Plans to begin work on “phase zero” of a controversial housing development on the outskirts of Eastbourne are set to go in front of councillors this week.
On Thursday (September 5), Wealden District Council’s planning committee south is due to consider an application seeking reserved matters permission connected to the 700-home Mornings Mill development in Lower Willingdon.
Specifically, developer Tarn Homes is seeking permission to build out a spine road and other infrastructure, including surface water drainage measures. Tarn Homes describes this as “phase zero”, with housing and other facilities set to follow in future applications.
In a report to the committee, a Wealden planning spokesman said: “The application site benefits from outline planning consent granted on appeal for the construction of a mixed-use urban extension comprising up to 700 dwellings including affordable housing, 8,600 sqm of employment floorspace, medical centre, school, community centre, retail, playing fields, children’s play space, allotments, amenity open space, internal access roads, cycle and footpath routes and associated landscaping and infrastructure.
“This reserved matters application is for the first phase ‘phase zero’ comprising the proposed main access spine road and associated infrastructure. It is recommended that this Reserved Matters approval is granted subject to the recommended conditions.”
While recommended for approval, objections have been raised by both Polegate Town Council and Willingdon and Jevington Parish Council.
Both councils have raised concerns about the adequacy of the drainage measures proposed, although Wealden planning officers point out that the measures are considered to be appropriate by East Sussex County Council, the lead local flood authority.
The overall scheme has been controversial for some time, with its original application (considered by Wealden District Council in 2021) generating more than 800 letters of objection from local residents.
Wealden councillors initially refused the scheme on three grounds: its location outside of the 1998 development boundary; the safety of its highways access; and the potential for development to increase flood risk. Officers at the time had warned that these reasons for refusal were unlikely to succeed at appeal.
This proved to be the case when the council’s refusal was overturned at appeal in September 2022. The council was also told to pay significant costs to the developer, with a planning inspector at the time describing the council’s refusal of the scheme as “the epitome of unreasonable behaviour”.
For further information see application reference WD/2024/0946/MRM on the Wealden District Council website.
