Council welcomes progress on new school

Mid Sussex District Council Cabinet Member for Housing and Planning, Councillor Robert Salisbury, has welcomed the progress being made to deliver a new school at the Northern Arc in Burgess Hill.

West Sussex County Council and the Regional Schools Commissioner have appointed the University of Brighton Academy Trust to run the new 'all-through' primary and secondary school, which will provide high quality education for 4-16-year-olds.

The Northern Arc is a flagship scheme which will provide 3,500 new homes in Burgess Hill alongside new roads, schools, shops, public open spaces and community facilities. The project is being managed by Homes England, the Government's housing accelerator, which means that essential infrastructure is delivered either in advance of, or alongside the new housing.

A two-year project to widen the A2300 is now nearing completion, with remaining works focussing on improvements to nearby paths, cycleways and bridleways, lighting, signage and tree planting. The expansion to a dual carriageway will increase capacity on this important link between Burgess Hill and the A23/M23, helping to reduce congestion and pollution as the town continues to grow.

The A2300 will be connected to the east of Burgess Hill by a new link road that will run through the Northern Arc site round to Maple Drive. Homes England has building contractors on site and work is already underway to create the Eastern and Western ends of the new link road. Both sections will be finished this year, facilitating the construction of new homes, schools and employment facilities.

Councillor Robert Salisbury, MSDC Cabinet Member for Housing and Planning said:

"We are delighted that another milestone has been reached with the appointment of a sponsor for the All-Through school in the Northern Arc.

"The speed at which essential infrastructure is being delivered in Burgess Hill demonstrates just how important it is that we're working in partnership with Homes England on the Northern Arc project.

"Homes England is committed to providing infrastructure improvements at the earliest possible stage to ensure that new homes can be delivered sensibly and sustainably. It's fantastic to see that philosophy in action, with work to expand the road network, improve sustainable transport infrastructure, and provide much needed community facilities well underway before any new homes are completed.

"West Sussex County Council's plans for this new school look incredibly exciting and the progress being made is another example of the hugely important infrastructure being delivered alongside the housing in Burgess Hill."