Formal Complaint After Crawley Down Pre-School Plan Refused

A formal complaint has been made to Mid Sussex District Council after councillors rejected plans for a new pre-school in Crawley Down.

Wild Beginnings Pre School Ltd had applied to build on land at The Platt, Turners Hill Road, but the planning committee turned down the proposal last Thursday (11 September).

Councillors raised concerns about sustainability, saying the site would only be accessible by car, and argued the development would harm the landscape and setting of nearby listed buildings.

But Zara O’Grady, from Wild Beginnings, described the decision as “heartbreaking” and confirmed an appeal would be lodged with the Secretary of State.

She said:

“Councillors themselves repeatedly accepted that there is a clear need for a pre-school, but said simply ‘not here’.

"With the village population growing and no alternative sites being proposed, waiting for a so-called ‘ideal’ location is unrealistic.”

Ms O’Grady also raised “serious questions about transparency, fairness, and public trust” in the planning process, calling for a full investigation into how the application was handled.

Concerns about road safety dominated the committee’s discussions, despite no objections from West Sussex Highways.

Minutes show that local councillor John Hitchcock had spoken against the plans at a parish council meeting last year, although he later declared a personal interest and did not take part in those sessions as a councillor.

Wild Beginnings, which currently has 34 families on its waiting list, says the refusal leaves local parents facing longer journeys to find childcare — adding to the traffic concerns raised by councillors.

The application was rejected by nine votes to one, with one abstention.