Sunday Brunch features soundbites from the ‘Sussex & Surrey Soapbox’ podcast latest episode…. to skip chapters click on the 3 horizontal lines (left in the above player). Have your say via WhatsApp (bottom right) or join the conversation in our Facebook Group HERE.
Planning is meant to turn housebuilding into liveable places, but across Sussex & Surrey it often feels like we are pouring concrete first and asking awkward questions later. We sit down with Abigail Chapman-Miller (Labour), Matt Brewin (Green), James Tidy (Reform UK), Iqbal Khan and Paul Taylor-Burr to unpack why housing development planning keeps producing the same result: new estates without the shops, GP access, school places, roads, drainage and water capacity that make a community work.
The Sussex & Surrey Soapbox Podcast digs into the structural problem: approvals sit with one council, roads and schools with another, health commissioning with the NHS, and water and sewage with private utility companies. That fragmentation makes “joined-up thinking” hard and accountability even harder. From Poundbury’s reputation for community-led design to frustrations around Haywards Heath, Copthorne, Oxted, Forgewood and Kilnwood Vale, we test what good development looks like in practice, including the promises that slip, the management fees residents end up paying, and how flooding and drainage decisions can come back to bite.
We also tackle affordability head-on: what counts as a starter home, why “affordable housing” at 80% of market value still fails, and why empty homes and social housing supply matter. Then the debate widens to second homes, Airbnb-style holiday lets, immigration and the politics of demand. We finish with hope and practical routes forward, from stronger local plans and better long-term infrastructure funding to community campaigns like Save West of Ifield.
Crawley Borough Council has completed refurbishment of the Loppets Road play area in Tilgate and Ifield Green play area.
These refurbishments form part of the council’s wider playground investment programme, fully funded by developers through Section 106 and Community Infrastructure Levy payments. Each scheme has been designed by contractor Proludic Ltd to create a strong first impression and reflect the local character, with bespoke features tailored to the area. All schemes are anticipated to be completed by the summer holidays.
At Loppets Road play area, the design was inspired by a ‘shapes, space and movement’ theme linking to the nearby daycare nursery, creating a bright, colourful and inclusive space where children of all ages and abilities can play together.
The new play equipment includes toddler and junior multi-play units, a face-to-face springer, a climbing hut, a wheelchair accessible roundabout, combination swings suitable for all ages and abilities, a Ninja trail transitional zone, and a bespoke sensory area.
At Ifield Green play area, the chosen ‘jungle adventure’ theme is brought to life through the Amazonia multi-play unit, a monkey springer, and imaginative play opportunities created by the ‘jungle-gym’ agility course.
The new play equipment includes a bespoke Kanope multi-play unit, a Hip-Hop spinning seesaw, a Ninja trail, a bespoke sensory area featuring play panels designed to provide visual and tactile stimulation, and combination swings suitable for all ages and abilities.
The refurbishments also included the installation of new safer surfacing throughout the play areas, along with improvements to access routes and footpaths to support safer and more inclusive use of the facilities.
Councillor Michael Jones, Leader of Crawley Borough Council, Councillor Chris Mullins, Cabinet member for Leisure and Wellbeing, and local ward councillors Olu Adeniyi (Tilgate), Emma Whiteoak (Tilgate), Julian Charatan (Ifield), Grainne Conway (Ifield) and Beni Yianni (Ifield) visited the Loppets Road and Ifield Green play areas yesterday to mark the reopening. They were joined in Ifield Green by teachers and pupils from Our Lady Queen of Heaven Primary School.
It was fantastic to see the newly refurbished Loppets Road and Ifield Green play areas open for local families. The new equipment at each play area provides inclusive, accessible and imaginative play opportunities for children of all ages and abilities. It demonstrates our ongoing commitment to improving play facilities across Crawley’s neighbourhoods.
Councillor Chris Mullins
Crawley Borough Council
We’re really pleased to be continuing our partnership with Crawley Borough Council as the play area improvement programme progresses. It’s great to see Loppets Road and Ifield Green now complete and already benefiting local families, with each space designed to reflect the character of the local area and the community it serves. As we move towards the final stages, we remain committed to delivering high-quality play environments that will be enjoyed for years to come.
Tim Bird
Senior Area Manager, South East
Proludic Ltd
As part of the delivery of the investment programme, Proludic Ltd has committed to a number of environmental measures across all six sites. These include the use of Nike Grind Safety Surfacing which incorporates recycled Nike Grind material, re-purposing the rubber equivalent of more than 53,000 worn out Nike shoes across the six sites.
Tandridge District Council is inviting residents and businesses to have their say on a proposal to introduce a High Street Rental Auction in part of Caterham Valley town centre.
High Street Rental Auctions are a new government initiative which allows councils to take action where commercial properties that have been left empty for long periods and landlords have not taken steps to rent them out.
The aim is to bring vacant buildings back into use, supporting local businesses, improving the look of Caterham Valley town centre and boosting the local economy.
The proposed area of Caterham Valley town centre includes Station Avenue, the southern end of Croydon Road and the northern end of Godstone Road.
If approved, the proposal would allow the Council to step in and run an auction process to identify a tenant for suitable vacant properties following engagement with landlords and a formal notice period.
The six week consultation closes at 11.59pm on Monday 27 July 2026 and residents and businesses can take part online at www.tandridge.gov.uk/consult.
Councillor Deb Shiner, Chair of the Community Services, said: “Vacant shops can have a real impact on our town centres. This new power could help bring empty buildings back into use, supporting local businesses and making Caterham Valley a more attractive place to live, work and visit.
We want to hear from residents and businesses before making any decisions, so I encourage people to take part in the consultation and share their views.”
The Horley community is being asked for their ideas on what should be included in the town’s new park and to give their views on initial designs.
The new town park, being created by Reigate & Banstead Borough Council at Tanyard Meadows in north east Horley, aims to create more opportunities to enjoy sport, play and green spaces locally.
An early-stage zoning plan for the park has been developed to show what facilities the park could include and where, such as:
Share your views
Cllr Fairhurst, Executive Member for Place, Planning and Regulatory Services, said:
“We want to ensure that Horley’s new town park is inclusive, welcoming and accessible and offers high-quality facilities to support a range of activities, and that it meets the local community’s needs. We have developed initial design ideas for the park, and we want to hear what people think about them.
“Feedback from the community, clubs and sports organisations though our previous Horley open spaces survey has helped us shape this plan, which features opportunities for sports, creates spaces for children and teenagers and improves accessibility, inclusivity and access to nature.
“Do let us know your views through our survey, or pop along to one of the community engagement events, so that we can ensure local views are central to the park design as plans develop.”
Have your say by 12 July 2026. To find out more and share your views, visit the Horley town park page on Commonplace. You can also sign up to receive updates on the project. Those that need a paper copy survey can email [email protected] or call 01737 276 000.
Members of the project team will be at Horley Carnival on Saturday 20 June between 12 and 5pm, at Horley Recreation Ground. This will be an opportunity see the plans, speak with the team directly, ask questions and discuss your ideas in and help shape future proposals. A further community engagement event is planned for The Acres, the details of which will be shared in due course.
Following feedback, the park designs will be developed further, with a consultation on the updated designs expected in the autumn. Plans will then be finalised and a planning application submitted, with a view to starting construction in 2027.
In December 2025, the Council allocated £3.9 million from Section 106 developer contributions from new developments in the area to deliver the new facilities to help meet the needs of the growing population.
For more information visit the Tanyard Meadows town park page.
