East Sussex housing development is approved

On Thursday (June 27), Rother District Council’s planning committee considered an application seeking outline permission to build up to 20 houses on land to the east of Cottage Lane.

Council planning officers had recommended the scheme be approved arguing that the benefits of additional housing would outweigh the scheme’s drawbacks.

This view was shared by Graham Fifield of GRF planning, the applicant’s agent. Speaking at the meeting, Mr Fifield said: “The concerns of residents regarding development are recognised; change is often not welcomed.“However, the fact remains that there is a serious shortage of housing — including much needed affordable housing — in this country in general and Rother is not immune from this. Your own document … acknowledges that even if all the sites considered suitable and available were to be allocated in the new local plan there would still be a shortfall in housing to meet the current targets.”

He added: “I strongly believe that the benefits arising from this scheme — including the provision of much needed affordable housing, improvements to the highway network and biodiversity — outweigh any concerns expressed.”

While recommended for approval, the scheme had generated a significant number of objections from local residents. The council received more than 170 objections to the plans, with objectors’ concerns including: harm to local infrastructure; highways safety; environmental impact; loss of green space; and its effect on the character of Westfield, among other matters.

Some of these concerns were summed up by ward councillor Carl Maynard (Con), who said: “There too many imponderables within this and it is outside of the development envelope of Westfield.

“I am very clear, as local member and [from] the representations I have received, that I am not satisfied that the access to the village would be good. I am not satisfied with road safety in Cottage Lane … the clue is in the title. It is Cottage Lane, and that is the problem in terms of accessibility to the village.“As things stand therefore, I would urge the committee to turn this application down.”

Before making its decision, the committee heard how the land was previously used for the cultivation of Christmas trees, but has since been cleared. Officers said this recent use weighed in favour of the scheme, as its appearance was not typical of the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).

However, officers also noted that the applicant had been served a “restocking notice” by the Forestry Commission, which would compel the person served to restock the land with trees and maintain those trees for 10 years. Officers said this was not a material consideration as the matter came under separate legislation.

Several committee members felt the scheme should be refused due to: its location outside of Westfield’s development boundary; its scale; its intrusion into the countryside; and harm to the AONB.

But not all of the committee shared this view, with several arguing that the need for housing was significant enough to outweigh the downsides.

Ultimately, the committee approved the scheme in line with the officers’ recommendation.

When first submitted, the scheme sought to build up to 28 houses on the site, but this figure was reduced after council officers raised concerns about the scale of the initial proposals.

For further information see application reference RR/2022/1118/P on the Rother District Council website.