Appeal decision on 30-home Halland development revealed

In a decision published on Tuesday (March 15), a planning inspector has dismissed an appeal connected to proposals to build up to 30 houses on land surrounding a property known as Bramblebank in Lewes Road.

The outline application, which would have seen the existing property demolished, had been refused by Wealden planners in January last year, on the grounds it would be an ‘unsustainable overdevelopment’ of the largely undeveloped site.

This was disputed by the applicant, who put in an appeal on the grounds that the council’s short supply of housing (in policy terms) meant the proposals should have been approved.

In documents submitted as part of the appeal, a spokesman for the applicant said: “The significant merits of the proposal are found to balance favourably against any harm — these benefits include, housing delivery … provision of affordable housing … and economic benefits (long and short term). 

“The potential environmental harm is limited and could not significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits when assessed against the [National Planning Policy] Framework as a whole. Accordingly, the appeal should succeed.”

The applicant also accused the council of making “a dramatic and unjustified u-turn” as it had previously advised it would support the proposals.

This view was not shared by the planning inspector, however, who concluded that the development would result in ‘considerable environmental harm’ due to its location and surrounding area.

In a report laying out their decision, the planning inspector said: “I have identified considerable environmental harm in relation to the development of the proposal and also judge that there is a considerable degree of social harm in respect of providing new homes in a location which does not provide suitably for the day-to-day needs of its residents, nor give ready access to them by sustainable means and so would encourage unsustainable patterns of travel. 

“As a result of the harm identified, I consider that the proposal would give rise to harm which significantly and demonstrably outweigh its benefits when assessed against the policies in the [National Planning Policy] Framework as a whole.”

For further details on the proposals see application reference WD/2016/2343/MAO on the Wealden District Council website.

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