Plans for a new business park in Hailsham

The proposed site is on the eastern side of the A22, two kilometres south of Hailsham.

Woodside Park would create up to 16,750 metre square of floor space for businesses, plans say.

Plans submitted from Wealden District Council (WDC) reveal the application site is made up of two parcels of land – one is occupied by two Hailsham Roadways and the other is owned by the applicant, Polegate Land Ltd, for animal grazing and hay production.

Plans said, “Notice has been served upon the owners of the remaining application site land at Hailsham Roadways Depot.”

The current application is for an Online Planning Consent which means the final design and nature of the buildings in the proposal is unknown. This also means parking details cannot be provided at this time, but plans say ‘the illustrative layouts do show that it would be a relatively simple process to create the required number of parking spaces required to serve the development’,

Access would have to come from the southbound carriageway of the A22, plans say.

A pre-application consultation process concluded that WDC consider the site as being suitable for employment use.

In terms of surrounding areas being impacted by the development, plans say, “The area most affected by the development would be the properties immediately north of the site which front the south bound carriageway of the A22.

“The property adjoining the northern boundary is Tudor Close. This comprises a dwelling with a builder’s yard. This site has been subject to a recent planning application to change its use to a scaffolding yard and to intensify the commercial activity.

“With part commercial activity already present on the site, the impact of additional commercial activity on the application site is considered to be less of a step change, than if Tudor Close was wholly residential. Nonetheless, a separation distance of 35m would exist between the nearest part of the built form on the application site and the residential part of Tudor Close, and the boundary between the two is densely populated with mature trees, shrubs and a large indigenous hedgerow.”

Planners say, “This proposal demonstrates that Woodside Park can create an important contribution to the economic development profile of the A22 corridor and meet the high demand for small flexible commercial units which the district currently lacks, as defined in the Land and Premises Supply Study, dated May 2020 as prepared by Locate East Sussex.”

Members of the public can comment on the plans until April 24 (reference: WD/2021/2556/MAO).

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