East Sussex village to see houses built 'against people's wishes'

In a decision notice published on Wednesday (March 1), a planning inspector has approved an outline application to build commercial buildings and up to 53 houses at a former chicken farm in Uckfield Road.

The scheme had been refused (against officer advice) by Lewes District Council’s planning committee in April last year.

Emily O’Brien, Green Party councillor & prospective Parliamentary candidate, called the decision ‘terrible’, claiming the location for the housing was ‘rubbish’ and ‘in the middle of nowhere’.

She told SussexWorld: “This is a terrible decision which rides roughshod over the local decision of our local planning committee. I spoke at the appeal and explained to the inspector this is a rubbish location for housing in the middle of nowhere, and completely car-dependent.

"This Conservative government, which let’s face it is bankrolled by the same housing developers who benefit from these decisions, gives us a lot of fine words about fixing our broken planning system.

"By the time they get there, if they ever do, there will be no green fields left in areas like Ringmer to build on while our schools, GPs and dentists are at breaking point.”

The original proposals were refused as councillors believed it was an unsustainable location and would be in conflict with Ringmer’s Neighbourhood Plan, which allocates the whole site an area for employment use.

Applicants, Cross Stone Regeneration Ltd, had claimed this was not possible, arguing that a purely commercial site would be financially unviable without housing to supplement the cost of construction.

This view was shared by the planning inspector, who said there was ‘no reasonable prospect’ of a better employment site coming forward.

James MacCleary, leader of the Lewes District Council and Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate for Ringmer, said the decision was the government forcing more housing on the East Sussex village.

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He called on Conservative MP Maria Caulfield to work with councillors to stop more applications being approved against local wishes.

Mr MacCleary said: “It will come as a surprise to no-one to see the government step in to force yet more housing on the village.

“It is very significant that the Inspector made specific reference to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) as the main factor in their decision. These are the government rules that are used by developers to override local decision making including the Neighbourhood Plan.

“Time and again local councillors have stood up for residents and been overruled by the government. We need the local Conservative MP and government minister, Maria Caulfield, to start backing local councillors instead of pointing fingers or we will just see more of these applications being approved against local wishes.”

However, Ms Caulfield blamed the district council’s Local Plan for putting the area’s green spaces at risk from development, claiming that not having one in place was the most common reason for planning inspectors to overturn decisions.

Ms Caulfield said: “This is yet another example of why not having a local plan in place is putting our green spaces at risk.

"The planning inspectors have time and time again told Lewes District council to get their Local Plan so designated housing sites are put in place which protects those not included. Not having one in place is the most common reason independent planning inspectors overturning decisions.

"It’s two years now since the Lib Dem and Green Lewes District council let this plan go out of date. Perhaps the leader of the council is too busy to get on with this or perhaps he doesn’t care.”