Welcome for major homes scheme

Major housing developer Pelham Homes wants to build upwards of 2,000 houses on open fields in the 'north-west' sector of Polegate, east of the A22.

In return for the massive urban expansion, which could potentially double the town's population, Pelham is offering a range of facilities for the local community. These include primary schools, community centres, a road, a new railway station and a secondary school.

'We're going to get hundreds of new houses whatever we say,' said Polegate mayor Ivy Scarborough. 'And this will not be the end of it we will be required to take more and more in the future.

'If we take them all now and develop the north of Polegate, the planning gain will be incredible for the town. It will give us the things that Polegate desperately needs to thrive and grow.'

Pelham Homes released its plans into the public domain for the first time last week. The proposal has been made in response to the Wealden draft local plan, which must find space for 3,300 homes in the district.

As it currently stands, the draft local plan does not endorse development in north-west Polegate. The plan recommends building 750 houses on Mornings Mill Farm, a proposal which has proved unpopular among some locals.

Cllr Scarborough said: 'If we accept what's being offered in the draft local plan as it stands, we will just get lots of houses. Pelham is offering loads of benefits including a vital secondary school.

'Of course, we would have to put up with many more houses, but we will have to put up with them sooner or later anyway. And before they build even one new house, we have a secondary school problem in this area.'

The proposed new railway station, which would be sited west of the town centre, is also a big hit with town councillors. During busy periods, trains would only stop at the new station to avoid commuters parking in the town centre.

Cllr Scarborough said: 'We need to get the blasted commuters out of our town centre. Members of the town council think the new railway station can only be a good thing.

'I say, let's drag this town centre into the 21st Century. It has to be somewhere people can enjoy. It's terribly exciting. We want to put Polegate on the map.'

Willingdon councillor Andy Watkins said the Pelham Homes proposal would 'remove many of the difficulties that there are associated with the housing proposals at Mornings Mill Farm'.

'I have complained on many occasions that all the alternatives in and around Polegate have not been fully examined and I still believe that to be the case,' he said.

'The public must be shocked to hear that for many district councillors, the first they know of the Pelham Homes proposals is when they read about them in the Sussex Express.

'I believe that as councillors representing the people we have a right to be fully informed before making decisions and clearly we have not been up to now.'