A derelict house repeatedly targeted by arsonists could finally be demolished more than a decade after it was abandoned.
The Mount, off Hempstead Lane in Hailsham, has been empty since 2011 and during that time it has been targeted by vandals and set on fire.
Farmer Geoff Holt first applied to knock down the house and build five houses there in 2018 – but the application was delayed for more than two years.
Meanwhile, the house was set on fire in September 2018, causing extensive damage.
A tree preservation order was also put on an oak on the site, which meant Mr Holt had to reduce the number of new houses he wanted to build there.
The plans were eventually approved in 2021 – but that permission has now expired, so Mr Holt is trying again.
The latest application, written by IDE Planning, says: “[The house was] occupied in 2011 since when it has been vandalised and become
derelict.
“The site’s open aspect has been maintained to provide surveillance of the derelict house. There have been a number of occasions in the past when police have been called out to The Mount by neighbours following disturbances at the property.
“On at least one occasion, the fire brigade has attended on the site.”
The application is for outline permission only, so no plans of where the houses would be sited or what they would look like are included. If this is approved, a fresh application with these details would need to be submitted.
Access would be via a new entrance from Hempstead Lane, and not via the Greenfields cul de sac at the back of the plot.
Neighbours previously said badgers lived on the site, but the application says the survey found no sign of this.
