Small housing scheme in Crowborough rejected

Proposals for a small housing scheme in Crowborough have been refused by Wealden planners due to concerns around overdevelopment. 
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On Thursday (December 10), a Wealden District Council planning committee considered an application to demolish a property known as Springfield in Green Lane and build six houses in its place.

An earlier form of the scheme had been considered by the committee back in September, but was deferred with members asking developers to address a number of concerns they had, particularly around the size of the buildings proposed. 

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Officers, who had recommended the scheme be approved in its earlier form, said the developer had made changes to address some of these concerns and that the scheme should be approved by the committee.

Councillors, however, felt the applicant had not gone far enough to address their concerns.

Cllr Neil Waller (Con, Crowborough South West) said: “When this committee defers applications it should be suite a clue to the applicant that we were probably minded to refuse it, but we’re giving them another go.

“We are basically saying, ‘come back with a better job’.”

Cllr Waller went on to argue that the applicant had not addressed the majority of the committee’s seven reasons for deferral, saying it had failed to properly address all but one of them

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He said: “Out of the seven points [given as the reason for deferral], I’m going to say it failed on five and a half and passed on one and a half.

“On that basis I really don’t see why this committee should approve this application and I would like to propose that we don’t.”

With committee members looking poised to refuse the scheme, officers warned that they did not consider there were strong grounds to do so and such a decision would be difficult to defend at appeal as a result.

Stacey Robbins, the council’s head of planning, said: “I think I can see the way this is going but you’ll have to forgive me for reminding members that we are in a difficult situation in terms of our land supply, which I know we hear all the time. 

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“But as the report sets out and as you have heard in some detail it is the view of officers that the scheme, as amended, does comply with the expectations of our policy. 

“I do accept that the committee can take a contrary view, but having looked at this in detail amongst senior officers it is our view that the scheme does comply with the expectations of policy and indeed the design guide.”

Mr Robbins added that he believed an appeal would be “highly likely” and that there was a presumption in favour of sustainable development as a result of the council’s housing supply deficit. 

However, this advice saw some criticism from Johanna Howell, the committee’s chairman. 

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She said: “We’re not saying no to any development here. We’re saying yes you can have something on this, just not this. We’re not sending out a negative message, we’re sending out a positive message.

“But what we are saying is, ‘please do better’. I don’t see why we as a council, when we feel quite strongly about this and somebody has obviously not taken any notice when we deferred it, that we can’t go back saying no. 

“We are just saying: ‘Not this, so listen to what we say as a committee and take note’. Otherwise it is pointless us sitting here and wasting all of our time, when everyone thinks that we will just have to give it a tick box anyway.

“I’m sorry, it just makes me slightly angry because we get accused of always saying yes to everything and sometimes we just say listen.”

Following further discussion the scheme was refused planning permission.

For further information see application reference WD/2019/1345/F on the Wealden District Council website.