Please find below a quote from Mims Davies MP on the planning in Cuckstye:
“Protecting our precious local environment is incredibly important to all of us in Mid Sussex and this is given real weight by the Government’s landmark Environment Act. ‘Cuckstye’ is an extremely inappropriate place for this level of development and would have had a huge impact on the character of the area and local infrastructure so close to the new northern arc development now known as Brookleigh.
As the MP, I have worked with Cllr Pete Bradbury, Cllr Jim Knight, Cllr Malcolm Avery and former leader of Mid Sussex District Council (MSDC) Jonathan Ash-Edwards to make sure the strength of feeling to resist the ‘Cuckstye’ development was understood and as the local Conservatives we have been united against this unnecessary, unwanted and audacious bid to circumvent the Local Plan and insert such a site of homes between this precious green space on the edge of the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) which is a key part of our national landscapes.
I continue to fully support the position of the many unhappy and deeply concerned Mid Sussex residents, who have approached me over the last 20+ months to raise their significant distress and anger about the proposed extensive development on this site, which, with the potential significant effect on the parishes and our way of life, is truly untenable.
I’ve previously, and continue to, emphasise the existing infrastructure is already stretched, whether this is services, road networks, our stressed water supplies, NHS, dental and GP services and recently brought the DEFRA Minister for the Natural Environment and Land Use to show her why this site must not be touched.
As many will already know I wrote in February 2022 to the Secretary of State for the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities (DLUHC) the Rt Hon Michael Gove MP, on this matter in strong support of the call for change for MSDC housing targets to be realistic in consideration of the Mid Sussex environmental and infrastructure constraints that council has always sought to balance.
We do need more homes and services but they must be in the right places and with local resident and parish support and this application will be resisted as it’s disappointingly far from this and the developers know it and they must think again.”
