Using the feedback from resident surveys and from public events held throughout 2018 and 2019, our community has decided that our vision for our Neighbourhood Plan is:

Health and Happiness

Hurst Green will become a thriving, safe and friendly village within the High Weald, along with the hamlets of Swiftsden and Silver Hill, which foster a healthy lifestyle and encourage residents to live active, social and meaningful lives.

Business, Economy and Tourism

We will strongly support local prosperity and will create a thriving village community, that supports existing and new local businesses, and seeks to boast a prosperous, well-presented village, where people want to live, work and visit.

Housing

We will support sustainable and sensitive housing development that enables us to deliver on our vision and objectives, developing the facilities that are needed to address the current and future needs of our community.

Travel and Transport

We will seek to remove all non-local traffic from the Parish’s existing roads, creating an environment that reduces the speed of motor traffic and encourages walking, cycling and low carbon transport over car-use for shorter journeys.

Land and Nature

We will go to great lengths to protect and promote our outstanding natural environment and will seek to improve access to the countryside and our nearby green spaces, restoring land for the benefit of people and wildlife.

Aims

To help us deliver our vision, the following 9 aims have been developed by the community for the Neighbourhood Plan, these are:

1) Protect against inappropriate and speculative development and to provide guidance and greater influence over how Hurst Green should be developed in the future.

2) Improve public safety and reduce the harmful impact of road traffic, while providing sufficient parking for the community.

3) Develop local planning policies for Hurst Green which development proposals should adhere to.

4) Create an environment that encourages residents to live active, social, meaningful lives that promote good health and well-being.

5) Bring forward action on facilities and improvements, which are needed by the village of Hurst Green; and the hamlets of Silver Hill and Swiftsden.

6) Improve the visual appearance and overall perception of Hurst Green as a place where people want to live, work and visit.

7) Enhance our existing, and create new open green spaces and improve access to the countryside.

8) Increase business, retail and tourism opportunities to encourage local employment, and grow the local economy.

9) Conserve and enhance the built and historic environment and improve the general street scene around the parish.

Together we can succeed where other communities have failed. To volunteer, or if you are interested in finding out more, please contact  Steve or Andrew by completing our expression of interest form.