In a decision notice published last Wednesday (November 22), a planning inspector has dismissed an appeal on proposals to build four four-bedroom houses on garden land between Highlands Avenue and Eastbourne Road.
Wealden District Council had initially refused the scheme in September last year, citing concerns about harm to the character of the area, the loss of privacy to the existing houses in Highlands Avenue and the site’s proximity to the Ashdown Forest Special Protection Area (SPA).
Developer Oakhurst Construction disputed this view, arguing the council’s unmet housing targets meant the scheme should have benefited from the ‘presumption in favour of sustainable development’ set out in national planning policy.
In appeal documents, a spokesman for the developer said: “The development proposed is attractive, carefully designed with regards to scale, layout and amenity provision. The impact borne upon the character of the area is not harmful by reasonable degree to withhold planning consent.
“The impact on neighbours and future occupiers is not present and concerns raised appear to overstate the standard nature of suburban development of densities of the type proposed.”
They added: “The applicant respectfully requests that the inspector conclude from their balanced view of the matters that the development is sound and grants full approval to the scheme within their determination subject to reasonably imposed conditions.”
The inspector took a different view, however, concluding that the presumption in favour of development did not apply in this case, due to the site’s proximity to the Ashdown Forest SPA. They went further, saying other elements of the scheme also provided grounds for refusal.
The planning inspector said: “Even if the presumption … did apply to the proposal, I have found the development to be harmful to the character and appearance of the area, and to the living conditions of future occupiers.
“The need to achieve well-designed places and ensure that development is sympathetic to local character as well as ensuring it provides a high standard of amenity to future users is perennial and in direct compliance with the [National Planning Policy] Framework.
“Even if the so-called ‘tilted balance’ was engaged, the adverse impacts of the development significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits when assessed against the policies in the framework taken as a whole.
