LETTER: Time for another area to take strain

I was surprised to hear that the reason that the Kingsfold area was not considered as a possible area to build for 2,500 homes (not 10,000 as Claire mentioned) was because in her words ‘no plan was submitted to the council’.

I thought it was up to the planning section of our council to look for possible building sites and then encourage contractors and developers to become involved in producing suitable plans. How does it really work please?

If no plan is submitted for a specific area how can the government’s man (Geoff Salter) ‘instruct us to undertake a separate investigation’ as Claire puts it? What does he have to work on?

I appreciate that it would change the lives of many folk in the Kingsfold area if the A24 from Warnham to Ockley is improved (long overdue?) and Warnham railway station is enlarged to cater for the travel requirements of new people in the area, but surely the people of North Horsham have been coping with this for years now?

Because of new houses in the North Horsham area it was necessary to improve Littlehaven railway station and double the lengths of both of the platforms.

There are more trains running through it already and there are often at least two coaches extending beyond the platforms because they have been increased in length. This line to London is stretched to breaking point I believe.

With Network Rail not planning a new station between Horsham and Faygate, and not planning to stop trains even if one was built for them, how will new commuters get to town?

Also because of the new houses already recently built in the North Horsham area it is ever increasingly difficult for drivers to get to and from the bypass because of longer traffic needing to cross the railway.

Maybe it is time for another area to take some of the strain?

DERRICK WRIGHT

Lower Barn Close, Horsham