Crawley MP Henry Smith has spoken out against proposals to build thousands of homes on greenfield land in the area.

After speaking at a debate in the House of Commons regarding the effect of housing developments on communities in West Sussex, Mr Smith said current proposals by Homes England were “not in the interest” of Crawley residents.

He claimed such developments would damage the environment and put pressure on local infrastructure.

During the debate, Mr Smith argued:
“The ancient parish of Ifield just outside Crawley borough is facing the threat of some 10,000 houses in unsustainable circumstances on the floodplain.”

Andrew Griffith, Member of Parliament for Arundel & South Downs, responded:
“I absolutely agree with my hon. Friend on that. I shall come to the point about the provision in the planning system for different landscapes, including floodplains, which, as we know, West Sussex has in abundance.”

Speaking afterwards, Mr Smith added:
“The proposals by Homes England to build some 10,000 housing units on green fields to the west of Ifield are not in the interests of Crawley residents.
“In addition to the damage such a development would cause to the environment, the extra pressures the new properties would place on local infrastructure would have an adverse effect. Much of the area is prone to flooding too.
“While no one can deny the importance of building new homes, this cannot be done in the harmful way currently being put forward.
“I will continue to raise the objections of Crawley residents to these proposals.”

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