Connecting Mid Sussex to the world with a ground-breaking digital and transport infrastructure ecosystem.

A multi-million-pound investment has put Mid Sussex at the pioneering edge of delivering ground-breaking high quality digital and transport infrastructure to create 20-minute neighbourhoods.

Chris Founds, Director, CJ Founds Associates, told delegates at the recent Real Estate Live conference that Mid Sussex is undergoing a digital revolution as it approached completing its own public sector fibre network that is connecting the district not just locally, but also to existing clusters in Crawley, London and Brighton as well as nationally and internationally.

And the district's 'one-dig' policy had enabled much of the fibre installation work to take place at the same time as delivering a network of sustainable active travel corridors at Burgess Hill, joining together the town's residential areas with the town centre, key employment sites including the planned 43ha (130,000 sqm floorspace) Science and Technology Park, rail stations, open space, shops, leisure schools and healthcare facilities.

"Sometimes infrastructure can feel like it is bolted on, but here strategic investment has meant it is successfully embedded from the very beginning in our 20-minute neighbourhood concept," said Chris.

He added that the advantages of the authority creating its own public sector-owned fibre network, that is managed through a co-operative, included being able to connect to any provider, enabling local businesses and communities to get immediate gigabit connectivity; ensuring competitiveness in the market and being able to make the region attractive to small start-ups who would be able to get immediate connectivity and invest in their own networks.

He said that the new network will immediately pick up locations such as the town's business parks and connect them to the planned Science and Technology Park, as well as the wider world.