The residents of Hassocks gave a ringing endorsement to the Hassocks Neighbourhood Plan at the referendum held on 5th March. Voters braved torrential rain and a bitter cold wind to go to the Adastra Hall and support the Plan. 1,729 voted in the Referendum of which 1,635 voted in favour of the plan, which represents 94.8%. The turnout was 26.43%, which is very good for a local referendum, particularly in view of the inclement weather.

Chairman of the Neighbourhood Plan Working Group Cllr Bill Hatton said: “In voting to accept the Plan the people of Hassocks have shown great maturity of judgement. They clearly understood that the Plan gives us the best chance to protect our village and the countryside around it. We are very grateful for their support.

“A very big thank you, too, to the members of our community who freely gave their time and expertise to our Working Party. We could not have done it without them.

“We would also like to thank all those who took part in the lively debate about the Plan on social media, especially those who supported the Plan and encouraged others to come out and do likewise.

“I am very pleased to say that the Plan now has statutory force and all planning applications will now be judged against its Policies.”