Controversial plans for a housing development in Hurst Green have been turned down by Rother planners.
On Thursday (September 5), Rother District Council’s planning committee refused an application seeking outline permission to build up to seven houses on land to the south of Burgh Hill.
While the scheme had been recommended for approval, the majority of the committee members had concerns about the impact of the scheme on the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).
Proposing a motion to refuse the scheme, Cllr John Barnes (Con) summed up the committee’s concerns. He said: “This development will clearly break the skyline and be visually intrusive. To my mind therefore it … would do substantial and irreparable harm. I would be interested to know why the officers differ from that [view]. This is not tucked away, it is not concealed even by woodland. It is a very open, very large field.”
He added: “To my mind it falls at the first hurdle. This does irreparable harm to the AONB in this particular area.”
These concerns were broadly shared by Hurst Green Parish Council and Etchingham Parish Council, with both having registered opposition to the scheme.
The proposals had also proven to be controversial with local residents, with the council having received more than 100 letters of objection at time of publication. Objectors have raised a variety of concerns, including the scheme’s potential impact on the High Weald AONB and the impact of construction on local ecology.
Not all of the committee felt the same way however, with Cllr Terry Byrne (Ind) proposing the scheme be approved in line with the officer’s recommendation. This recommendation was largely based on the council’s housing shortage placing a greater weight in favour of development, with officers taking the view that the downsides of the scheme could be mitigated through appropriate conditions.
This proposal was lost, leading officers to warn the committee that a refusal was likely to be overturned at appeal due to the council’s housing supply figures. Officers also noted how the site borders the village’s current development boundary on three sides.
Ultimately, however, the majority of the committee felt the scheme would have too great an impact on the AONB so opted to refuse the scheme on those grounds.
For further information about the plans see application reference RR/2023/2540/P on the Rother District Council website.
