Planners approve controversial Hailsham housing scheme
Controversial proposals for a housing development in Hailsham have been approved.
On Thursday (November 21), Wealden District Council’s Planning Committee North approved an outline application seeking permission to build up to 80 homes on land to the south of the A271.
The scheme had proven to be controversial, generating 222 letters of objection. Much of the controversy related to the site’s connection with Hook and Son, an agricultural business which had been using the land to graze its dairy herd until last year.
The committee heard from Joe Hook, a representative for the business, who said: “We have farmed the land in question since 1998, converting it to organic status in 2001. We continued to farm the land until our grazing licence expired just over a year ago on the 30th of September 2023. The land has now lost its organic status. The application site is part of a 40-acre block of grassland we used to cut for silage, yielding around 250 tonnes of grass and forming approximately a quarter of our dairy herd’s winter feed.”
He added: “Our farm will struggle to survive without this land, in addition to the loss of the land at Longleys Farm. This year we have crowdfunded nearly £30,000 to help our cash flow and to buying grass and organic milk to try and maintain our production and to keep our 20 staff employed. Though we did survive this summer, we cannot crowdfund every year to cover these losses.
“It does seem wrong that there is such a proclivity in planning policy for developing organic land that produces food for local people, without any mitigation for the damage caused to our business as a result.”
Concerns around Hook and Son had been a key factor in another application which involved plans to develop nearby land to the rear of Battle Road.
The initial Battle Road scheme (for 180 homes) had been refused by Wealden District Council in March, with part of the refusal based on the loss of agricultural land and the impact on Hook and Son.
But a second application (for 145 homes) was approved in October, with committee members accepting that Hook and Son’s tenancy of the land had formally ceased after the council sought legal advice.
Officers made a similar argument in connection with this application, arguing that the ceased tenancy meant a refusal based on the loss of agricultural land would be likely to be viewed as ‘unreasonable’ if taken to appeal.
Cllr Neil Cleaver proposed the scheme should be refused. Councillors had raised other concerns about the scheme, including its impact on highways, drainage and sewerage infrastructure.
Concerns had also been raised around the site’s proximity to the Hailsham North Wastewater Treatment Works and the potential for odour issues.
But others disagreed with this view, pointing to the Battle Road scheme and other nearby developments as a factor in favour of approval.
The committee agreed to grant planning permission in line with the officers’ recommendation. The decision was close, coming down to a casting vote from committee chairman Gavin Blake-Coggins after a tied vote.
As an outline scheme, details of the scheme will require further planning permission at a later date. Conditions attached to the outline planning permission require affordable housing, the creation of a play space and off-site highways works.