New Bexhill housing plans near Grade II listed property
A developer has submitted plans for new housing on the outskirts of Bexhill.
Rother District Council has received a bid for outline planning permission to build up to eight homes on land to the north east of Ninfield Road — a site described as a paddock associated with Freezeland Farm.
The applicant, listed as a Mr B White, had previously secured permission for a five home development on the site.
In planning documents, a spokesman for the applicant said: “The proposal would make more effective use of the land than the approved scheme by accommodating eight dwellings on the land instead of five.”
The spokesman added: “The proposed layout showing how eight dwellings could be accommodated on the site [and] would respect the grain of the suburban development at Lunsford Cross which includes detached, semi-detached and terraced properties.
“The existing roadside features do however screen most of the site from Ninfield Road such that development would have minimal impact [on] the street scene.
“Where the properties would be visible is from the new access and providing the dwellings are designed to respect the local vernacular of buildings in the area, they would not appear of place within the surroundings and as such would not detract from the character of the locality.”
The previous scheme had been approved at appeal in May last year. It had been refused by Rother District Council due to concerns about the sustainability of its location and potential impact on a nearby Grade II listed property The High House.
However, the planning inspector judged the site to have sufficient access to public transport through a nearby bus stop.
The inspector also noted the scheme would have been built “on the opposite side of a fairly wide road” from The High House, so would not, in their judgement, have a direct impact on the setting of the listed building.
The applicant argues the current proposals, while larger in scale, would not change this relationship with the listed property.
While only seeking outline permission for the homes, the application also seeks full permission for its access and layout. Other details, such as design and landscaping, would be expected to come forward as part of a later application.
For further information see application reference RR/2026/1182/OUT on the Rother District Council website.