Rother District Council

The Planning Committee meets once a month on a Thursday at 9.30am in the Council Chamber, Town Hall, Bexhill on Sea.

The Committee deals with planning applications which normally relate to major, complicated or controversial proposals. Planning applications are dealt with in Ward order as follows:

Ashburnham, Brightling, Dallington, Mountfield, Penhurst
Battle Beckley, Peasmarsh
Bexhill (all wards)
Bodiam, Ewhurst
Brede, Udimore
Burwash
Camber, East Guldeford, Iden, Playden, Rye Foreign
Catsfield, Crowhurst
Etchingham, Hurst Green
Fairlight
Guestling, Pett
Northiam
Rye
Salehurst & Robertsbridge
Sedlescombe, Whatlington
Ticehurst
Westfield
Icklesham, Winchelsea
Neighbouring Authorities

Any late representations for consideration at the Planning Committee meeting must be received no later than noon on the Wednesday immediately preceding the Thursday Planning Committee meeting.

In addition to the Planning Committee meeting on the Thursdays, Members of the Planning Committee carry out site inspections within the district for relevant applications once a month on the Tuesday immediately preceding the Thursday. Applications for inspection are normally requested by Members but are sometimes added by the District Planning Officer to assist consideration of the more complex proposals. The inspections by coach commence at 8.30am from Bexhill Town Hall and are carried out by Councillors accompanied by a Planning Officer. The inspections are purely to view the site and are undertaken on an unaccompanied basis.

Planning Committee Decisions

In certain circumstances the Planning Committee will indicate that it is only prepared to grant or refuse planning permission if or unless certain amendments to a proposal or completion of consultations are undertaken e.g. revised vehicular access, receipt of satisfactory comment from a statutory body re drainage. In these circumstances the District Planning Officer can be delegated authority to issue the decision of the Planning Committee once the requirements of the Committee have been satisfactorily complied with. A delegated decision does not mean that planning permission or refusal will automatically be issued. If there are difficulties, or negotiations are not satisfactorily concluded, then the application will have to be reported back to the Planning Committee or placed on the Reserved List as a means of providing further information for elected Members. With delegated requirements from the Planning Committee it will normally be expected that the required negotiations will be concluded satisfactorily or unsatisfactorily within two months of the original Committee decision date. If no progress on the delegation has been made then the application will either be determined or when appropriate be re-reported to the Planning Committee for a final decision.
In the case of a Section 106 Obligation a period of six months will be allowed for the completion of the legal document. After six months if a satisfactory S106 Obligation has not been concluded then the application will be re-reported for a decision.

Post Planning Committee telephone enquiries with regard to decisions at Thursday meetings can be obtained on the following Friday morning by telephoning 01424 787000 after 11.30 am.

In all cases applicants are advised not to start work until receiving the formal decision notice which may contain conditions of which they are not fully aware. Similarly a delegated decision from Planning Committee should not be construed as a formal decision. Only when the provisos of the delegation have been completed satisfactorily will the Local Planning Authority be in a position to issue the formal decision notice.

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