'˜Undermined' Sedlescombe housing plan's final consultation

The council is pressing ahead with the final stages of Sedlescombe's housing plan despite being accused of undermining it by granting homes on land allocated for open space.
Helen Eckersley handed a petition calling for the Street Farm decision to be overturned to Rother District Council with her children Lily and Daniel. Photo by James Eckersley SUS-161027-132845001Helen Eckersley handed a petition calling for the Street Farm decision to be overturned to Rother District Council with her children Lily and Daniel. Photo by James Eckersley SUS-161027-132845001
Helen Eckersley handed a petition calling for the Street Farm decision to be overturned to Rother District Council with her children Lily and Daniel. Photo by James Eckersley SUS-161027-132845001

Villagers are being asked by Rother District Council to give their views in the final consultation on the village’s neighbourhood plan which launched on Monday (November 28).

Rother’s planning committee has been criticised for approving 16 homes on Street Farm despite the draft plan safeguarding the field from development, which was supported by 88 per cent of residents.

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Sedlescombe Parish Council chairman Jonathan Vine-Hall urged people not to ignore the consultation regardless of the Street Farm debacle.

“There are significant benefits to having the plan in place as we will have a much higher level of protection against speculative applications for developments like the two we have seen for Street Farm over the past two years,” he said in an email to residents.

“We will receive an estimated £200,000 for homes built on sites in the plan for infrastructure projects in the parish, money our community would not otherwise receive.

“40 per cent of all homes on allocated sites in the plan will be affordable homes or starter homes for younger families.”

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The neighbourhood plan, which has previously been consulted upon in draft form, identifies sites in the parish for future development and those to be designated as green spaces.

Comments made during the eight-week consultation will be passed to an independent examiner who will make recommendations on whether the plan should progress to a referendum.

If it passes the vote, the plan would become part of Rother’s statutory development plan and be a key document against which planning applications in the parish are judged.

A Rother spokesman said: “While local people may have already commented on earlier versions of the neighbourhood plan, we’d encourage them to take part in this consultation to ensure their views are taken into account by the examiner.”

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Copies of the plan and supporting documents can be viewed online at www.rother.gov.uk/Sedlescombe-Neighbourhood-Plan or in person at Sedlescombe Village Post Office and at Bexhill, Battle and Rye Community Help Points.

People can make their views known by submitting a representation form which can be collected from the locations above, downloaded from the website or requested by emailing [email protected].

All representations must be received by Rother no later than 5pm on January 23, 2017.

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