Crawley Pride 2022

Today kicks-off Crawley Pride 2022, two days of celebrating the town’s LGBTQ+ community and culture. Last year was the first ever Crawley Pride, after a year’s delay due to COVID-19, and I can personally attest to what a good weekend it was. Tickets are available online by going to https://fixr.co/event/crawley-pride-2022-tickets-865438014

While it’s great to see such a visible sign of the town’s commitment to diversity in sexuality and gender identities, unfortunately at the same time as Pride is taking place Bar 7–the town’s only gay bar–is currently at risk of closure. It’s too easy for people to see the visible signs of inclusivity and rule out the importance of places where those who have identities which differ from the norm within that society–in this case sexuality and/or gender–for enabling people to feel that they can be who they are in a safe environment and with people with whom they can relate.

The reason why Bar 7 is currently at risk is a development proposal which would see most of the units along Pegler Way redeveloped as new flats. While you’d struggle to find a bigger advocate for ensuring we built the housing we need to meet local needs, the reality is that this isn’t an affordable development we’re talking about here and it doesn’t form part of the council’s plan for delivering the properties the town needs. It’s development by an absentee land owner, designed to extract the maximum profit for the minimum cost without any consideration about its impact. It’s not the kind of development we need and it risks losing an important part of the town’s social infrastructure.

So, what can we do about it? Well, there’s a petition up-and-running and by all means sign it, but it’s not the most important thing you can do to help. Unlike the dodgy office conversions which have taken place across the town, a new building means that the developers do actually have to come to the council for planning permission. There are strict rules around how councils assess these applications which limit the grounds upon which an application can be refused, but residents do get a say and what they say and the numbers of people saying it can be the deciding factor in whether an application is accepted or refused.

To make your voice heard you need to email planning at planning@crawley.gov.uk quoting the application reference CR/2020/0010/OUT and setting out the case for refusal. While the formal deadline has passed, comments will continue to be taken into account right up until the final committee report is published. Unfortunately, there are limited grounds which can be taken into account, but you can be creative in how you argue that these issues relate to the application, a copy of which can be found here. A comprehensive list of these valid grounds for objection can be found here: https://www.richmond.gov.uk/what_is_a_valid_objection_to_a_planning_application

There’s no guarantee of success I’m afraid, but I have seen community power being the difference between a service being saved and being lost on many occasions. At the very least, for those who do care, it’s a way of showing your support for Crawley’s LGBTQ+ community beyond waving a rainbow flag once a year.