Decision on 50 new homes for East Sussex village delayed

On Thursday (March 30), Wealden District Council’s Planning Committee North considered a reserved matters application connected to plans to build 50 houses on land to the south of Framfield Road in Blackboys.

The scheme was previously granted outline planning permission at a committee meeting in December 2020, despite some strong opposition from local residents at the time around its size and the sustainability of the site.

The previous application means the development has already been approved in principle, with the planning committee asked to consider the details of the development, such as its layout, design and scale.

While these details were considered to be ‘acceptable’ by council planning officers, the committee had a number of concerns about a variety of issues. In light of these concerns, the committee opted to defer the application in the hopes the developer could take steps to address them.

Proposing the deferral, the committee’s chairman Johanna Howell (Con) said: “I just don’t think this is ready yet. I think there is more work to do on this before this committee could be remotely happy, in my opinion.”

The committee’s concerns included the design and materials of the proposed buildings, as well as the design of an on-site playground and the locations of both a power substation and pond.

The committee also had concerns about the speed limit of Framfield Road, but this would not be a district council responsibility.

For further information see application reference WD/2022/2182/MRM on the Wealden District Council website.