Following consultation with our members and approval at our April AGM, the Society has modified its name from Lindfield Preservation Society to Lindfield Society. We hope that this formulation is more inclusive, encompassing our commitment to sensitive development and improvement as well as preservation. Conserving what makes Lindfield special remains of course our goal.

Lindfield Heritage Trail

We were pleased to launch this initiative in cooperation with the Lindfield History Project Group. The Heritage trail commemorates the Queen’s Jubilee and the Society’s 60^th anniversary. An etched metal map at the King Edward Hall marks the start and provides commentary via a QR code linking to our website. Free brochures are also available from High Street retailers and have been distributed to local schools.

Regular activities

We have also been pleased to resume the presentation of Conservation and Design Awards at our annual AGM. These awards acknowledge the efforts of residents who carry out building work with thoughtful design and materials, enhancing both the property and the intrinsic character of the village.

Our annual talks programme at the King Edward Hall is also back in place. Lindfield Life provides details on each event, for example Wednesday, 14 September’s talk on “Wakehurst – Covid and Beyond”.

The Pond

We have been urging Mid Sussex District Council to undertake a thorough restoration. We are now informed that the council will be making improvements by the autumn, including replacement of the floating island, duck house and pond-side bollards, as well as new planting.

Planning matters

The Welkin: Developers have applied for permission to build on open spaces in this neighbourhood, failing to recognise that green and open spaces form an integral part of the Welkin’s design. The two applications would in our view import urban blight into the heart of the village. We encourage residents to object to Mid Sussex District Council Planning Department, citing application numbers DM/22/1890 (entrance to Green Meadows) and DM/22/1893 (entrance to The Welkin).

Government Planning Legislation: This remains the single greatest threat to our countryside. A “Levelling-up and Regeneration Bill” is currently under development. It would centralise radically how planning decisions are made, giving national development policies the decisive role. There would be no obligation to involve the public in developing these policies. The bill also contains a new mechanism allowing the Secretary of State to grant permission for controversial developments, bypassing the planning system altogether. The public would have no right to be consulted as part of this process. Any protection for communities against overdevelopment – which under current legislation is already feeble at best – is in danger of evaporating.

The past decade has seen planning powers increasingly centralised, resulting in unrealistic housing targets dictated from above and developers being allowed to do largely as they please. This has resulted in unwanted and unneeded speculative housing schemes that disfigure desirable locations while a shortage of truly affordable housing stubbornly persists. More of the same will not do. We urge residents to contact our MP, Mims Davies (mims.davies.mp@parliament.uk), asking for her support in resisting the new legislation and further erosion of protection for the public.