Victory for residents and council as Burgess Hill nursery plans dismissed at appeal

Victorious residents and councillors have spoken of their joy after winning a battle to stop a house being turned into a daycare nursery in Burgess Hill.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

A planning inspector dismissed an appeal on Wednesday, April 24, over plans to change the home in Park Road into a nursery for up to 65 children, along with a single bedroom flat.

Resident Sybil Warmisham said: “This is excellent news for us all in Park Road and a victory for common sense.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Roger and Janine Christmas said: “We are very relieved that a residential conservation area has been successfully protected from commercial enterprise through the hard work over a significant period of time by Park Road residents.

Delighted residents and councillors in Park Road, Burgess Hill. Photo by Steve RobardsDelighted residents and councillors in Park Road, Burgess Hill. Photo by Steve Robards
Delighted residents and councillors in Park Road, Burgess Hill. Photo by Steve Robards

“This hopefully sets a sensible precedent for other conservation areas in Mid Sussex which is good news for us all.”

Gill and Richard Cooper, whose home is directly opposite the property, said they were relieved by the decision of the inspector but said they were astounded that it should have been such a ‘tortuous route to finally achieve this sensible outcome’.

They added: “With the national crisis in family housing resulting in the loss of green field sites locally how could it ever make sense to lose a family home in a quiet residential conservation area to any commercial use?

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“We don’t understand how the county planning officers could recommend this proposal for approval and we are grateful that the planning committee saw sense and rejected it and that their decision has been backed up by the inspector.”

Photo by Steve RobardsPhoto by Steve Robards
Photo by Steve Robards

Long-serving member of the planning committee Pru Moore said: “This is a huge victory for residents and ward councillors’ hard work and common sense.

Residents adjacent to the property are delighted with this decision and feel that they have been listened to. We are all over the moon.”

Councillor Anne Jones said: “We had a huge battle with this application so we are absolutely delighted by the inspector’s decision.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“To have a nursery in a conservation area was a great concern on a very busy road in the town.

“I am not against building nurseries but it was not the right site at all to be developed and the inspector agreed with this.”

All seats on Mid Sussex District Council are up for election this Thursday (May 2).

Related topics: