What Could I Say | Keep Denne Hill Green

What could I say and how could I say it

The local infrastructure and services in south Horsham and Southwater are buckling. Sussex NHS and WSCC Education Authority have objected to the application because there is insufficient capacity.
Sussex NHS said that without associated infrastructure, they would be unable to sustain sufficient and safe services in the area.
NHS services including hospitals, GPs and pharmacies are under unsustainable pressure. Dentists are not taking on NHS patients
No local dental practices are taking on NHS patients; adults or children. Accessing dental care is an issue for local families.
Pharmacies struggle with long queues and lengthy and unpredictable turnaround times.
Lloyds pharmacy in Sainsbury has closed, increasing the pressure on others.
Local schools are full. Some children leaving local primary schools are being sent to Burgess Hill, with no transportation provided. WSCC says there is not the secondary school capacity.
The developer’s aspiration to “promote active travel” and “discourage the use of private cars” is not possible for families with school-aged children. Active Travel England has objected to the application.
WSCC says it’s questionable if there are suitably safe walking and cycling routes to schools in the south of Horsham or in Southwater.

Worthing Road is precarious for pedestrians, cyclists and motorists.
An inevitable surge in traffic volume on already congested roads and the Hop Oast roundabout will make it worse.
There have been 31 collisions over the last five years on or around the Hop Oast roundabout.
The narrow pavement on Worthing Road into Horsham is not for the faint-hearted. Pedestrians are just a foot away from vehicles travelling at 40+ mph.
It’s only possible to walk single file and not suitable for prams or buggies. It’s impossible to pass other pedestrians without stepping into the road in some places.
WSCC Highways says that the B2237 Worthing Road is far from suitable to accommodate all users.
Active Travel England says the application failed to demonstrate that safe and reliable access can be achieved for all users.
Active Travel England does not consider any of the four access points for people walking, wheeling or cycling as suitable to serve the development.
In its objection, the Local Education Authority questions whether there are suitably safe walking and cycling routes to schools in the south of Horsham or in Southwater.

Loss of amenities

Most golfers want to play 18 holes, not 9. A longer course provides more technical challenge, interest and exercise.
The demand for golf is growing across all ages. Many use the golf course for well-being, physical exercise and socialising
Golf is great for fitness and social connection, helping to keep people physically and mentally healthy - young and old.
The loss of nine holes in Horsham on top of the closure of Ifield would surely lead to unsustainable demand for tee times at Rookwood, the only other course with comparable fees in the locality.

For centuries this unique landscape has been an important recreational area for Horsham. Today the area provides a beautiful and calm woodland and meadow playground for ramblers, dogwalkers, joggers and cyclists who enjoy the footpaths and bridleways that criss-cross this glorious landscape, right on Horsham’s doorstep.
One of Horsham’s popular walking routes would be around a housing estate instead of tranquil woodlands.
The developer plans to concrete over acres of countryside, destroying the natural green buffer between Southwater and Horsham and leaving the area vulnerable to future housing developments.
800 houses would be a step closer to the coalescence of the built-up areas of Southwater and Horsham.
In its site assessment, Horsham District Council says that development of the site would have significant landscape impacts.

This development would have a detrimental impact on Denne Hill, home to many rare and protected fauna and flora, including ancient woodlands which have persisted since the 1600s.
Ancient woods are irreplaceable. We can’t replace the complex biodiversity that has accumulated over hundreds of years.
Species include monitored colonies of great crested newt; 10 of the 18 species of bats present in the UK; red kites, buzzards, tawny, barn and little owls and kingfishers; and larger mammals, including deer, badgers, foxes, stoat, weasel and polecat.
Nature Space advises that given the likelihood that great crested newts would be significantly impacted by the development, the applicant would need a special licence. They assess that the disturbance would be direct and long-term resulting in a major adverse effect at a county level.
New street lights and floodlights would disturb and disrupt nocturnal wildlife including bats, deer, badgers and owls.
Horsham Council’s Landscape Architect disagrees with claims that night-time visual effects will be no less prominent than at the moment.
Displacing roaming space with housing could increase the frequency of animals, including deer, straying onto the busy Worthing Road.
A reduction in the number of trees and the proliferation of netting for golf would be disruptive to bats.
According to Horsham Council’s site assessment, the level of biodiversity net gain which could be delivered is unclear.

Denne Hill is an important catchment area of water to the River Arun, a vital source of drinking water which sustains multiple ecosystems.
H2OGEO’s hydrological review concludes that there is insufficient evidence to demonstrate that the scheme would be water neutral, with no adverse impact on the Arun Valley.
Housing increases water demand as do sports facilities with showers.
Concreting over areas in the proposed development will accelerate rainwater run-off and exacerbate rapid bypass of water through storm surge down the Arun, bringing increased risk of flooding downstream.
The Local Flood Authority objects to the application in the absence of a satisfactory risk assessment and drainage strategy. They say that insufficient information infers that food risk may increase elsewhere, upstream or downstream form the site.
Our reservoir levels are critically low. Hosepipe bans are already common in neighbouring areas.

Be clear about why you are opposing this development. Find the points which resonate most with you.
Talk about how this development would impact on your life. Do you want to play 18 holes not 9? Is the landscape important to you for recreation? Are you a regular walker or jogger? Are you worried about the impact on wildlife and the environment? Is road safety a concern? What about the strain on local services?
As far as possible use your own words and experiences. A few points well-made and backed up with facts and personal experiences are more powerful than a long and rambling letter or conversation.