Next stage of East Sussex housing scheme approved by planners

On Thursday (January 11), Wealden District Council’s Planning Committee South considered a reserved matters application connected with plans to build 38 homes next to a property known as Old Orchard House in Horebeech Lane.

The scheme had secured outline planning permission at appeal in August 2022, meaning the principle of developing the site had already been established. As a result, the committee had only been considering the details of the scheme’s final design.

While eventually approved, committee members had significant concerns about elements of these designs, with councillors raising concerns about the site’s layout, its parking arrangements and height of buildings.

Some members were in favour of asking the developer to go back and address these concerns, but a deferral motion (from Lib Dem councillor Mark Fairweather) on these grounds failed to secure enough support when put to the vote.

Meanwhile, Cllr Neil Cleaver (Lib Dem) sought a deferral to address drainage concerns raised by local residents.

Cllr Cleaver said: “In the report [we have been told] the developer has been speaking to Southern Water regarding upgrades and they will be paying for those upgrades.“Well, we haven’t been told what upgrades they are doing. We have been told that they are going to move the overflow pipe so it is not going across the field … but if they don’t upgrade that holding tank they will be continuously overflowing into that ditch.

“Residents who are buying these properties will [have to] put up with sewage, sanitary towels, wet wipes for the rest of the time until Southern Water has the decency to upgrade the holding tank.”

In light of his concerns, Cllr Cleaver argued the committee should defer the scheme to seek information from Southern Water on what exact upgrade works would be done on site.

Officers raised concerns about this argument, however, pointing out that the site’s drainage arrangements were already covered by conditions attached to the outline planning application. The discharge of these conditions are covered by a separate planning process.

Stacey Robins said: “[Officers] will challenge Southern Water before we give a decision [on the condition discharge]. We will. We have said it on other cases, we’ve said it in training sessions to you, you’ve heard it from leading King’s Counsel following a request from the portfolio holder to get legal advice on this issue.

“You’ve had it over and over as a body of members, yet here we are today attempting to defer an application to do more. There comes a point when you’ve got to accept that, on behalf of your residents and parishes and town councils there is no more that you can do.

“The Grampian planning condition is the method by which you would exercise your control. You’ve got to trust me and my officer team around the assessment, scrutiny and challenge of Southern Water and others before we give a decision.”

Cllr Cleaver’s motion ultimately failed to secure a seconder, so was not put to the vote.

Following the unsuccessful bids to defer the scheme, Cllr Gavin Blake-Coggins (Lib Dem), the committee’s chairman, proposed approval in line with the officers’ recommendation.

Seconding this motion Green Party councillor Martyn Everitt said: “While the design is not perfect, I don’t think there is a sufficient number of issues with it to justify a deferral, which result in an appeal and maybe compromising some of the other conditions we already have imposed. So I think our best strategy is to approve.”

The approved scheme is set to be made up of four one-bed units, six two-bed units, 18 three-bed units and 10 four-bed units. The one- and two-bed units are all expected to be classified as affordable properties, as would three of the three-bed units.

For further information on the proposals see application reference WD/2023/1585/MRM on the Wealden District Council website.