2. How much money is needed? The County Structure Plan stipulates (paragraph 428) a long list of infrastructure requirements that all new development must meet without cost to existing residents. The cost of this to the developers? After a long silence the Council Leadership announced a costing exercise on November 15. Pending that, indicative figures (not specific to this project) were published by the MSDC Chief Executive in 2004. These show that housebuilding in Mid Sussex generates infrastructure costs amounting on average to £44,000 per dwelling (excluding transport infrastructure). Ref. 1. On that basis a development of 2,500 houses in Mid Sussex generates an infrastructure cost of £110 million (i.e. 2,500 x £44,000).

3. How much money will be available? The developers say they will provide a maximum of £109 million. Ref. 2. Thus their contribution might barely cover the cost of community infrastructure, excluding transport. Even then they claim they cannot provide all the hoped-for investment in schools, because that would "kill the viability of the scheme".

4. But the "relief" road cost comes on top of this! Forecasts of its cost have risen astonishingly from the £23m given to the Structure Plan EiP panel, through the £58m used for last summer's consultation, and beyond. An authoritative independent forecast is £78m. Ref. 3. Now the press reports other professional estimates of over £100m. The good news is that the County Council say the latest forecast is still below £160m!

5. Will the Government fill the gap? Last summer we understand that the Council Leadership approached the Government for funding, but met a firm No.

6. So the community infrastructure looks barely affordable, the "relief" road clearly not. Therefore these houses are affordable only if relocated where they are no longer burdened by crippling road-building costs. The Council Leadership's long-delayed costings will make interesting reading.

References:

1 "Funding the Future'' September 2004. More recent independent estimates are higher.

2 Letter to MSDC from Taylor Woodrow, 9 April 2006.

3 "Infrastructure for Long Term Growth in West Sussex" prepared for WSCC by Mr R W Walker, former MSDC Director of Planning, September 2005.