The scheme was selected as a priority for improvement because the roads that link Burgess Hill and Haywards Heath provide a poor and potentially dangerous environment for walking and cycling. At present, there is no easy or safe way to walk or cycle between the towns despite the short distances involved.

Achieving Greenways between the towns will provide a safer and more pleasant means of travelling between the two and will be designed to be accessible to all users whatever their ability to enable all to enjoy the natural environment.

The scheme seeks to achieve a network of routes capable of use by walkers and cyclists and where appropriate by horse-riders that are resilient to the weather and connect to existing and proposed infrastructure.

The achievement of improved links is a shared ambition of the District and Town Councils in their respective development plans.

The Burgess Hill to Haywards Heath Greenways scheme was subject to public engagement May - June 2020. Details can be found here.

The feedback from the public engagement provided an opportunity to review the network of proposed traffic free links between Burgess Hill and Haywards Heath. Whilst a technical review is considering a number of potential routes to the west of the railway line, it has ruled out progressing a potential ‘eastern route’ from Valebridge Road in Burgess Hill to Fox Hill in Haywards Heath. This is due to the cost implications required to address issues of flooding and user safety.

Further details and appraisal of the potential routes can be found here