We need your feedback! The Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group has taken your views and comments to date to produce a draft Vision for Horsted Keynes in 2034. The Vision will be the starting point for the Neighbourhood Plan policies. Do you agree with the Vision? We now need to know if this is your view of how you see Horsted Keynes in the future. Please post your comments in the box at the bottom of this page.
Published 26/01/15
Following the Consultation Event on Saturday 24/01/15 – follow this link to see the updated Neighbourhood Plan Vision statement.
Published 22/12/14
Having take on board the comments from members of the community – the Neighbourhood Plan Vision Statement has been updated
Published 23/09/14
Horsted Keynes Neighbourhood Plan Vision Statement
The table below shows the results so far of the public consultation on the preliminary vision statement. These numbers are a total of views expressed amongst people consulted at: First Steps; Pre-school; WI; Saturday circuit training class; and weekend shoppers at the village store. Consultation is ongoing.
| Vision Statement Item | Important | Not Important |
|---|---|---|
| Facilities (shop, post office, and pubs) have been retained | 119 | 0 |
| An attractive, rural village centred round the existing village green | 115 | 2 |
| Fast broadband and good mobile telephone reception | 110 | 5 |
| All sports and other green spaces within the village have been retained and additional areas have been developed (community orchard, community gardens, meadowland areas, new allotments.) | 104 | 1 |
| St Giles School has continued to thrive and expand | 104 | 5 |
| Footpaths, recreational areas, children’s playground, outdoor gym for adults have been extended or developed | 102 | 2 |
| Sufficient parking has been provided in new residential areas to avoid significant additional parking within existing village | 101 | 11 |
| Traffic managements have been installed to regulate on-street parking and improve road safety | 90 | 13 |
| Bus service has been retained | 85 | 7 |
| Housing has increased by 15% comprising mainly of small and medium sized family properties | 63 | 24 |
| A new small, non-licensed café has been established | 64 | 31 |
An opportunity to express any particular concerns was also provided. The total number or comments received on a range of topics was:
| Subject of comment | No. rec'd |
|---|---|
| First time buyer housing/affordable housing | 9 |
| Speeding / traffic calming | 8 |
| Retention of facilities | 7 |
| Retain and extend bus service | 5 |
| Preserve green spaces | 3 |
| No urbanisation – traffic lights etc. | 3 |
| Too much development | 3 |
| Elderly care | 2 |
| Parking | 1 |
| Litter | 1 |
| Upkeep of church | 1 |
| Community spirit | 1 |
| Maintain balanced age profile | 1 |
| Improve broadband | 1 |
Please post your comments in the box below.
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By 2034 life for everyone is likely to be significantly different – we could be driving electric cars, generating our own electricity, buying everything on the internet etc. Should this somehow be reflected in the Vision.
For the new development to be sustainable it will be necessary to increase the opportunities for employment within the village. Are there any ideas how this might be achieved.
By 2034 I would expect St Giles Church to be continuing as a spiritual beacon within the community with personnel from across Christian traditions, now more interchangeable, involved in worship, teaching, prayer and care with people of other or no faith especially in and through a renewed community hall.
I agree with Cath that we should be considering a community energy cooperative. We should also ensure that new developments install renewable energy.
Thanks for putting this together, I think it will really help residents visualise the possibilities.
With regards to planning for an increasing population and developing new affordable housing, consideration needs to be given on how these homes will be heated. The village needs to consider how it can move away from its current reliance on oil and gas deliveries – whether that be connecting to the mains gas pipeline or looking at alternative community energy strategies – eg starting by offering help on energy efficiency to those that want to reduce their energy bills then perhaps thinking about ways the village can generate its own heat and power. Many communities nearby are thinking about how they use energy (e.g. see https://www.communityenergysouth.org.uk), so we can learn from others!
I agree with Ellie regarding retaining the bus service – at the very least we keep what we have today. I would also like to see provision of a safe cycle route to Haywards Heath. More residents will mean more private car traffic unless realistic, convenient and safe alternatives are on offer.
You mention the village ‘retaining’ its bus service. How about retaining the current regularity of the bus service on weekdays and Saturdays AND reinstating a scheduled bus service on a Sunday, to help visitors to/from the village and the Bluebell Railway?
An extension of the bus service well into the evening on weekdays would be of great value to those of us who work in London and arrive back in Haywards Heath after the last bus has gone, currently the 19:10.
Infrastructure:
1 A suitably sited mobile phone mast would guarantee excellent mobile reception.
2 Many villagers get Calor Gas deliveries because there is no natural gas pipeline to the village – surely we should aim to get this remedied over the next decade or so.
3 Similarly, excellent telecomms services are unavailable because no cable network to the village.
Other:
Does “traffic management measures” include traffic calming measures, especially on Station Road where residents (especially the elderly) have long been complaining of speeding cars and vans?