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Re: Objection — Land to the north of Old Wickham Lane, Haywards Heath (49 homes) — Mid Sussex District Plan Long-List, May 2026
Dear Sir/Madam/Name,
I am writing as a resident of your road/area to object to the inclusion of "Land to the north of Old Wickham Lane, Haywards Heath" (49 dwellings) on Mid Sussex District Council's long-list of additional housing sites published on 15 May 2026 in response to the Inspector's Post-Hearings Letter (IDJB-12, dated 24 March 2026).
The site was assessed by the council during preparation of the new District Plan 2021–2039 and was not selected. Nothing on the ground has changed since that decision. The site is back in front of the council only because the Inspector has required additional capacity. I urge the council to drop this site from the shortlist for the following material planning reasons.
1. Heritage harm to two Grade II* listed buildings
Two Grade II* listed buildings sit in the immediate vicinity of the site — Wickham Farmhouse (List Entry 1286539, a late 16th-century lobby-entrance house) and Sunte House (List Entry 1192455, a Queen Anne house of approximately 300 years). Grade II* designation applies to only 5.8% of listed buildings in England — these are nationally important assets. The remnant countryside setting of both buildings is part of why they were listed and is material to their significance. Crest Nicholson's own Built Heritage Statement (RPS Group, October 2021) acknowledges that development of this site "may affect the significance of these designated built heritage assets as a result of the alteration of their settings." Substantial weight must be given to such harm under NPPF paragraph 200.
2. Conflict with the adopted District Plan and Neighbourhood Plan
The site lies outside the built-up area boundary defined by Mid Sussex District Plan Policy DP12 (Protection and Enhancement of the Countryside). The Haywards Heath Neighbourhood Plan — adopted in December 2016 with 90.1% public support — explicitly identifies "the countryside on its doorstep" as a core characteristic of the town. The Inspector's request for additional housing does not override the statutory development plan; the council retains discretion over which specific sites should bear the additional allocation, and sites in conflict with adopted policy should be ranked lower.
3. Inadequate access and infrastructure
The only proposed vehicular access is via Gatesmead, a quiet residential street not built for the volume of traffic generated by 49 new dwellings (potentially 70–100 additional vehicle movements per day at peak). Local schools and GP services are at or near capacity. The cumulative impact on the road network of this site combined with the other Haywards Heath/Lindfield candidate sites (Lyoth Lane, Snowdrop Lane, North Colwell Farm, Lunce's Hill — approximately 230 homes within walking distance) has not been individually tested and would be severe.
4. Coalescence and loss of separation between settlements
Development on this site contributes to the gradual erosion of the open countryside that separates Haywards Heath from Lindfield. Policy DP13 specifically protects strategic gaps between settlements. The cumulative effect of multiple long-list sites in this area (rather than each site assessed in isolation) is precisely the harm DP13 was written to prevent.
5. Loss of irreplaceable green space and protected biodiversity
Local residents have documented the following species on or around the site: black redstart (a Schedule 1 protected species under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, with fewer than 100 breeding pairs in the UK), slow worm (a protected reptile under the same Act), green woodpeckers, great spotted woodpeckers, buzzards, sparrowhawks and red kites. The presence of multiple birds of prey indicates an undisturbed habitat with a functioning prey base.
The nearby Colwell Farm site (DM/25/0445) was refused by the planning committee in part because it was found to be of county importance for hazel dormice and rare bats. There is no reason to assume the ecological value of Wickham Fields has been adequately surveyed by Crest Nicholson's consultants. A full independent ecological assessment with appropriate seasonal coverage should be a precondition before any decision to shortlist this site, and the documented presence of a Schedule 1 species places a positive duty on the authority to consider impact.
Conclusion
The Inspector has required the council to find additional housing capacity. He has not specified which sites should bear that allocation — that judgment is for Mid Sussex District Council. I ask that the council give appropriate weight to heritage, infrastructure, adopted local plan policy and cumulative impact when conducting in-combination testing, and that Land to the north of Old Wickham Lane be excluded from the shortlist sent to the Inspector at the end of July 2026.
Add one personal paragraph here — how you use the field, what you see when you walk it, what it means to your family. This is the part that turns a template into a letter.
Yours sincerely,
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