Anger over new homes

Parishioners crowded into the Reading Room in Buxted to hear district council officers' justification for including the new homes in the Wealden Local Plan.

Residents were told that 90 homes had been earmarked on land to the west of Church Road, while something in the region of 20 more dwellings were planned on land beyond Nursery Field. Another 15 houses are set to be built on land to the west of Oakleigh, in Five Ash Down.

Senior planning officer Jeff Thomas told the meeting that the villages were suitable for taking on extra homes because of the level of facilities there.

He said: 'Buxted is a very large village in the Low Weald. One of the advantages of Buxted is that it does have a reasonable range of facilities compared to a lot of villages in the district. This includes a community hall, bus service and, more importantly, the railway station.'

However, resident Christina Harrison said the population of Buxted had trebled from 1,000 people to 3,000 since she moved there in 1961, putting pressure on facilities. 'We have had enough,' she said. 'Our school is full, the surgery is bursting and the main road is already extremely busy. Let us preserve our village for future generations.'

'Curfew line'

Parish chairman Alison Crowe added: 'We have a train on a curfew line, a bus that turn up when it likes, no post office and a shop that's threatening to shut.'

The 90 homes west of Church Road would be accessed via a road over what is now the car park of the Buxted Inn. A roundabout would be built on the A272 at this access point.

But district councillor for Buxted, Norman Buck, said: 'This is totally unacceptable. Traffic is totally disastrous as it is. Can you imagine what that little roundabout is going to do?

'This development is going to increase the population of Buxted by about 10 per cent, and it's going to increase traffic movement by a far greater amount than is acceptable.

'Imagine what's going to happen with another 300 people; it's absolutely impossible.'