New housing development in East Sussex village near Bexhill refused permission

On Thursday (February 23), Wealden District Council’s Planning Committee South unanimously refused an outline application seeking permission to build four detached homes on land adjacent to a property known as The Corner House in Ninfield Road.

The application followed on from previous plans for the same site, which had been refused by the planning committee in December 2021. That application had sought permission for six houses and was refused (against officer advice) on the grounds that it would be an ‘overdevelopment’ of the site.

As with the previous application, the scheme had been recommended for approval by Wealden planning officers, largely because the council is still falling short of government housing targets.

In reaching this position, officers noted the site’s likely reliance on private cars, its position outside of the development boundary and Ninfield’s relative lack of rural services, among other concerns.

However, the committee disagreed, voicing concerns about the level of development on the site and ultimately deciding to refuse the scheme on the same grounds as the previous application.

In coming to this conclusion, the committee considered whether to add further reasons for refusal, particularly on whether the site could be considered to be a ‘sustainable location’ for development.

Officers advised against doing so, however, as introducing new concerns not raised during the previous application could be seen as unreasonable behaviour, should the scheme be taken to appeal.

For further information see application reference WD/2022/0334/O on the Wealden District Council website.