Wealden publishes first draft of new Local Plan

The draft document was published on Tuesday (January 23), ahead of its discussion at an extraordinary full council meeting on February 8, when councillors will decide whether or not it should be put out for formal consultation.

The scope of the document is significant, setting out areas where development could take place alongside a wide range of policies intended to guide what form that development takes.

In a statement released ahead of the draft plan’s publication, a spokesperson for the Wealden Alliance — the Green/Lib Dem coalition which runs the council — acknowledged the details may prove unpopular with residents.

The spokesperson said: “Whilst inevitably some people may not like particular details of this Local Plan, we strongly believe that it is far better to have a Local Plan, which gives residents much greater control and certainty, than continue with the ‘developers’ free-for-all’ we have had for the last decade or more.”

They added: “The government’s housing target for Wealden is 1,200 houses per year. The previous Conservative administration dragged their feet and then failed to get that 2019 plan adopted. They believed that they could persuade their government to reduce housing targets. Minister Gove’s announcement on December 19th 2023 made clear that their lobbying attempts had failed.

“The target remains. They promised there would not be a developer-lead free-for-all, right across the district. That is precisely what happened.

“National rules around National Landscapes (AONB) protect large parts of Wealden from development and mean that we cannot meet the government’s target in full, but we have to allow as many homes as possible towards the target, and that means that some villages and towns will change considerably.

“We have done all we can to ensure that this growth is sustainable, within the limitations of our infrastructure and that we protect our countryside as much as possible.”

The council’s Conservative group took a different view.

Conservative group leader Ann Newton said: “Obviously it is difficult for us to comment on something we have only just received and [has] over 600 pages to review.

“The devil is in the detail and we will take our time to review and consider our position in due course, but we cannot forget the promises made by the Green Party and Liberal Democrats that they would reduce housing numbers.

“From what we can see so far, the electorate were blatantly duped and misled.”

In all, the draft local plan sets out a framework for how 15,729 new homes could be built within the district between October 2023 and March 2040.

Of these, 8,113 come from “existing commitments”, understood to mean new homes which have already been granted planning permission. A further 5,616 new homes would come from sites specifically allocated within the draft local plan.

The remaining 2,000 homes would be expected to come from so-called “windfall sites”, in other words unallocated developments which emerge during the lifespan of the plan.

While these figures are significant, they also fall well short of government targets, which require the council to build 19,800 new homes over the same period.

Hailsham, the district’s largest town, is set for the greatest amount of new housing development within the draft local plan. This will take the form of 842 from allocated sites, on top of the 1,826 homes already granted planning permission. The town also has a windfall allowance of 291 new homes.

Uckfield is expected to see a similar amount of new development, with 861 new homes allocated in the draft plan, on top of the 941 already approved and 191 expected to come forward as windfall sites.

Sites to be allocated within the draft local plan also account for a significant amount of new housing in Westham (set for 349 homes from allocated sites), Hellingly (385) and Crowborough (147).

The number of new homes from allocated sites within these settlements will be outweighed by developments which have already been granted planning permission, but that is not the case for other areas of Wealden.

For example, the draft plan sets out how Horam would take 1,017 new homes, but just 130 of these would come from already approved schemes. A further 847 would be built on sites to be allocated within the plan, while another 40 could come from windfall development, the document says.

Similarly, the plan also suggests how 745 new homes could be built in Frant parish. Of these 247 have already been granted planning permission, while 477 would come from allocated sites. Frant would have a windfall allowance of 21 homes

East Hoathly and Halland would see a similar amount of growth, with a total of 686 new homes to be built in the area during the lifespan of the plan. Of these 267 have already been approved, 400 allocated and 19 from windfall sites.

Polegate would be allocated 395 new homes on top of the 372 already approved in the parish, while Heathfield and Waldron would be allocated 151 new homes in addition to 76 already approved.

Other areas — such as Willingdon, Forest Row, and Chalvington with Ripe — do not have specific sites allocated for housing within the draft local plan, but will contribute to the district’s total figure through already approved schemes or unallocated windfall development.

The full draft plan is available on the Wealden District Council website. It is expected to go out to consultation in March, if given the go ahead by councillors.