Decision due on revised plans for 220 homes and convenience store in Hailsham

Plans are proposed for 220 residential units and a convenience store to be built on land off Mill Road.

Wealden District Council approved the outline permission in October 2020 (reference: WD/2017/2956/MAO) and this is the application to follow which discusses reserved matters - aspects of the proposal which have not been decided yet.

The plans from Bellway Homes say the site is on the eastern edge of Hailsham to the north of Mill Road.

If approved, the site would be 35 per cent affordable flats and houses. The remaining 75 per cent would be private houses.

It would also include a children’s play areas and a convenience store near the entrance of the site which is accessed off Mill Road.

This process includes a number of pre-application meetings between the design team and Wealden District Council until November 2021.

Plans say plots will have car parking and there will be courtyards of parking for the flat blocks. Each plot will be provided with a smart electric vehicle charging point.

The application states: “This reserved matters application provides a suitably designed housing scheme within Wealden District’s housing requirements and contributes towards the local housing need including the affordable housing requirements of the district.

“The mix of one-four bedroom units will help meet the local area demand for housing in the district.

“The scheme reflects the advice received at pre-application stage and all comments have been fully resolved to meet the requirements of the site and policies.

“As a result, a scheme has been created which responds to the site opportunity and constraints and creates an aesthetically pleasing and thoughtfully designed residential development, which supplements the creation of a new Public Open Space providing a range of recreational facilities for the wider community.”

Following the updated application East Sussex Highways, on June 20, said in consultation: The retail unit shall not be brought into use until a bus stop is provided, adjacent to the retail unit and a dedicated bus turning area.

"The retail unit shall not be brought into use until cycle parking and community information boards are provided in the vicinity of the retail unit.

"Unless otherwise agreed, the retail unit shall not be brought into use until ten car parking spaces are provided and the area shall thereafter be retained for that use and shall not be used other than for the parking of motor vehicles associated with the retail unit.

"The retail unit shall not be brought into use and the dwellings occupied until residential cycle stores (sheds), communal/shared cycle parking per block of flats and cycle parking at the retail unit are provided. Cycles should be accessible independently, in overlooked areas, covered and secure.”

The plans have also been met with an objection from a member of the local public.

Mr Stephen Hall, on Wealden District Council’s planning portal commented: “I wish to object to this application as the proposed foul water infrastructure is unsustainable, relying as it does on pumping tons of sewage off the site 24/7 for the lifetime of the estate.”