War of words over housing

A WAR of words will break out today over plans to allow more than 2,000 new homes to be built in Hailsham and Polegate.

The two towns have been hit most heavily in the new Wealden Local Plan, which will dictate exactly where all housing and businesses development can take place in the district between 2006 and 2011.

Although it has been 'under construction' for many months, the very first outline version of this important and powerful document was only released into the public domain on Wednesday.

Criticism for the plan's content has already been harsh. Today (Friday) there will be a special meeting for all district planning committee members. It will be their first opportunity to discuss and debate the details of the draft local plan.

However, Cllr Nick Ellwood, a Hailsham representative on the South Wealden planning committee, told the Sussex Express this week: 'That plan is fundamentally flawed.

'They have failed to take so many things into consideration, like the basic infrastructure of many of our towns and villages. Most of it is just nonsense. I will be making my views known on Friday.'

The Government has ordered that a certain number of houses be built in each district in the country before 2011. In Wealden, space must be found for 3,300 new homes.

The outline version of the draft local plan, which will be the subject of councillors' debates today, recommends that 1,320 of these be built in Hailsham (including the Hellingly Hospital site).

Polegate and Willingdon are provisionally down to take 1,000 houses, some at Mornings Mill Farm and some on land east of Shepham Lane. The open space known as Hindslands, currently owned by Brighton University, is also mentioned in the plan but no houses are allocated to it.

The plan also recommends that new primary schools be built in Hailsham and Polegate along with more local shops, a health centre at Hailsham and a community centre at Polegate.

The next-biggest allocation of houses is for Uckfield 500 new homes at Bird-in-Eye Hill. District planning officer Ashley Brown explained that Uckfield and other towns in the North Weald like Heathfield (which has no allocation) are not suitable for development.

He said: 'Many towns in the north of the district are protected by the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

'I also feel that Uckfield could not take any more than the 500 houses we have already allocated to it without facing major transport, education and landscape problems.'

Unfortunately for the planners, the Highways Agency has said it will object to the local plan and any major development in Polegate or Willingdon unless some 'significant improvements' are made to the A27 before 2011.

This means there is a set of 'lost 1,000' homes which may not be built in Polegate or Willingdon after all. Uckfield has been mooted as a possible site for them, but Mr Brown believes there is too much standing in the way of any more development there.

Members of the district council's two planning committees will have to decide what to do about the 'lost 1,000' issue. They start their discussions today (Friday) at Uckfield Civic Centre.