'Infrastructure planning is not fit for purpose'

The government's pledge to build 1.5 million new homes in England during the current parliament means that development is inevitable, as are concerns about infrastructure.

Somewhat unusually, residents of Felbridge, Surrey, are affected by housing projects approved by a local authority in the neighbouring county.

The Imberhorne and Crawley Down Road developments, which will see about 800 new homes built near the village, are two such schemes granted permission by Mid Sussex District Council (MSDC).

Councillor Jeremy Clarke, from Felbridge Parish Council, is concerned these extra homes will compound traffic issues, particularly at the busy Felbridge Star junction.

Clarke said: "They're either going to try to join the queue to go through the junction which is already over capacity, or they're going to route themselves along the B roads and take out villages and so on to rejoin the network somewhere else."

MSDC leader Robert Eggleston said local authorities faced an unenviable task when it came to ascertaining infrastructure needs.

"Both those two sites were approved in a development plan in 2022, so we would've started consulting with infrastructure providers, probably in 2017," he said.

MSDC has had to predict the infrastructure needs for these schemes years before they are built.

"Planning authorities and residents are frustrated with a planning process that is not fit for purpose, but we have to work within the statutory framework we are given," Eggleston added.

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