The North East Sector was identified in the West Sussex Structure Plan 1993 as a suitable location for an additional new neighbourhood for Crawley and land was allocated in the Local Plan of 2000 for the development of up to 2700 dwellings and other uses. A planning application for the new neighbourhood was submitted in 1998, but as the Government was intending to bring forward a White Paper on the Future of Air Transport it issued an Article 14 Direction in March 1999 preventing the Council from granting planning permission without his authority.

The eventual White Paper, issued in December 2003, retained the option of developing a second (wide-spaced) runway at Gatwick to be exercised after 2019 if it proves impossible to pursue the nationally-preferred option of a third runway at Heathrow. In May 2007 the Secretary of State dismissed an appeal against non-determination of the 1998 planning application for the North East Sector on the grounds that if the development were to proceed (a) the configuration of any new runway might have to be altered, which could reduce the ultimate capacity for the airport and (b) aircraft using a second runway would result in noise levels within the new housing area well beyond those likely to cause community annoyance and significantly in excess of 60dB which PPG24 recommends as a desirable upper limit for major noise sensitive development. In addition the Secretary of State considered that circumstances in May 2007 presented no immediate need to release the site to meet housing need judged against provision at Structure Plan rates in the period to 2012.

A final decision whether or not a second runway will be needed at Gatwick may be several years away. However, in the meantime there will soon be an increasingly pressing need to identify more housing land in Crawley to meet the higher, long-term annual growth requirements set out in the draft South East Plan to 2026. An early review of the Local Development Framework will therefore be undertaken. Notwithstanding this, in view of Crawley's sub-regional role, it is important to retain the option for development at the North East Sector to commence as soon as may be possible if and when this is not prevented by reasons related to national policy safeguarding land for a second runway at Gatwick. The North East Sector is therefore identified and safeguarded as a strategic housing development opportunity to come forward if (and as soon as) this becomes possible.

Any residential development at the North East Sector will only take place in the form of a sustainable and comprehensively master-planned new neighbourhood, reflecting the existing urban structure of the town. Partial development of the sector would undermine these principles. On the other hand, if Government policy were to require a second runway to be built, the opportunity will be taken to explore alternative forms of development for this area, including accommodating any commercial development displaced from the site of the runway.

The key objectives and principles for development of the North East Sector are:

North East Sector