Residents say no to more bungalows

There is added concern that a new road to provide access will increase traffic danger to children being dropped off and picked up from Little Common primary school.

Cooden Beach Hotel owner James Kimber has submitted proposals to Rother District Council which will come up before the planning committee on Thursday.

He wants to pull down Hillborough House and 8 Hillborough Close to build 12 new homes with access and parking

So far more than 20 objections have been lodged with Rother, including one from Southern Water which comments that there is currently "inadequate capacity" in the local network to cope.

Meanwhile Little Common Primary School head teacher David Pratt believes the plans to be "a recipe for traffic chaos".

He claims two way traffic into and out of Hillborough Close from the new development "would not only cause constant friction with our existing neighbours, but would create a hazard to neighbours, children and their parents."

He suggests instead a one way road from Hillborough Close into Little Common Road, with vehicles turning left only.

A resident of Grenada Close who would be directly affected by the development told the Observer there was already a problem with traffic at the beginning and end of the school day.

She added: "There is a general feeling of ruining the area - it is too much traffic in the wrong area. People generally think it will spoil the quietness...It is a worry."

James Kimber this week commented: "Neighbours never like anything like this because they have to live next to a building site for however long.

"But Hillborough House is a huge house that has become uneconomic. It was up for sale for two years before I bought it.

"This is a site if you like in the middle of bungalow land - it is over an acre - so it made sense to build more bungalows.

He added: "Hillborough House used to own all the land round here before any of these bungalows were built.

"The people who are complaining are the ones who had other bungalows built near to theirs, and more and more have come along.

"It seems a bit ironic that they were happy to go to a developer in the past who was building bungalows and buy one, but not happy that someone else should do it."