Proposal for 130 homes at Lower Horsebridge: Hellingly residents show disapproval at public consultation

The meeting took place on Wednesday, January 17, at Hellingly Rugby Club.

A site at nearby Lower Horsebridge currently has outline planning permission (WD/2019/1575/MAO) and there is a proposal by social housing providers Stonewater for 130 new homes.

Resident Delia Cottingham said: “We wanted to attend to show our disapproval to the scheme because by building on this site will increase the problems of drainage of water as it will no longer be a field that acts as a sponge but a place full of concrete. This will have an impact on the village of Hellingly and Horsebridge. This site is also near the Cuckmere River and we all know what happens when we have a downpour. This field must be a floodplain and as such should be left as one.”

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Delia said she was also concerned that increased traffic from the site could have a detrimental affect on the hamlet of Horsebridge and create more pollution from cars. She said: “Unless going north the traffic will have to head for the A271 and join that road at the very nasty bend by the Kings Head public house. This road is particularly busy at peak times and waiting times will be huge.”

Delia added: “There seems to be no forward thinking about how to manage more vehicles on the roads from these new sites.”

A statement on Thakeham Homes’ website about the Stonewater homes said the proposals for new affordable properties are responding to the housing need across Wealden District. People can part in an online consultation until January 31 at thakeham.com/land-development/our-developments/lower-horsebridge-hailsham.

The statement said: “These new proposals are a full application for around 130 new homes, in a range of sizes and styles to help people move onto, and up the housing ladder, and for older people to downsize. The development also includes a minimum of 35 per cent affordable homes.”

It said the properties would be in a ‘landscape-led’ development and would be a ‘sustainable mix’ of one, two, three and four bedroom homes, adding: “We will protect and enhance the wildlife corridor to the south of the site.”