Reader’s letter: Historic England guidance on Sharnfold Farm is being ignored

Sadly, our elected representatives on Wealden District Council have decided to ignore the guidance from Historic England, who listed the threshing barn and cart shed at Sharnfold Farm that “Whether contemporary in design or based on an existing structure, extensions and new buildings should be subordinate in scale.”

When contrasted with the developer’s sketch of their proposed changes, this guidance is being ignored.

The proposed changes to the listed Threshing Barn with its unique Sussex marble floor will have a mezzanine floor installed, taking away the sense of volume and light the magnificent floor deserves as a setting.

The barn will be overshadowed by a two-storey agricultural style building, and there is no guarantee that the rare Sussex marble floor will be preserved.

Under the applicant’s original proposals, the cart shed (to the left of the threshing barn) would have been demolished.

The revised plans now show an additional larger building running parallel with the cart shed and blocking any view of it from the south-west.

This building is taller than the cart shed along its entire length. It will hide the entire south-west wall of the cart shed, whose flint and brick walls are one of the features particularly noted by Historic England. Despite objections from more than 300 local residents, and passionate pleas by three speakers at the meeting and the local ward member (Councillor Alastair Douglas), no councillors opposed the plans.

Remember this when they are next up for re-election.

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