Pebsham Lane protest

Plans for 10 homes and a bungalow to be built in place of two houses in Pebsham Lane were examined during a site visit by planning inspectors on Monday.

Rother District Council's planning committee rejected the scheme in February.

Officers offered a string of grounds for refusal and labelled it "an undesirable form of backyard development."

Developers, Cliveden Properties Plc, have sought the appeal for which a date is to be set.

Inspectors were met by an angry group of Pebsham Lane residents.

Letters of objection were received from 57 residents when the initial application was made.

And the crowd made it plain many have not changed their opinion of the plan.

"It is complete over development," agreed many of them. "The character of the area will be completely ruined."

Other concerns include properties being overlooked and the increased traffic on one of the main roads into Pebsham.

"I've lodged a lifetime objection. Whatever people want to put there in my lifetime I will object to it, " said Brian Giles of Pebsham Lane.

"It is not wanted or needed. Rother District Council have been very generous and you have plenty of affordable housing now and there will be more when the link road comes in.

"I have spent 23,000 improving my bungalow but this will mean it loses that value. It is also on one of only two main roads in and out of Pebsham. Public transport treat it as a one way system because it gets so busy and cars are queued up at rush hour. This won't help."

Rother's chief planning officer Frank Rallings said in his report to members in February: "The development of this site, as proposed, represents an undesirable form of backland development that would result in the houses to the rear of the site having a poor relationship with surrounding properties.

"Plots 3-10 would be unduly prominent to existing residents with the houses at either end being unreasonably close to the boundaries of the site.

"Together with the associated parking and circulation areas and general activity generated from residential property the scheme would be severely detrimental to the outlook and amenity of adjoining residents....

"The development proposed takes no account of the pattern and layout of the Pebsham estate and would undesirably open up the existing road frontage, developing in a secluded backland position.

"This disruption to the established pattern of development would be out of character with the nature of this estate and would neither create, nor enhance, any distinctive character that relates well to its surroundings.

"As such the scheme would be detrimental to local residents and the character of the area...

"The scheme involves the provision of three accesses onto Pebsham Lane introducing hazards at this point by the slowing, stopping, turning and reversing traffic that would be created."