Claims Gatwick Green employment site ‘shoehorned’ into Crawley local plan ‘at last minute’

The Plan, which sets out how everything from housing to employment to commercial space is controlled between  2021-2037, is vital to protect Crawley from ‘predatory’ developers.

The latest draft of the plan includes using land east of Gatwick Airport, known as Gatwick Green, as a Strategic Employment Location – something which has not gone down well with everyone.

At a meeting of the full council, every single councillor recognised the importance of having an up-to-date Local Plan but some wanted the Gatwick Green site removed.

Richard Burrett (Con, Pound Hill North & Forge Wood) said it would erode the strategic gap between Crawley and Horley, while Brenda Burgess (Con, Three Bridges) wondered why it had been ‘shoehorned into the plan at the last minute’.

As a borough, Crawley has often found itself suffocated by its own boundaries, with only limited land available for housing, industry and employment.

According to the draft Plan, Gatwick Green was the only area capable of providing the industrial floorspace needed without ‘prejudicing the possible future delivery’ of a southern runway at Gatwick on the safeguarded land.

Before being adopted – hopefully in March 2022 – the Plan has to be submitted to the Secretary of State, who will appoint an inspector to make sure everything is above board.

Mr Burrett was not pleased with the suggestion that the Plan would fail that inspection if the Gatwick Green site was removed.

He said: “I don’t think [this] is an acceptable position for us to be put in. I think we’re being bounced into it and I rather resent that on behalf of the residents who live in that area.”

Peter Smith, cabinet member for planning and economic development, explained that the Gatwick Green site had been added because the council’s approach to the safeguarded land had previously been ruled ‘not sound’ by an inspector.

Describing the Local Plan as ‘a complex jigsaw puzzle’, he pointed out that Crawley had a ‘large shortage’ of employment sites – not ideal with the town facing massive unemployment due to the pandemic.

He said: “We will have people, including potential developers of these sites, coming to the planning inspection and saying Crawley Borough Council have not done their job properly and have not brought forward enough employment sites when there are many available.

“We have a duty to our residents and businesses to balance these things up and take a proportionate plan to inspection – because otherwise it is guaranteed to fail.”

He added: “It’s imperative that we do have a Local Plan. Without one we are subject to predatory applications from developers and others that we may not be able to refuse.

“We can’t afford any slippage in our schedule.”

He was supported by Conservative leader Duncan Crow, who warned that changing the Plan now would lead to a two-month delay and some ‘nasty, unpleasant surprises’ – not least of which could be a judicial review from the promoter of the Gatwick Green site.

The six-week consultation will begin on Wednesday January 6 and ends at 5pm on Wednesday February 17.

The council will publish details on how to take part in the new year.