Burgess Hill Town Development - Neighbourhood Plan Consultation

Get ready folks, your opportunity to tell the Town Council how you want to see Burgess Hill develop over the next twenty years is about to arrive.

During the month of July you can attend a number of meetings with the councillors in each ward of Burgess Hill as the Town Council look to put together the Neighbourhood Plan that will be put to a referendum in 2013.

According to the council we should all expect the following leaflet to be coming through our letterboxes soon, although you can download it right now.... http://www.burgesshill.gov.uk/sites/www.burgesshill.gov.uk/files/NHP-leaflet.pdf

What is a Neighbourhood Plan?
The intention is to empower local people to take a proactive role in shaping the future of the areas in which they live. It will establish planning policies for the development of land and the use of land, choose where any new homes, shops and businesses should be built, and have a say in what those new buildings should look like.

Your Chance To Protect Our Community Assets:
The Localism Act requires local authorities to maintain a list of assets of community value which have been nominated by the local community - For example: The Orion Cinema. When listed assets come up for sale or change of ownership, the Act then gives community groups the time to develop a bid and raise the money to bid to buy the asset when it comes on the open market. This will help local communities keep much-loved sites in public use and part of local life. Source: A Plain English Guide To The Localism Act


Will our ideas for the town really be incorporated into the Neighbourhood Plan?
Ask yourselves this. If the council have spent a number of years putting together the town-wide strategy consisting of Town, District and County Councillors along with land owners and developers, do you really think they are going to toss all their work to one side in favour of listening to the views of the community? By law they have to hold these consultations, it doesn't mean they have to change their ideas one bit though!


Here's when and where you can meet with the town councillors......

Dunstall
Wednesday 4th July 2012 6pm - 8:30pm The Woolpack Pub, West Street
Thursday 19th July 2012 6pm - 8:30pm The Woolpack Pub, West Street

Franklands
Saturday 28th July 2012 10am - 12noon Burgess Hill Town Council Help Point, Church Walk

Leylands
Saturday 21st July 2012 10am - 12noon Sidney West Centre, Leylands Road

Meeds
Saturday 7th July 2012 10am - 11:30am Burgess Hill Town Council Chamber, Church Walk
Tuesday 17th July 2012 7pm - 8:30pm Gateway Baptist Church, Station Road

St Andrews
Saturday 14th July 2012 - 10am - 12noon Janes Lane Pavilion @ Worlds End Recreation Ground

Victoria
Saturday 7th July 2012 10am - 12:00noon Burgess Hill Town Council Chamber, Church Walk
Tuesday 10th July 2012 7:30pm - 9:30pm The Weald Pub, Royal George Road


Questions you may wish to ask of your councillors :
Why has a plan only been made which incorporates 4000+ new homes?

If the plan is truely about what the local community want then why isn't it based on Burgess Hill taking their rightful share of 2500 homes?

How are the council going to deal with the open space requirement when the town is already deficient in this area?

How is a business park potentially offering up to 1000 new jobs going to help local employment when 4000 new homes with possibly 5000+ people of working age are moving to the area?

How can the Triangle Leisure centre expand to meet the inevitable demand that new homes will bring?

Where will town centre leisure facilities fit when NewRiver Retail just want lots of extra shops?


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Got an opinion on this story? Leave a comment below.....
Will you be attending any of these meetings? Do you expect that your views will actually be listened to, noted and even implemented? Which community buildings would you like protected from development?