Decision due on 56-home South Chailey development

On Wednesday (February 15), Lewes District Council’s planning committee are set to consider an outline application to build up to 56 homes on land to the west of the A275.

The proposals have attracted a significant number of objections, with concerns including the loss of agricultural green space, the development’s impact on local infrastructure and character, as well as its potential to harm both an ancient woodland which borders the site and a nearby listed property.

Among those to object is Chailey Parish Council, which voted unanimously to oppose the scheme at a recent meeting. Objections have also been raised by the council’s landscape officer.

Planning officers have formed a different view, however, recommending that the scheme should be approved.

In a report set for consideration by the committee, a council planning officer said: “It is considered that a development of the scale proposed could be accommodated within the site without compromising the established character of the village or the wider rural landscape.

“Although there would be an element of car dependency, the site is considered sustainable and there are local shops and services within a suitable walking/cycling distance as well as access to public transport. The development would deliver infrastructure improvements that would improve the sustainability of the site as well as the settlement as a whole.”

As an outline scheme details of the proposals’ layout and housing mix would be determined as part of a later application. As such, the committee will primarily make its decision on the principle of developing the site.