Crawley Borough Council says no to Center Parcs

By Jess Price

Conservation Officer

Sussex Wildlife Trust is delighted that Crawley Borough Council has stated its unanimous opposition to the proposal for a new Center Parcs holiday village in Oldhouse Warren. We have been campaigning with others against this monstrous proposal for over a year and it is fantastic to see local councillors publically supporting our stance.

The motion passed at their full council meeting on Wednesday 19 October said:

Crawley Borough Council states its objection to the proposal, announced last year by Center Parcs, to construct a 'holiday village' comprising up to 900 holiday lodges, a restaurant and swimming complex, across 553 acres of Worth Forest immediately to the south of Maidenbower, in the area known as Oldhouse Warren.

In doing so, this Council requests the Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Environmental Services and Sustainability to write to both Center Parcs and Mid-Sussex District Council, on behalf of the Council’s entire membership, setting out Crawley’s concerns about such a change of use of this site, and supporting the environmental concerns that have been highlighted by the Sussex Planning for Nature Group, which is made up of the Sussex Wildlife Trust, the RSPB, the Woodland Trust, CPRE Sussex and the Sussex Ornithological Society.

Oldhouse Warren is ancient woodland, an irreplaceable habitat, that is protected under current planning guidance. Part of Worth Forest, this area has been a haven for wildlife for centuries, possible millennia. This rich environment will be destroyed by Center Parcs’ proposals and we must do everything we can to resist it.

Although any planning application for the site would be considered and determined by Mid Sussex District Council, we still think Crawley Borough Council’s position is important. Perhaps they can persuade MSDC to follow suit?

This decision is a fantastic step in the right direction, but the threat from Center Parcs remains. Sussex Wildlife Trust will continue to defend Oldhouse Warren from development, working with the Planning for Nature Group and the Protect Oldhouse Warren local campaign group until this damaging Center Parcs proposal is completely removed or refused.