Planning permission has been granted for a controversial scheme of 700 homes at Mornings Mill Farm in Lower Willingdon – and Wealden District Council will bear the cost of the three-day appeal hearing.
A Government planning inspector has upheld an appeal by the landowners Peter and Robert Vine against a decision by Wealden District Council to refuse permission.
Michael Boniface, the inspector, was highly critical of the council, ordering them to bear the costs of the appeal, stating: “The council’s conduct in this case is the epitome of unreasonable behaviour.”
Wealden withdrew from defending the appeal just four weeks before the hearing took place, stating on its website that “councillors were told by independent legal experts they could not defend the indefensible”.
“The council’s conduct in this case is the epitome of unreasonable behaviour.”
Michael boniface
Mr Boniface wrote in his decision on costs: “Had the council properly considered the planning application, having regard to the available evidence, it would have granted planning permission … As such, the entire appeal, and indeed the costs application, should have been unnecessary.”
Wealden District Council leader Councillor Ann Newton, who is also the portfolio holder for planning, said: “We are disappointed with the planning inspector’s decision to allow this development to go ahead.
“As councillors we listened to the residents’ views and voted with our hearts. We believed it was the right thing to do to turn down the application and maintained our position until we reached the end of the democratic process, when we were told that our defence of the appeal was indefensible.
“We tried but unfortunately we failed.”
The scheme for the 130-acre site includes plans for 8,600 sq m of employment space, a medical centre, school, community centre and allotments alongside the A2270, near the South Downs.
At a three-day appeal hearing in Hellingly earlier this month, residents and local councillors acting in a personal capacity stated their concerns, notably about highway concerns and drainage.
Mr Boniface noted in his 33-page decision that National Highways and East Sussex County Council, as the highway authority, raised no objection to the development, so he had “no reason to disagree with the highway authorities”.
He also commented that there was no indication that the development would affect surface water draining to the Eastbourne Lakes although detailed design of the drainage scheme would be “a matter for subsequent consideration in any case”.
Eastbourne MP Caroline Ansell spoke at the first day of the hearing, suggested that the planning inspector should visit the site by helicopter for an aerial view.
She said: “Only then will you see how this development decimates distinctive characteristics. You would see it in its glory and beauty because it is so, so important to the local community.”
The inspector stated in his appeal decision that there should be an absolute level of 35% affordable housing in the development, which is the level Wealden District Council had argued for.
Wealden had stipulated there must be 65% of market price housing in order to ensure there was funding for the community.
This, it said, would pay for items such as improving roundabouts on the A22 corridor and contribute to other facilities such as schools, healthcare and libraries.
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This is a massive mistake. There needs to be archaeological investigation and reporting on this site as to my knowledge there is an aircraft crash site and a foot and mouth cremation and burial pit.
Access on to the main road will be a nightmare unless they take common land opposite and build a roundabout. Construction of the traffic islands some years ago put at least two minutes on 999 response times to Polegate from Eastbourne.
Where is the extra water needed for housing going to come from? SE water can’t cope now.
There is bound to be hydrostatic impairment as, being clay and wetland, any building is going to raise the water table. Hard surface, non porous building structures will push rainfall towards the main road causing further flooding.
I can’t believe the stupidity in allowing this planning permission.
I hope I’m wrong but time will tell!
Who is Mr Boniface? Does he live in this area? The will of the people who live here are against this for numerous reasons. Democracy. What democracy
Why are people so selfish? Affordable , well designed housing on a site which includes all of the necessary facilities needed to support the community – including employment opportunities ? It’s this NIMBY mentality that makes affordable housing so difficult to acquire for young people these days .
Sadly, the way it stands it is almost impossible to block any new housing from being built, as Central Government will always overturn any refusal made on a local level. Central Government have decreeded that no appeals can be made over things like lack of infrastructure in the area. They basically don’t give a S***, they have a quota they set for the number of new houses which local councils are obligated to fill.