Villagers throw Christingle light on 10,000 homes protest

Villagers lit a year’s worth of beacons to show their strength of feeling about the prospect of 10,000 homes being built near where they live.
Wineham children hold torchlit demonstration against the planned new town. Pic Steve RobardsWineham children hold torchlit demonstration against the planned new town. Pic Steve Robards
Wineham children hold torchlit demonstration against the planned new town. Pic Steve Robards

Residents lit 365 beacon torches in the Twineham-Sayers Common area to highlight their continuing concern over developers wanting to build on green fields.

Having spent this year campaigning they will carry on the protest in the New Year.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Hundreds of households in and around ten villages between Henfield and Hurspierpoint lit a torch on their property as a festive protest against the proposals by Mayfield Market Towns to build a new town about the size of Burgess Hill in the countryside.

Jane Watson, one of the members of the protest group LAMBS, said: “There are not many street lamps here and very little light pollution. So the torches looked looked amazing dotted around the country lanes.

“This is a pocket of true Sussex countryside.

“There aren’t many places left in the county where you can hear nightingales every spring. It would be nothing short of rural vandalism to destroy it.”

The torches were lit after the Christingle service at Sayers Common Church on Sunday evening.

They burned for about an hour and a half.

Mayfield insists there is a demand for the homes and the firm is prepared to fight its case when the delayed hearings on the Mid Sussex District Plan get under way in 2014.