that are raised... before the application is determined by Horsham District Council.
"We will continue to raise awareness.
"We'll be looking at what happens with the planning application. We fully anticipate actually that when the planning decision is made one way or the other, that's not the end of it.
"There's going to be appeals, there's likely to be judicial reviews, so we'll be working along with those."
Homes England said: "Submitting this planning application is a significant step towards delivering a vibrant, sustainable community at West of Ifield.
“Our vision is to create a place where people can live, work, and thrive, supported by high quality infrastructure and green spaces that respect the local environment.
"Our proposals will not only deliver much-needed new homes for the region but also secure investment in new infrastructure, jobs, community facilities.
“We look forward to working with the council’s, stakeholders and local residents through the planning application determination process.”