Dilapidated farm buildings near Wealden villages to become group of holiday lets

On Thursday (August 17), Wealden District Council’s Planning Committee South approved a pair of applications seeking permission to create a set of three holiday lets and a small full-time home by redeveloping a group of dilapidated farm buildings at Heronsdale Manor in Moat Lane.

This decision went against the advice of council planning officers, who had judged that the proposals would result in a ‘less than substantial’ amount of harm to the setting of Heronsdale Manor, a Grade II Listed building.

Officers said: “Whilst the harm to the designated heritage asset would be less than substantial, the harm would not be outweighed by public benefits of a single dwelling in an unsustainable location contributing to the overall housing supply, or additional tourist accommodation in the rural economy.”

However, the officer’s view was not shared by Heathfield and Waldron Parish Council, which had come out in support of the proposals.

Support was also offered by ward councillor Geoffrey Draper (Con), who had called in the application for discussion by the committee. Speaking at the meeting, he said: “Unless the work commences now there won’t be any buildings left to preserve.

“This, I argue, will far more substantially alter and harm the heritage setting, by eradicating the historical view of the typical [and] traditional collection of farm buildings, which have sat there in front of those two heritage assets for many, many years, probably since the early 1800s.”

He added: “The plan designed by, in my view, one of the best architectural designers of this type of restoration project in our county creates the minimum possible adverse effects. It does and will breathe new life and commercial viability to those otherwise redundant and rapidly deteriorating buildings.”

Committee members ultimately shared Cllr Draper’s views, opting to approve the proposals. In doing so, the committee granted both planning permission and listed building consent.

The now approved plans involve the conversion and extension of two existing buildings into a two-bedroom holiday let and a two-bedroom bungalow, which the committee heard would be used as accommodation for an elderly relative of the applicants.

Alongside this, a partially collapsed barn building would be rebuilt and converted into two more holiday lets.