Ansty

Introduction

16.1 Ansty is a small scattered settlement, situated at the junction of the A272 and B2036 one mile south west of Cuckfield. The village lies at the eastern end of a ridge of high ground just to the south of the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. There are fine views to the north across the open countryside of the Weald. Houses front onto the main roads and Deaks Lane stretching some distance from the centre of the village. There are two listed buildings within the built up area and a number of others in the vicinity.

16.2 Although it is a small village it does have a number of amenities. These include a social club, garage, a public house and a recreation ground with cricket pitch, equipped playground and car park.

16.3 The village suffers from the heavy traffic that passes through it on the A272. Fortunately this is fairly slow moving as it approaches the roundabout on the brow of the hill in the centre of the village.

Policies And Proposals

Built-up Area Boundary

16.4 A built-up area boundary is defined for Ansty, primarily running along a short length of the A272 and Cuckfield Road, which seeks to conserve the rural setting of the village and to protect the surrounding countryside from unnecessary development.

Community/Recreation Use

16.5 The social club and recreation ground in the village are very well used. However, the District Council has identified deficiencies in some aspects of outdoor playing space in the local area compared to the NPFA minimum standards and surveys undertaken in the preparation of the Council’s Mid Sussex Playing Pitch Strategy. Consequently the District Council is actively exploring the possibility of bringing additional land in Ansty into recreational use. The extension would be for playing fields only, not for built development.

AN1 Land immediately north of Ansty Recreation Ground is allocated for recreational use, as an extension to the existing playing fields.