Haywards Heath green space back on the chopping block as council long-lists 49-home Crest Nicholson scheme rejected three years ago
Land north of Old Wickham Lane — known locally as Wickham Fields — among 35 additional sites Mid Sussex was forced to identify by the Planning Inspector. Heritage harm and infrastructure constraints unchanged since 2021.
HAYWARDS HEATH, 19 May 2026 — A campaign by Haywards Heath residents to protect one of the town's last remaining areas of open grassland has issued an urgent call to action after Mid Sussex District Council published a long-list of 35 additional housing sites on 15 May 2026. The list includes Land to the north of Old Wickham Lane — a site Crest Nicholson previously promoted for development and which the council rejected at Regulation 19 stage in 2021.
The reappearance follows a Post-Hearings Letter from Planning Inspector Jonathan Bore MRTPI (IDJB-12, dated 24 March 2026) requiring the council to raise its annual housing target from 1,090 to between 1,200 and 1,300 dwellings per year to absorb unmet need from Brighton and Crawley. The council has until late July 2026 to complete in-combination testing and submit a shortlist to the Inspector, after which a six-week public consultation will open.
The campaign argues that the site's previous rejection should stand. Two Grade II* listed buildings — Wickham Farmhouse (List Entry 1286539) and Sunte House (List Entry 1192455) — sit in the immediate vicinity. The developer's own Built Heritage Statement, prepared by RPS Group in October 2021, acknowledges that development "may affect the significance of these designated built heritage assets as a result of the alteration of their settings."
"Nothing on the ground has changed since 2021. The same heritage setting. The same single-track access through Gatesmead. The same conflict with the adopted Haywards Heath Neighbourhood Plan that 90.1% of residents voted for. What has changed is the evidence: over 1,000 local residents have signed the petition opposing development, and residents have documented Schedule 1 protected species on the site, including black redstart. The site was rejected for good reasons, and those reasons haven't gone away just because the Inspector wants more houses to absorb Brighton's overspill. The council has to choose which sites bear that load — and this is the wrong site." — Save Wickham Fields campaign spokesperson
The site is one of five candidate sites within easy walking distance of each other east of Haywards Heath and Lindfield. Combined with proposals at Lyoth Lane, Snowdrop Lane, two parcels at North Colwell, and Lunce's Hill, approximately 230 additional homes are being considered in the same corridor before Wickham Fields itself is counted. The campaign argues that the cumulative impact of this clustering has not been adequately tested.
Residents have documented significant wildlife on the site, including a black redstart — a Schedule 1 protected species under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, with fewer than 100 breeding pairs in the UK — alongside slow worm (also Schedule 1 protected), green woodpeckers, great spotted woodpeckers, buzzards, sparrowhawks and red kites. The campaign is calling for a full independent ecology survey before any decision to shortlist the site.
Recent planning decisions in the area suggest the case against speculative development on green-belt-adjacent land carries weight. In 2025, Miller Homes' proposal for 80 homes at Colwell Farm (DM/25/0445) was refused by Mid Sussex's planning committee on grounds including adverse impact on character, unsustainable location and harm to heritage assets, after the site was found to be of county importance for hazel dormice. A 15-home scheme by Banner Homes near Sunte House at Gander Green was previously dismissed on appeal partly on heritage grounds.
A petition opposing development on the site has gathered more than 1,000 signatures from local residents. The campaign is calling on residents to contact ward councillor Cllr Gary Marsh (Lib Dem, Haywards Heath Lucastes & Bolnore) and constituency MP Alison Bennett (Lib Dem, Mid Sussex) before the council finalises its shortlist in late July 2026, and to prepare for the formal six-week public consultation expected later in the year. A one-page printable brief, an objection-letter template and the full evidence base are available at save-wickham-fields.org.
Notes to editors
- The site. "Land to the north of Old Wickham Lane, Haywards Heath" is identified in Mid Sussex District Council's SHELAA as site 988. Crest Nicholson's working name in planning documents is "Copperfield." The site is approximately 11 acres of open pasture/equestrian land off Gatesmead. The proposed scheme is for around 49–50 homes with 30% classed as affordable.
- The promoter. Crest Nicholson Plc is a London Stock Exchange-listed national housebuilder.
- The process. The site is currently on a long-list, not a shortlist. The council is running in-combination testing through to late July 2026. A six-week public consultation will follow later in 2026 before the Inspector issues his final report.
- Heritage assets. Wickham Farmhouse is a Grade II* listed late 16th-century lobby-entrance house — only 5.8% of listed buildings in England carry Grade II* status. Sunte House is a Queen Anne house of approximately 300 years.
- Local plan policy. Mid Sussex District Plan Policy DP12 (Protection and Enhancement of the Countryside) and DP13 (Preventing Coalescence) are both relevant. The Haywards Heath Neighbourhood Plan was adopted in December 2016 with 90.1% public support in the referendum.
- Key council documents (all on the Mid Sussex District Plan Examination library):
- IDJB-12 — Inspector's Post-Hearings Letter (24 March 2026)
- MS-14 — Site selection methodology (15 April 2026)
- MS-TP4 — Housing Post-Hearings Update (15 May 2026)
- SSP7 — Site Selection Review & Initial Conclusions (15 May 2026)
- H9 — Windfall Study (15 May 2026)
- Crest Nicholson's own 2021 Built Heritage Statement (RPS Group) is publicly available at: midsussex.inconsult.uk — Copperfield Reg 19 Old Wickham Lane Heritage Report
Save Wickham Fields campaign
Email: joinus@save-wickham-fields.org
Web: save-wickham-fields.org
Photographs of the site, the listed buildings affected, and community use of the field are available on request. The campaign can put journalists in touch with named local residents.