Seven mile yellow ribbon housing protest

Villagers plan a seven-mile yellow ribbon protest against proposals to build a 10,000-home community in the countryside.
Yellow ribbon protestors at TwinehamYellow ribbon protestors at Twineham
Yellow ribbon protestors at Twineham

Developers Mayfield hope to get the scheme included when a planning inspector decides on future district wide housebuilding.

People in areas such as Wineham and Twineham, which are included in the proposals, are also on alert over the scheme, because they are worried it will swamp the areas with homes and put strain on services.

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At Twineham the parish council is preparing its own neighbourhood plan and a session on it was held for villagers on Saturday at Twineham School.

Now some people in the area plan a practical protest about Mayfield’s scheme, which has not reached the stage of a planning application.

Jane Watson, from Twineham, told the Middy: “On October 16th a group of villagers in Twineham, Wineham and surrounding areas are wrapping seven miles of yellow ribbon around what would be the centre of Mayfield Market Town’s ‘New Town’.

“This is timed to raise awareness of Mayfield’s constantly developing proposals, two days before the public meeting in Adastra Hall at Hassocks on October 18.

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“We hope to get all kinds of people waking up to what’s happening. These developers are doing all they can to undermine the district plan and push this idea in very high circles. Local people around here are furious and want to make their feelings known.”

Mayfield has insisted that the homes are needed and is prepared to fight its case at the “Examination in Public” of the District Plan.

A few months ago local people set up the Locals Against Mayfield’s Building Sprawl (LAMBS) to oppose the “new town” suggestion.

Mid Sussex Council told the Middy in June it would strongly oppose the scheme as did Hurstpierpoint and Sayers Common Parish Council, which was concerned about the initial proposals for the area near Albourne. Hurstpierpoint said 230 homes in Hurstpierpoint and 30-40 in Sayers Common were considered enough.MPs Nicholas Soames and Nick Herbert described the Mayfield plan as “entirely unacceptable” and said any homes not allocated on strategic sites would come forward through neighbourhood plans. Chairman of Twineham Parish Council’s Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group, Charles Worsley, said: “The best way of stopping this nonsense is for people to get engaged in the neighbourhood plans. That’s far and away our best defence.”

n See letters 24,25 and 27

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