Planning inspector approves homes on outskirts of Bexhill

In a decision notice, a planning inspector has approved outline proposals to build five homes on land to the north east of Ninfield Road — a site described as a paddock associated with Freezeland Farm.

Rother District Council had refused the proposed development in January last year, citing concerns about its location and potential impact on a nearby Grade II listed property known as The High House.

In a report at the time, a council planning spokesman said: “The site occupies a small, largely undeveloped paddock/field within the countryside, and outside of a development boundary, which is an important gap between the town of Bexhill and the dwellings to the west.

“A residential redevelopment of the site, including the built form of a new dwellings, together with the usual activities and domestic paraphernalia associated with this use would conflict with the spatial strategy for the district set out in the Rother Local plan Core Strategy.

“It would alter the character of this locality, encroaching into undeveloped countryside, and would result in it being more urban in character. As a result, the development would cause harm to the setting of the grade II listed ‘The High House’ and the intrinsic natural beauty of this part of the countryside.”

In refusing the scheme, the council had also raised concerns about the sustainability of the site, saying it would have “limited access to employment [sites], services and community facilities on foot, by cycling or by public transport.”

However, the planning inspector judged the site to have sufficient access to public transport through a nearby bus stop.

They also noted the proposed buildings would be “on the opposite side of a fairly wide road” from The High House, so judged it not to have a direct impact on the setting of the listed building.

The inspector noted the site would be outside of Bexhill’s development boundary but said this issue would be outweighed by the shortage of housing within the district. In this situation national planning rules result in a ‘presumption in favour’ of development going ahead, the inspector said.

In their decision notice, the planning inspector said: “The need for housing is well-established. The benefits associated with five additional dwellings would be significant given the [National Planning Policy] Framework’s objective of boosting significantly the supply of housing, and the council’s housing land supply position.

“There would also be some modest socio-economic benefits through construction employment and new residents using local services.

“When assessed against the policies in the Framework as a whole, the limited weight I have attributed to the conflict with the development plan would not significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits of five additional homes in a suitable location which would preserve the appearance of the area and preserve the setting of the Grade II listed High House.

“The presumption in favour of sustainable development applies and this indicates that permission should be granted.”

As a result, the development — submitted by an applicant listed as Mr B White — has secured outline planning permission. While some matters remain to be determined at a later date, the approved proposals include details of the scheme’s layout and acccess.

The development is expected to comprise of a mix of two four-bed and three three-bed houses.