LETTER: Plans back to the drawing board?

I believe the Broadbridge Heath Quadrant proposals, including those for the leisure centre, indoor bowls centre, athletics facilities both indoor and out, football pitches and tennis courts etc etc were to have been on the agenda, but they were apparently ‘pulled’ for some reason.

Perhaps those responsible realised they had ignored one very important element when coming up with their half-baked plans for the Quadrant – that of the general public’s views.

Or perhaps the realisation that forging ahead with plans that would run counter to central government’s planning policy guidelines had something to do with it.

Can those responsible on the council have only just realised that the National Planning Policy Framework says that local authorities should not redevelop sporting, recreational or leisure facilities unless they replace them with ‘EQUIVALENT OR BETTER’? Doh! Back to the drawing board.

Can we dare hope that they will also return to the drawing board with respect to the ill-conceived North Horsham development plan? Here again the council leadership, certain councillors and planners appear to be blatantly disregarding central government guidelines on planning. ‘Brownfield sites before greenfield sites’ is a central plank of those guidelines.

Yet again they seem to have been ignoring the outpouring of local objections to the plan, riding roughshod over people’s legitimate fears and concerns.

I think the Government Inspector will have something to say about the unscrupulous way the whole North Horsham development plan has been handled.

Sheila White

Dorking Road, Warnham