On Thursday (October 22), Wealden District Council’s Majors Planning committee is due to consider a hybrid planning application, which could see as many as 292 homes built in the village.
Developer Hesmonds Stud Ltd is seeking outline consent for up to 275 homes on two parcels of land, as well as full planning permission to build 17 homes on land to the east of South Street.
The application also seeks outline planning permission for a new primary school.
Councillors had last considered the proposals in May, but the scheme was left undecided due to a “constitutional deferral”. This deferral had been prompted by concerns around comments about the validity of evidence provided by the developer.
Before then, committee members had been preparing to vote on a motion to refuse planning permission. The proposed reason for refusal had been based on an objection raised by East Sussex Highways.
This objection had been linked to concerns around pedestrian and cycle accessibility, particularly in relation to one route to the proposed primary school, referred to as “Footpath 18”.
Despite this objection, Wealden planning officers had recommended approval after taking the view that the applicant had provided enough evidence to show how these concerns could be overcome. The deferral vote in May had been prompted by a comment about the validity of this evidence
Five months on, East Sussex Highways is no longer objecting to the proposals.
A report to the committee notes how this change of position is the result of both an independent review commissioned by Wealden District Council and further evidence from the applicant.
The report says East Sussex Highways now considers improvements to be “technically” possible, despite also identifying “significant uncertainty regarding the practical delivery of the full improvements”.
The highways authority has also raised concerns about where the school could be built, noting how its location would not be set in stone through the current application.
Officers say these improvements can be secured through a package of conditions and legal agreements and are recommending the application be approved.