St Margaret's Loop
The Loop is the route of a section of railway which allowed trains from London to join the east-west line from Three Bridges to Tunbridge Wells. It diverges from the existing railway line behind Charlwoods Road industrial estate, then passes under Green Hedges Avenue, London Road and Park Road before linking up with Worth Way at the station carpark. Disused for 40 years, it has developed into a natural woodland and wildlife corridor. It contains many beautiful mature trees and due to its inaccessibility remains largely undisturbed and has therefore become home to a prolific bird and wildlife population.

It is now a designated Site of Nature Conservation Importance. This designation is non statutory, but recognises the significant nature conservation value in a local context - in this case within an urban area. In addition to its visual amenity to local residents, St. Margaret's Loop has allowed a wide variety of wildlife species access into a built up area, a great benefit to the town.

If Option 2e (Worth Way route) is adopted, St. Margaret's Loop will be completely destroyed from where it joins the Worth Way by the station car park to the proposed junction at the A22 near to Homebase.

Mid Sussex District Council, in its current Local Plan (2004) states that the:

"designated conservation areas within East Grinstead provide an important contribution to the quality of the local environment including the fingers of woodland which extend into the town (including for example the disused railway lines)."

It also states that "the Council will seek to protect and enhance this setting and the important visual characteristics outlined above".

It is reiterated later on: "the disused railway cuttings are large and prominent features in the townscape. .... it (the Council) will seek to safeguard them from development and because of their visual importance within the town protect their existing character and existence".

Wildlife observed in St. Margaret's Loop: Badger, edible dormouse, wood mouse, yellow necked mouse, bank vole, field vole, hedgehog, common shrew, pygmy shrew, common pipistrelle bat, serotine bat, whiskered bat, grey squirrel, fox, tawny owl, blackbird, blue tit, coal tit, great tit, longtail tit, chaffinch, dunnock, goldfinch, greenfinch, bullfinch, goldcrest, kingfisher, nuthatch, siskin, robin, starling, house sparrow, tree sparrow, pied wagtail, greater spotted woodpecker, green woodpecker, garden warbler, wren, songthrush, mistlethrush, treecreeper, jay, woodpigeon, turtle dove, cuckoo, housemartin, swift, collared dove, pheasant, jackdaw, rook, crow, sparrow hawk, kestrel, common lizard, common lizard, smooth newt, unidentified frogs and toads, slow worm, grass snake. Deer spoor seen.