LETTER: Open invitation for drugs and gangs

We should like to register our strong objections to the proposals to develop this area of outstanding natural beauty. We did not move to Horsham 20 years ago to be part of a large industrial area as it will become if this development goes ahead. We had always been given to understand that there would be no building permitted on Greenfields. Why should this change?

There is already a large development of some 3,000 houses going ahead further along the A264 which has already meant that the road layout has had to be altered to accommodate the increased amount of traffic which in rush hour now is very congested and even more traffic will mean increased pollution, traffic congestion, parking problems and noise.

There are already viable sites for new housing, including large HDC-owned lands within the town boundary, derelict and under-used sites in key town locations which are desperately in need of rejuvenation. We already have a large industrial area of Crawley and Horsham has never been an industrial area and we do not want it swallowed up with Crawley. It amazes us that underpasses under the A264 are being considered - surely an open invitation to prostitution, drugs, youth gangs and the like!

As far as we can see the infrastructure of Horsham will be unsustainable as there will be a huge overcrowding of schools, hospitals, leisure centres, etc. which we can ill afford.

It would be much appreciated if, just for a change, the government would listen to the views of the people who live here already and whose lives will be seriously affected by what they call ‘progress’.

There is aleady enough development going on round the whole of Horsham, we really think it is time to call a halt to any more building programmes.

John and Marilyn Lake

Earles Meadow, Horsham