Handling of approved 700 homes at Mornings Mill near Eastbourne a 'major disaster' for Wealden council's image

Speaking at a full council meeting on Wednesday (November 23), Conservative council leader said she would not support creating a scrutiny taskforce to look into the decision-making behind the 700-home Mornings Mill development.

The unpopular proposals had been refused by both of the council’s planning committees, but ultimately gained planning permission following appeal. The council was also ordered to pay the applicant’s costs, with the inspector describing the local authority’s conduct as “the epitome of unreasonable behaviour”.

Speaking at the first full council meeting after the appeal decision was handed down in September, Green Party group leader Patricia Patterson-Vanegas asked Cllr Newton whether she would support the creation of a scrutiny taskforce to see what lessons could be learned from the saga.

Cllr Patterson-Vanegas said: “The Mornings Mill planning application in the south of Wealden has proven to be a major disaster for the image of Wealden District Council.

“It has disenfranchised even more of our residents, it went against what some of our local MPs stood for [and] it confronted councillors with the reality that it is impossible to represent one’s residents at the same time as following planning rules geared towards unsustainable development. Many stakeholders are bruised from the process.

“Mornings Mill is a great opportunity for all of us to learn lessons. This is not only about officers offering councillors training about the system. It is for a thorough process of scrutiny to find out what went so horribly wrong.”

The council leader disagreed, however, saying the reasons for the appeal decision were clear; committee members had gone against advice from both officers and statutory consultees without a solid footing to do so.

Cllr Newton said: “I’m very happy to put together another statement explaining why what happened, if you like, and why the inspector allowed it. But I think a taskforce on one application is quite frankly a little bit bizarre.

“The problem is Mornings Mill was in a local plan many years ago, so we weren’t going to win that argument right at the start, but we tried. It has obviously cost the council money and it is something we had to learn very much the hard way, but we tried and don’t think we should be criticised for trying.”

She added: “It is very clear. Members of the committee, which was their choice to do went against advice of statutory consultees, which you know we cannot do. In this case it was East Sussex County Council on highways matters.

“Maybe that’s a lesson to be learnt the hard way, but we do know that now. Scrutiny is not needed. That is the blunt answer, there is no other answer.”

Cllr Newton was asked by Johanna Howell, chairman of the planning committee north, whether she agreed that the Mornings Mill scheme had been used as a ‘political football’ by committee members.

She agreed, saying: “It is very difficult, we have our hearts, we have our residents, but that is what you are there for — to take that responsibility and make those decisions. As I mentioned before, Mornings Mill was in a previous local plan, we did literally have nowhere to go with it.”