Page 13 - MJC submissions

STEPS TOWARDS AN AGREED STATEMENT OF FACTS
And stipulations

2 The Integrated Development (Continued)
Mr Owen:

 Initially finessed my question implying that AHL had an option to develop the
WH:LIC site. However, in subsequent discussions, he agreed that there were plans to
develop the site –“although we haven’t got any legal agreements at the moment”. He Page | 3
continued: “If we don’t [develop the WH:LIC site] someone else will”;

 Said that the development of the WG:EDF site would not go ahead unless the
Seeboard- Vodafone tower could be relocated;

 Said that AHL was buying WH:EDF site and that the present owners – GCP
Developments Ltd - were not involved in a joint project;
 Said the WH:LIC site was “stand-alone” but that it “would be perfect if we could
develop it simultaneously: but we are not in that position”

 Said he would explore my suggestion (See Appendix G) - of creating a separate
entrance from the north eastern boundary of Ashbourne Park onto the A22 - with the
“highways people” and would telephone me with the result.
Mr Owen stuck to his word and wrote on 7 June 2018, saying that he had taken advice
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from “our Highways Engineers”---- [who said]—"it would not be possible to provide separate
access given the Sussex County Highways requirements for distances between access points
and the fact that it would create a further possible traffic hazard with two accesses too close
to each other ” He concluded by stating: “We of course believe that our proposal fits in with
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the provisions of the neighbourhood plan 2015-2031 (AWNP) and therefore will proceed
with the application which will no doubt be determined by Mid Sussex District Council.”

AHL’s advisers submitted a report on the consultation, implying that the villagers’ opinions
had been largely supportive and that it was not necessary to change the plans in any way. My
impression was that residents were universally concerned about access, traffic, infrastructure
pressures and the detrimental impact on neighbouring properties and for the village generally.
I did not hear one favourable comment .
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On 7 June 2018, the application (Dated 19 April 2018) was “validated” on MSDC’s website
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with slight, but important, amendments:
 Changing the application into the joint names of AHL and GCP Developments Ltd ;
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 Removing a site plan (Appendix L) from the original application which showed an
incorrect boundary between the back garden of WH:LIC and Ashbourne Park ;
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 The original form (Dated 13 April 2018) declared that there had been no pre-
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application consultation; the resubmission six days later admitted that there had;

6 There are 20 drives on the eastern side the relevant stretch of the A22 with an average interval of around 44
metres. A new drive could be cut from Ashbourne Park within existing parameters
7 A confirmed by “Consultation responses” on the MSDC website
8 Declared as the owner of the WH:EDF site on the original application
9 Which would have given the development extra land