Assessment of open space, sport and recreation

Government guidance encourages all local authorities to carry out local assessments of need and audits for:

  • Open space
  • Sport
  • Recreation provision

This is to make sure that there is enough high quality green-spaces and sport and recreation facilities to meet the needs of local communities and visitors.

The appendices are not currently available to download due to their size but they can be viewed at our offices.

Maps: 

Review of the 'PPG17 Assessment'

The Council has reviewed the findings of the 'PPG17 Assessment'. A Report was taken to the Better Environment Advisory Group on 2 February 2011.

Brownfield Land Register

The Housing and Planning Act 2016 provided the primary legislation which required Local Planning Authorities to maintain a Brownfield Land Register.

The Town and Country Planning (Brownfield Land Register) Regulations 2017 - which came into force in April 2017 - require Local Planning Authorities to prepare, maintain and publish a register of brownfield land that is suitable for residential development.

The Register is updated and published at an at least annual basis.

Brownfield Land Register - December 2022

Burgess Hill employment sites study

Burgess Hill Town Council produced a Town Wide Strategy in 2011 addressing infrastructure needs and future development.

Part of the strategy - alongside delivery of new housing - includes an employment park to the west of Burgess Hill to make the area more self-sufficient.

Mid Sussex District Council commissioned the Burgess Hill Employment Site Study to assess the deliverability, size and type of the proposed employment allocation to accord with the vision, strategic objectives and economic aims of the emerging District Plan.

We then commissioned an update to the study in late 2014 to consider changes in economic conditions since the withdrawal of the District Plan.

Key issues to be assessed included:

  • Demand for employment floorspace in Burgess Hill and the surrounding district
  • The unmet needs of other local planning authorities
  • The implications of the Coast to Capital Strategic Economic Plan and the Greater Brighton City Deal
  • The proposed second runway at Gatwick
  • The requirements of the National Planning Policy Framework and the Planning Practice Guidance (PPG)

The findings of the study support the proposed allocation of 30 hectares of employment land in the emerging District Plan.

The updated study also recommends further work to investigate further the proposed Science and Technology Park at Burgess Hill.

Burgess Hill: Visioning the future
Capacity Study

Land Use Consultants (LUC) were commissioned to undertake a study on the capacity of Mid Sussex to accommodate new development.

This study will form an important part of the Council’s evidence base to support the level of growth proposed in the District Plan.

It will also help with discussions with neighbouring and nearby local authorities.

The study looked at four key aspects:

  • Environment
  • Infrastructure
  • Landscape capacity
  • Sustainability

Findings:

  • Development in Mid Sussex is constrained by environmental designations and by its attractive countryside and high-quality landscape
  • Two-thirds of the district is covered by areas that are given the highest protection under national policy - such as the National Park and Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
  • 4% of the area in the remaining parts of the district is not covered by either one or more secondary constraints or is not already built upon
  • Secondary constraint areas are sensitive to development pressures - but have less weight afforded to them by national policy
East Grinstead Strategic Development - transport advice

Land to the "west and south-west of East Grinstead for 2,500 homes after 2006" was a location identified for strategic development "where possible" in the South East Plan, carried forward from the West Sussex Structure Plan 2001-2016 which highlighted the need for a supporting transport package including a relief road.

However, a number of difficulties, including environmental and financial viability cast significant doubt upon the delivery of all 2,500 homes and a relief road.

The East Grinstead Strategic Development Transport Advice report was published to explore whether development could come forward without the need for a full or partial relief road and the amount of development acceptable in transport terms.

The report was undertaken in two stages.

Stage 1

Stage 2

A Stage 3  report, the East Grinstead Traffic Management Study, was commissioned by West Sussex County Council in response to a request by East Grinstead Town Council and is published on the East Grinstead Town Council website.

Employment land review
Feasibility studies for development options at Burgess Hill and Haywards Heath

Burgess Hill feasibility study:

Burgess Hill supplementary study:

This study examines in more detail Options A and B including transport analysis and social and community infrastructure.

Haywards Heath feasibility study:  

Please note: The study documents do not contain proposals and are not consultation documents - they will not be adopted by the council.

The documents were used as background to inform issues and options work on the draft Core Strategy (now superseded by the District Plan).

Flood Risk - Strategic Flood Risk Assessment

In determining the location and design of new development particular care needs to be given to avoiding areas at risk of flooding, including areas that have suffered from historical flood events.

With climate change expected to increase the frequency of flood events, particularly in the winter months, this is a constraint that is likely to become more prominent over the coming years.

Water.People. Places

South East England authorities have prepared guidance for sustainable drainage titled ‘Water. People. Places’ that should be used at the earliest stages of the planning and design process for all types of residential, commercial and industrial development.

Consideration of the movement of water at the earliest stage of design is crucial to the success of SuDS and allows wider benefits to be achieved.

Water.Peoples.Places - A guide to master planning sustainable drainage into developments

 

Gatwick Diamond local strategic statement
Gatwick sub-region water cycle study
Mid Sussex Landscape Capacity Study

The capacity study is an assessment of the physical and environmental constraints on development. It looks at the Mid Sussex District landscape to find possible areas for future development.

Documents:

Mid Sussex retail study
Mid Sussex Transport Study

The Mid Sussex Transport Study is a strategic level study that examines the impact of development proposed in the District Plan on the highway network and how any impact can be practically resolved.

Mid Sussex Transport Study – Stage 3 Report

This report looks at:

  • ‘Focused Amendments’ to the Mid Sussex District Plan of July 2016
  • ‘Further Modifications’ published as a pre-submission draft in August 2016

The report considers an increase in District Plan housing provision from 650 to 800 new homes per year and includes the proposed strategic development for 600 homes to the east of Pease Pottage.

Mid Sussex Transport Study - Stage 3 Report

Mid Sussex Transport Study - Stage 3 Interim Study Report

The Interim Study looks at:

  • The likely transport impacts of the Mid Sussex Pre-Submission June 2015 District Plan
  • A higher level of development based on the Mid Sussex Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment of May 2015

Mid Sussex Transport Study - Stages 1 and 2:

New Market Town - Study
Northern West Sussex economic growth assessment
Planning Noise Advice Document: Sussex

The Planning Noise Advice Document: Sussex is referred to in DP:29 Noise, Air and Light Pollution.

Playing Pitch Study
A revision of ancient woodland inventory

Mid Sussex District is the tenth most wooded district in the South East. Nearly two thirds of woodland within the District is classified as ancient. Many of the woodlands in the area have a complex history and traces of past uses and management can still be seen today.

A revision of the Ancient Woodland Inventory for Mid Sussex was completed in October 2006.

The revised survey found an additional 607 ancient woodlands not previously identified. This added 1600 Hectares to the total of ancient woodlands known to exist in Mid Sussex. 

2006 - A revision of the ancient woodland inventory for Mid Sussex District Council

Strategic Housing and Economic Land Availability Assessment (SHELAA)

Please see our Strategic Housing and Economic Land Availability Assessment page.

Strategic Housing Market Assessment (SHMA)

An up-to-date assessment of housing need is a statutory requirement.

The purpose of a SHMA is to:

  • Find out what housing is needed
  • Understand housing markets in our region
  • Predict the amount and type of future housing provision

A Strategic Housing Market Assessment was commissioned by Mid Sussex District Council with the other authorities in West Sussex.

Reports:

Please note: The 2014 and 2012 Assessment updates and should be read in conjunction with the 2009 Assessment.

The District Council’s assessment of Objectively Assessed Need (OAN) for housing is published within the Housing and Economic Development Needs Assessment (HEDNA).

The Sussex Extensive Urban Survey (EUS)

The Sussex Extensive Urban Survey (Sussex EUS) is an independent study of 41 towns undertaken between 2004 and 2008 for:

  • East Sussex County Council (ESCC)
  • West Sussex County Council (WSCC)
  • Brighton and Hove City Council

It was funded by English Heritage.

The Sussex EUS forms part of the Character of West Sussex Partnership Programme - aiming to give guidance and advice on the protection and enhancement of all aspects of character in the county.

Key objectives of the project include:

  • Drawing together of previous archaeological and historical work
  • Creation of a Geographic Information System (GIS)
  • Analysis of the origins and development of each town
  • Identification of county-wide Historic Character Types
  • Preparation of a Statement of Historic Urban Character for each town
  • Identification of gaps in the understanding of the occupation and historical development of character of each town
  • Advice to local authorities on the development of guidance

Five settlements within Mid Sussex were subject to the survey.  The Historic Character Assessment Report for each settlement can be viewed below.

Burgess Hill

Burgess Hill Main Document

Cuckfield:

Cuckfield Main Document

East Grinstead:

East Grinstead Main Document (3.76MB pdf)

Haywards Heath:

Haywards Heath Main Document (3.12MB pdf)

Lindfield:

Lindfield Main Document

Sustainable energy
Mid Sussex Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan

Developing Government-endorsed Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plans (LCWIPs) is fundamental to achieving long-term improvements in cycling and walking infrastructure in Mid Sussex. It provides a recommended approach for planning sustainable, inter-connected walking and cycling routes and is important for laying groundwork for future development policy and investment. An LCWIP helps with funding bids, for example to Active Travel England, and is useful evidence to support strategic planning and development management functions. 

Mid Sussex District Council’s LCWIP follows the creation of LCWIPs throughout the Districts and Boroughs of West Sussex. The Council appointed leading active travel consultants PJA to prepare the LCWIP, following the standard practice procedure outlined by the Department for Transport. It involved analysis of existing planning and active travel policies as well as data analysis, stakeholder engagement and location audits. Our LCWIP focuses on the three town centres of Burgess Hill, East Grinstead and Haywards Heath in Mid Sussex.   

Within the LCWIP, 7 routes were identified across each of the three towns, totalling 21 routes across the District. These routes have been prioritised for development using active travel strategy criteria and scoring methodology set out by West Sussex County Council as the Highways Agency.   

The LCWIP is not designed to create “shovel-ready” proposals. The cycling and walking routes identified will require further design work should funding be secured. However, a completed LCWIP is advantageous when bidding for regional and national active travel funding to deliver the routes. The LCWIP has been submitted to WSCC who is responsible for securing funding and delivering routes.    

View the Mid Sussex Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan here 

 

 

Contact us

Tel: 01444-477053
Email: planningpolicy@midsussex.gov.uk

Last updated: 22 May 2023