Revised plans for a major housing development in Hailsham are set to go in front of Wealden planners next week.
On Thursday (October 10), Wealden District Council’s Planning Committee South is set to reconsider proposals to demolish a property in Battle Road and build up to 145 homes on land to its rear.
The application comes after a previous version of the scheme, which sought permission to build up to 180 homes, was turned down by councillors in March. The previous scheme was refused on three grounds: the loss of agricultural land; the site’s proximity to a sewage treatment Works; and the ‘less than substantial harm’ to nearby listed buildings.
Council planning officers, who had also recommended the previous scheme be approved, say the revised scheme overcomes the previous reasons for refusal.
In a report to the committee, a council planning spokesman said: “There are material differences from the previously refused scheme that clearly demonstrate the revised scheme has overcome these previous reasons for refusal.
“Subject to the imposition of conditions and the completion of a S106 agreement to secure the necessary and justifiable infrastructure works, contributions and affordable housing as recommended at the front of this report the proposal is compliant with the Development Plan and there are no other material considerations that indicate consent should be withheld.
“Approval of this application is recommended.”
The main change from the previous proposals is the reduction in the overall number of units. This reduction came in response to concerns about the proximity of some of the homes to Hailsham North Wastewater Treatment Works and the prospect of “odour issues”. Notably, in recommending approval on the previous scheme, officers said the site should be limited to no more than 141 homes to avoid this issue.
Officers say there are also material differences in respect of the loss of agricultural land. The committee’s previous refusal on this ground had been driven by concerns about the impact on Hook and Son, a dairy which had been using the site to graze its herd of cattle.
At the time, Hook and Son had said the loss of the grazing land would force it to reduce the size of its herd — a move it said could endanger the viability of the business.
For its part, the applicant, Fernham Homes, had argued that the land had not been used for grazing since September 2023 and that this reason for refusal was not sustainable.
Since the initial application was refused, Hook and Son have been unable to renew its grazing licence with the site’s owners. The dairy has also been crowdfunding for a piece of machinery known as a ‘zero grazer’, which would allow it to bring grass in from elsewhere and operate without access to the land. It has currently raised a little over half of its £50,000 target.
In their report, officers acknowledge that the development would result in ‘less than substantial’ harm to several Grade II listed buildings nearby. But they concluded this harm would be outweighed by the benefits of new housing.
The previous version of the scheme attracted a significant amount of local concern, with the council having received more than 740 letters of objection plus a petition of objection signed by more than 188 people.
The revised scheme has seen a much more muted response, with just 12 letters of objection from local residents. These letters raised similar concerns to the previous scheme, including the loss of agricultural land.
As an outline scheme, the application is only seeking approval for the principle of the development and its access via Battle Road. Other details, such as layout and design, would require further planning approval at a later stage.
For further information on the proposals see application reference WD/2024/1833/MAO on the Wealden District Council website.
