Our successes so far

Since its formation in 2015, Haseley Brook Action Group has established itself as a credible and effective voice for local residents, ensuring that our communities are fully represented in the planning process. Created by local people in response to growing concern about the scale and location of potential development, the group has brought together a broad coalition from across the local area. This coordinated, community-led approach has significantly strengthened the ability of residents to engage with complex planning issues and respond collectively.

Our work builds on a longer tradition of local engagement in planning matters. Community action in this area is not new - residents successfully campaigned in the 1980s to prevent inappropriate housing development at the “Stone Bassett site”. That experience demonstrated the value of informed, organised local action, and continues to inform our approach today: constructive, evidence-based, and determined to ensure that the right decisions are made for the long term.

A key achievement of the group has been our ability to scrutinise major development proposals in detail and ensure that they are robustly tested against local and national planning policy. By drawing on in-house expertise and commissioning independent professional advice where necessary, we have ensured that proposals are properly challenged where they fall short. In doing so, we have helped to raise the quality of debate and ensure decision-makers are fully informed.

We have also played an important role in highlighting the real-world impacts of inappropriate development - particularly in relation to traffic, infrastructure capacity, and the preservation of rural character. Our work has ensured that these issues are clearly articulated and cannot be overlooked, helping to shape both public understanding and the formal planning process.

Above all, our success lies in demonstrating that organised, evidence-led community action can make a meaningful difference. Through the commitment and support of local residents, we have built a strong, well-resourced organisation capable of responding quickly and effectively - ensuring that development proposals are not only heard, but properly challenged when they risk harming our communities.