Consultation on 8,500 new Rother homes gets backing

On Monday (September 14), Rother District Council’s cabinet agreed to support a six-week consultation on its proposed local plan.

If agreed in a full council vote next week, it would be the final round of public feedback before a final version of the document is submitted to a government inspector.

Cabinet member for planning Teresa Killeen (Lib Dem) said: “The proposed plan provides approximately 8,500 new homes [and employment land for] 5,100 new jobs up to 2042.

“As we know this is significantly below the target set by government, but it does take into account the fact that the vast majority of our area is an area of outstanding natural beauty — 83 per cent of it being in the High Weald National Landscape.”

If adopted, Cllr Killeen argued, the council would have more protection against “speculative development”.

This is due to national planning rules around development targets and a measure known as the five-year housing land supply figure.

Areas, like Rother, which do not have a full five-year housing land supply have been required to apply a ‘tilted balance’ in favour of development going ahead when determining planning applications.

The government has updated these rules, adding additional criteria, but housing land supply figures remain a significant part of the equation.

As the current local plan is out of date, the district’s five-year housing land supply figure is based on the government’s standard method. This currently means the district is expected to provide 895 new homes per year.

By adopting the proposed local plan, the housing land supply figure would be based on alternative figures of around 510 new homes per year. In a report, officers say this updated target would be “easier (and more realistic) to meet”.

Cllr Killeen said the proposed local plan included a “range of ambitious policies” which reflected ‘elements requested by our communities’.

She said these included requirements for affordable, social rental and zero carbon homes, and default 20mph speed limits on new residential streets.

Many of the sites in the proposed local plan have been controversial among residents.

Conservative councillor John Barnes argued that some proposed sites within the High Weald National Landscape should be considered to be undeliverable, as a result of their impact on heritage assets and the national landscape.

He said the council should undertake further consultation with parish councils and the High Weald Unit as he felt there may be sufficient grounds to remove these sites from the proposed local plan.

Conservative group leader Carl Maynard added: “We all want us to have a local plan that can successfully defend ourselves from speculative development in the wrong place.

“But I also think that we need to be really clear, especially where there are really sensitive sites, that we need to take a long hard look at those sites.”

Council leader Doug Oliver said: “Local plans are not perfect and this is not going to be perfect. But we need to get as far as we are able to until it starts to be looked at elsewhere, because that then becomes beyond our control.

“The reality of it all is that there will be some controversial issues within that. But let’s face it; we have to do this. It is being done to us and we have to provide that.”