At least a hundred and twenty people braved the weather to attend WILD’s meeting on Thursday, 8 February in Sayers Common Village Hall. Our thanks to all who were able to come. Here, we’ll give you a summary of what took place.
The audience heard from five speakers.
- Toby Waldock from WILD chaired the meeting and gave a presentation which described the proposed developments affecting Albourne and Sayers Common and the damage it would do to the area
- John Drew, chair of Albourne Parish Council, confirmed their opposition to the proposals and talked about their concerns regarding flooding and additional traffic
- Michael Brown, from the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England, outlined the CPRE’s work in opposing such developments and summarised the position regarding the Mid Sussex District Plan
- Seth Gee spoke eloquently as a long standing resident of both villages about the harm which would be done if the developments went ahead. He provided maps which showed what the two villages were like 30 years ago, and what they would be like in 10 years’ time – a striking contrast!
- Simon Stokes, from SCAG (Stop Cuckstye Action Group) described the battle they had fought successfully to have the Cuckstye development excluded from the plan, and wished us well in our fight.
After the speakers the meeting was opened up to questions from the floor. A number of local residents spoke about the problems of flooding and drainage caused by recent developments and their fear that these would simply get worse if the plans went ahead. It was quite clear that people were angry, and frustrated, that they were being told to put up with such poorly thought out schemes. The panel also received some questions about the planning process and the district plan, which is very long and filled with jargon.The meeting closed with a call for all those present to subscribe to the WILD website; make a donation; and respond to the consultation by 23 February.