Question:
I would appreciate your comments on the building ‘sprawl’ in north and west Bexhill in the draft strategic plan. There appears to be no concern for the environment, wildlife, reduction of ‘night light’, impact on existing residents, the poor state of the roads )made worse by lorries accessing the new sites and the usual issue of gps, dentists etc
We are close to Chestnut Meadow which is near SSSI land, and provides peaceful holiday retreats for people visiting Bexhill
Please leave some beauty in the area
Answer:
The proposals that you refer to are in our draft Local Plan which is currently out for public consultation, finishing on Monday 23rd March at 5pm. The focus of the current consultation is on proposed sites which could be suitable and available for development over the next 17 years to 2042.
The draft Local Plan proposes two “growth areas”, or “urban extensions” on the north and western edges of Bexhill, where there is land that is potentially available for development. Much of this land is greenfield, and I do appreciate residents’ concerns with the potential impacts, as you have outlined in your message.
The position that the Council is in, is that it is legally required to have an up-to-date Local Plan. The Government aims to significantly boost housing supply and has set targets for all Local Authorities that they must seek to meet through their Local Plans. The target for Rother is 912 homes every year. This is extremely challenging for Rother, given our significant environmental constraints, and to get anywhere near this, tough choices will have to be made. Unfortunately, there is simply not enough brownfield land in the district that is available or suitable for development to accommodate this level of additional housing, and consequently, greenfield land, including on the edges of settlements, must be considered. Even with all the sites proposed in the draft Local Plan currently out to consultation, we have only been able to identify land for 495 homes per year, roughly half of the Government’s target, at this stage.
Once finalised, the Local Plan will be supported by a range of background evidence studies which will look at matters including the effect on traffic and transport, infrastructure and environmental impacts – to ensure that the level of development proposed can be appropriately accommodated and serviced. The studies we have to date are available on the Council’s website at: Supporting Evidence Base – Rother District Council. While I appreciate that planning for new development will rarely be popular, there are many benefits to having an up-to-date Local Plan, including that development can be appropriately planned for and to help avoid ‘planning by appeal’ – where the Council would have less control over where new development goes.
The purpose of the current consultation is to seek residents’ and stakeholders’ views and to give you the opportunity to let us know your concerns. After the consultation period finishes, all of these comments will be read and considered by officers, and used to inform the final version of the Local Plan (due for publication in early Autumn this year). If you have not already done so, I would encourage you to submit your comments formally via the Local Plan consultation website at Draft Local Plan 2025-2042 – Rother District Council, so that they can be used as part of this process.
