Nicholas Soames, East Grinstead’s Member of Parliament, was part of a delegation of local MPs and Council leaders from West Sussex who met with Yvette Cooper MP, Minister for Housing and Planning, on Thursday 25th May to discuss the need for greater investment in local infrastructure to cater for present problems and for the future needs from Government imposed housing targets.

Nicholas Soames and Councillor Patrick Shanahan, Leader of Mid Sussex District Council, made the strongest possible points to the Minister about the inadequacy of East Grinstead’s infrastructure at the present time and the unsustainable pressure that would arise without substantial Government investment in the local infrastructure if the proposal to build 2500 houses at East Grinstead was to go ahead.

Mr Soames said; “I was very disappointed by the Minister’s response. She was badly briefed and seemed to be unaware that in the particular the rapid growth of traffic over the last 20 years has caused the most serious strain on existing infrastructure in East Grinstead.

“Patrick Shanahan and I pointed out that we have hosepipe bans, embargoes from sewage authorities, road improvements to the M23 and A23 that have gone backwards and serious potential short-comings in health care and tertiary education.”

Commenting after the meeting Mr Soames said; “A paper is to be prepared that will set out the real difficulties the Government’s housing targets are posing. I made plain to the Minister that we cannot continue with what is proposed at East Grinstead without substantial infrastructure investment by the Government.

“I shall be pursuing every avenue open to me in this regard including the floor of the House of Commons.”

-ends-

Notes:

• Delegation;

o Nicholas Soames MP

o Francis Maude MP

o Andrew Tyrie MP

o Nick Herbert MP

o Laura Moffatt MP

o Council Leaders from Horsham, Mid Sussex, Chichester and Crawley