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Spectre of urban sprawl in Sussex
Could this be West Sussex in the next century?
THE Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) says 35 per cent of the countryside in West Sussex could be at increased risk from development because of the Government’s reforms of the planning system.
The pressure group says in a national report published this week: “For decades, English planning policy has recognised the intrinsic value of the wider countryside, including undesignated areas. The draft National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), which is due to be finalised shortly, omits such a policy.”
The NPPF recognises that designated areas like the South Downs National Park and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty should be protected.
However, in Sussex, 35 per cent of the land in the western half of the county is undesignated and 22 per cent in East Sussex.
The Government has argued that local planning authorities will be able to protect the countryside through local plans if they wish to, but the CPRE says the proposed ‘presumption in favour of sustainable development’ means the status and weight of local plan policies is uncertain.
Read our report in the Mid Sussex Times coming out on Thursday, February 9.
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Weather for Haywards Heath
Sunday 27 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 10 C to 26 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Light showers
Temperature: 13 C to 25 C
Wind Speed: 9 mph
Wind direction: North west
