Village wants more control over housing

Subject to final approval by full council on Monday, it is a major step in the parish being able to produce a Neighbourhood Development Plan (NDP).

This will enable the community to agree when and where development takes place and the type, size and design involved.

An NDP is a legally binding document through the Localism Act 2012 and must be respected by planners.

Sedlescombe’s designation as a Neighbourhood Area follows seven weeks of public consultation earlier this year, which drew no objections.

It will give Sedlescombe Parish Council greater control over local development for the next 15 years.

This means it can address such questions as:

What sort of housing we would prefer? What size, what tenure?

Where should the property be built, remembering that each site must be able to take at least six properties?

Whether shared ownership homes should be included to meet the requirement for inclusion of “affordable homes” on all sites?

Without an Neighbourhood Plan, the continuing growth of population in the south-east and revocation of the South-East Plan would mean the parish being likely to come under increasing pressure from developers, with a presumption of approval for their schemes.

Cllr Tony Ganly, member for Ewhurst and Sedlescombe said: “Local people have done a huge amount of work in identifying what they want in Sedlescombe.”