A planning inspector has dismissed proposals for a new build near Beckley.
In a decision notice issued on Friday (November 17), a planning inspector has dismissed an appeal on outline proposals to build a new home on land in Watermill Lane, Beckley.
The scheme had initially been refused by Rother District Council in November last year, with council planning officers raising concerns about harm to the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and its position outside of any set development boundary.
In a report at the time, a council planning spokesman said: “The application site is part of an undeveloped field which contributes positively to the rural character and openness of its surroundings and Watermill lane.
“The proposed dwelling would create a harmful encroachment into the countryside and would have an urbanising impact.”
The applicant disputed this view, arguing that the council’s shortage of housing meant these issues were not strong enough reasons for refusal. As an outline scheme, approval would only have been for the principle of developing the land, with detailed designs to follow at a later stage.
The inspector partially shared this view, saying the development boundary issue was of limited weight given the shortage of housing in the area. However, they concluded that the harm to AONB would outweigh the ‘limited’ benefits of a single new home.
In their decision notice, the planning inspector said: “Set against the identified harm to the council’s spatial strategy and the AONB, the development would contribute to addressing the significant deficit in the council’s housing supply.
“However, the benefits associated with a single dwelling would be small and the support that one extra household would make to the local economy would also be limited.
“Whilst the conflict with the council’s spatial strategy attracts limited weight given the supply position, the modest benefits of the scheme would not outweigh the harm to the AONB, a landscape designation with the highest status of protection.”
For further information see application reference RR/2022/2191/P on the Rother District Council website.
