Inspector allows Stone Cross housing development just off Pevensey Bypass

In a decision notice published on Tuesday (November 8), a planning inspector approved proposals to build between seven and nine houses on a patch of land south of the Pevensey Bypass and north of St Michaels Close.

The application had been refused under delegated powers in November last year, on the grounds the houses would both lie outside of the Stone Cross development boundary and be built over a high pressure gas mains, which could prove a hazard for future occupants.

An earlier version of the scheme (for a smaller number of houses on a portion of the site) had also been refused when considered by a council planning committee earlier the same year.

Despite the council’s concerns, the planning inspector concluded that the district’s housing shortage (compared to government targets) meant the development boundary issue was not sufficient grounds to withhold permission.

They said: “The National Planning Policy Framework makes it clear that where the local planning authority cannot demonstrate a five-year supply of deliverable housing site policies which are most important for determining the application should be considered out-of-date.

“This substantially reduces the weight that can be attributed to those policies that direct development to within settlement boundaries and to the quantum of development achieved given the current housing need situation.

“Further to the above, this is not a remote or isolated site. Whilst this would be a larger development to that of the previous permission in principle scheme and cover a greater area, the site abuts the urban area where there is access to public bus transport and where there is opportunity to cycle further afield.

“The development would be seen as a relatively small expansion of the urban area.”

The inspector also discounted the concerns around the high pressure gas main. This was because measures to address those concerns would be expected to come forward at a later stage of the planning process.

In light of this, the inspector overturned the council’s decision and granted in principle permission to build houses on the site.

For further information see application reference WD/2021/1759/PIP on the Wealden District Council website.