East Sussex residents 'totally misguided' over plans to expand business park

Chris Lawson, of Lawson Commercial, made the comments to SussexWorld after it was revealed that more then 600 objections had been submitted to Wealden District Council (WDC) in regards to an application for 60,000 sqm of commercial space over a 75-acre site on the Ashdown Business Park.

Chris said: “I think these people have been totally misguided. It’s not right next to any urban sprawl. It’s well a way from all the villages and its not going to happen overnight. It’s a 10-to-15 year project.”

Lawson Commercial spearheaded ‘phase one’ of the business park scheme in December 2015. The development, accessible from the A272 and close to the A2, was successful in bringing in retailers such as M&S and Home Bargains onto the site to open outlet stores.

Phase two of the plan, submitted to the WDC in February, sees an expansion south of the original site. Developers claim the scheme could deliver up to 3,000 jobs to local people.

The protest group Stop Ashdown Business Park Expansion (SABRE) say the expansion would cause the destruction of agricultural land equivalent to 45 football pitches.

Chris argued the expansion was necessary to cater for the district's ever-growing population, driven by the rapid growth of housing developments in the area.

He explained: “It’s [the expansion] enormously sensible. We need more business space. Where are our children and grandchildren going to work?

“The population is going to grow enormously in the next five to ten years. Those people have got to work somewhere. What are those local residents expecting them to do?

“Are they all going to drive along the Ashdown Forest to Crawley, Gatwick, Brighton and Eastbourne to find work. We need existing places for business to expand.

“You only see a gradual increase in traffic in the next 10 to 15 years. I don't really see what everyone is jumping up and down about.”

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SABRE members also believe the proposal would cause irreversible damage to priority wetland habitats and create substantial harm to the character of this part of the Low Weald Landscape Area.

Residents also say the run-off of contaminated water from proposed roads, car parks and rooftops would have an “detrimental impact” on local ecosystems and significantly increase the likelihood of flooding downstream.

However, Chris points out that application has made room for 25 acres of landscaping, including 2.3 acres of lakes for any water run-off and the additional planting of some 10,000 trees.

Chris said: “All these things have been thought about. Developers don’t go rushing about covering everything in concrete.

“People have said there are plenty of Brownfield sites to develop on. Well where are they then? Where are these Brownfield sites for commercial development. The amount of space that’s being released for business development is very poor.

“People have to commute outside the area to get a job. For those concerned about the environment, do they want even more traffic driving across the Ashdown Forest to get to places where they can work?”