The year 2016 closed with housing developers taking full advantage of Wealden District Council’s perceived lack of 5 year housing land supply. Virtually weekly during 2016, green fields (including within High Weald AONB) were being lost to speculative housing developer applications. CPRE and SWOT (Save Wealden from Overdevelopment Team) were kept busy trying to fend off these applications with robust objections and by attending the Council’s Planning Meetings. However, the Planning Meeting Councillors were often instructed not to object to an application by a developer in case the refusal of the application put the Council into ‘Cost Territory’ should a developer appeal be then forthcoming.
Rother suffers as a planning authority from a permanent malaise – that of being always behind the curve. Yes, it produced a core strategy back in 2014 with what is for the South East a relatively modest housing requirement, but according to the latest planning agendas is down to providing only a 3.1 year housing supply. I do not really want to blame the Council because it is house builders who are not building out permissions granted, but the recent reaction to this supposed crisis is for Rother planners to recommend granting any application that comes in the High Weald AONB, no matter that most of the sites up for approval were categorised by the self-same Rother officers three years ago in their SHLAA as red (i.e. not suitable for whatever reasons to be developed) sites.
Letter: the hocus pocus of housing target maths
Written by Roger F SmithLetter published by the West Sussex County Times 2 November 2017
Letter: the hocus pocus of housing target maths
Written by Roger F SmithLetter published by the West Sussex County Times 2 November 2017
No justification for drilling for oil at Broadford Bridge
Written by Roger F SmithLetter published by the West Sussex Gazette, 25 September 2017
Concern over plans for a tyre recycling centre in Warnham
Written by CPRE Sussex
CPRE Sussex has raised concerns about a proposed tyre recycling centre in Warnham. Dr Roger Smith, representing CPRE Sussex, submitted a formal response which highlighted omissions in the application in relation to compliance with the West Sussex Waste Local Plan, and Horsham DC’s planning policies, air quality, vehicle movements and disturbance, noise, lighting, impact on wildlife and protected species and the landscape impacts. The application is due to be decided by West Sussex County Council in December.
