Consultation running for West of Ifield development near Crawley

Developer Homes England is behind the project near Crawley and wants people to give their feedback ahead of the consultation ending on November 11.

The proposed development would be the first of three neighbourhoods which could see 10,000 homes built over the next 30 years.

Campaigners have raised concerns about the impact on roads, doctors and GPs in the area.

Kate McBride, the project director said “It was fantastic to see so many members of the community visit the public consultation events to take the time to talk to the Homes England team and to view our consultation material online.

An illustration of 550 homes in the development (Image: Homes England)

"Ensuring we engage with the public is a priority for us and we encourage as many people as possible to leave feedback.”

“Our draft plans have already taken into account feedback from the previous consultations, these included reducing the number of homes, a change to the red-line boundary to make clear that Ifield Brook Meadows would be protected, as well as clarifying the timeline and setting out our commitment to building new infrastructure alongside new homes.”

The plans also include a primary school, secondary school, a “neighbourhood centre” which would include shops, nursery, a pub and leisure centre.

There will also be office space, protection of Ifield Brook Meadows and retention of 50 per cent of the site as a green space, including a country park, green corridor, allotments and sports pitches.

Development will also see the first phase of the Crawley Western Link Road improved.

There will also be provision for a new traveller site.

The face-to-face consultations, held for three days from October 20, had information boards, a large floor map of the plan and a fly-through video which is available on the website.

Homes England, which is a government property developer, said more than 300 people attended the consultation days between October 20 and October 22, as well as around 1,200 people who have visited the website.