Plans for 180 homes and medical centre on outskirts of Eastbourne won’t be opposed at appeal

Developer Danescroft wants to build at Hindsland just off Eastbourne Road on a site next to Mornings Mill Farm where an application for 700 homes was refused by councillors back in December.

An application was lodged for 180 homes and a new medical centre, but just before the plans were due to come to committee, the developer submitted an appeal on the grounds of non-determination.

A final decision will now be made by a planning inspector, but the council’s planning committee south agreed not to defend the appeal by six votes to five today (Thursday March 24).

Officers described how the planning inspector would still have to decide whether or not to grant permission and would hear representations from all parties including residents as well as parish and town councils.

Ian Nisbet, a member of the Willingdon Residents Association, highlighted concerns about already under strain infrastructure and how traffic calming measures were needed for more than the two roads currently proposed in the Wannock area.

He requested the site remain green space rather than being part of an ‘unending urban sprawl from the sea to Hellingly’.

Mayor of Polegate Douglas Murray described how Willingdon and Jevingdon was in favour of a new medical centre but saw no justification for the large number of new houses.

Existing issues with the A2270 Eastbourne Road was also raised by Daniel Shing (Ind Dem, Polegate South & Willingdon Watermill) who described how as one of the main routes in and out of the area, congestion led to traffic rat running  ‘causing havoc and impacting local roads’.

Stephen Shing (Ind Dem, Lower Willingdon) said the area already had a shortage of open space and had already seen a large number of houses either built or approved. He also raised the ‘traffic chaos’ on the A2270.

While members of the committee agreed on the need for the medical centre, several speakers were less than happy with all the new homes.

David Watts (Con, Arlington) said: “The medical centre is very important to the local area, but I’m not sure if the cost of the housing and what that would mean to the road infrastructure is worth the price.”

But Bob Bowlder (Con, Horam & Punnetts Town) added: “We did exactly the right thing with Mornings Mill whether that goes against us or not we can say we did the right thing and we may still lose at appeal.

“This is completely separate, it seems to scream out it needs some development. It looks almost brownfield to me.”

However Angela Snell (Con, Polegate Central) asked what guarantees they would have about the medical centre going ahead if the development was approved.

Officers said they could request in the legal agreement that the land for the centre is released before any housebuilding commences.

While several councillors proposed grounds for opposing the application, the majority of the committee voted not to defend the appeal.

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