 Burgess Hill Town Council To Discuss Lidl Relocation Planning Application
28th January 2016
By Peter Chapman
Heads up folks, your first opportunity to speak in public about the proposed relocation of Lidl to the Gas Holder site on Leylands Road will come this monday (February 1st), for Burgess Hill Town Council's planning committee are meeting at 7pm to debate the matter.
At the start of the meeting, members of the public have the opportunity to address the committee about any planning items on the agenda. You can speak for three minues, or maybe even 5.
The council will then discuss the applications and give their views.
It provides a first opportunity to see how our elected representatives
view the Lidl application and how this may be reflected by Mid Sussex District Council's own planning committee.
After deliberation, BHTC will come up with a recommendation to either refuse or approve the application. This then gets passed on to Mid Sussex District Council - they are the authority who make the final decision. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, the Burgess Hill Town Council planning committee has absolutely no power at all.
Public Representations
So far, 13 letters of representation have been received by Mid Sussex Distict Council. 1 in favour of the development,12 against.
The main reasons for rejection by the public are:
- It's an attack on the residential character of Leylands Road and the surrounding streets. There's no justification for it.
- The council has no right to decide to change the nature of the Leylands Road area, putting a superstore in the middle of houses.
- The application is not in accordance with the Burgess Hill Neighbourhood plan which has this area zoned for housing only. (58 of them)
- Site is best suited to low cost housing for which there is high demand.
- Why has it not been possible to build houses on the site of the Gas Holder? Is there a problem with building habital places here?
- The store will bring far too much traffic in to what is a residential area and change forever the nature of the area.
- Lidl is a significant and popular supermarket, it should remain in the retail area of the town centre to make it vibrant.
- Why can't Lidl go at the back of the Conservative Club? (the rear of Cyprus Road car park)
- Surely a site on Jane Murrary Way would be more appropriate for Lidl?
- There are already more than enough supermarkets in the area
- Lidl should be built in an existing business or commerical area.
- It sets a precedent for even more out of town developments which are out of easy reach of residents, particularly the elderly, infirm, mothers with babies, shoppers on disabled buggies.
- You can't put a retail unit in a large residential area on a cross-town route which is already congested. without adequte provision for traffic to enter and leave the site.
- A significant increase in noise and disturbance due to frequent traffic and delivery lorries.
- Caclulations suggest an extra 24,000 car journeys along Leylands Road per week.
- Disbelief that there will only be 3-4 deliveries per day. How will the council enforce this?
- Do not want Leylands Road turning into another London Road. Concerns over noise pollition and emmisions.
- There are already problems with the junction of Mill Road and Freeks Lane without this adding to it.
- The Mill Road junction with Leylands Road absolutely needs a mini roundabout if this proposal is to go ahead.
- WSCC Highways have said Leylands Road can't have any traffic calming measures on it like speed bumps as its a direct access route to and from Haywards Heath for emergency vehicles, yet it's OK to congest the road with more traffic and deliverly lorries? It doesn't make sense.
- Leylands Road is only one of two East-West artery roads in and out of Burgess Hill. Right hands turns cause traffic congestion near the site. Only left hand turns in and out of the site should be permitted, complete with filter lanes. This type of access works welll at the B&Q site on Jane Murray Way and for the entrance to Waitrose Car Park
- I think these plans are purely for profit and not for the benefit of residents
Spread the word, Lidl to Leylands Road is to be discussed by the town council on February 1st 2016
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 Got an opinion on this story? Leave a comment below.....
What do you think of the views of the local residents. Do you agree with their reasons for refusal? Do you think Burgess Hill Town Council will support the application?
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