31 July 2007
The future of development in Polegate and Willingdon
Wealden District Council is encouraged by the keen interest being shown in Issues and Options consultation which will help form the outline of how the district should develop over the next 20 years. But it is concerned that some responses will be based on inaccurate claims about housing numbers.
A process of “double accounting” has arisen in some debates about housing numbers. This seems to be due to a misunderstanding about the requirement of the South East Plan which has resulted from adding together the capacity of ALL of the ALTERNATIVE sites identified in the Issues and Options paper and arriving at much larger totals. This has, for example, incorrectly been represented by some as a requirement for a total of 10,000 houses in Polegate and Willingdon alone. This would be twice the number actually needed for the whole Wealden District.
The Council can only accept representations based on accurate assessments of development outlined in the Issues & Options document which is widely available.
The Draft South East Plan requires that we provide land for 8,000 new dwellings in Wealden by 2026, 3,000 of which have already been identified, through the Council’s Non-Statutory Local Plan.
The remaining 5,000 need to be provided across Wealden District. The area between Eastbourne and Hailsham is specifically identified in the Draft South East Plan as being a strategic location capable of taking development.
The purpose of Issues and Options, the first stage in the consultation process, has been to identify a large range of sites which could be considered as alternatives in terms of location and infrastructure potential. It has never been our intention to propose all of them together.
To receive an accurate understanding of the proposals and the background to them, members of the public can view the Issues and Options consultation document at their Local Public Library or at the District Council’s offices in Hailsham or at the office of their local town or parish council. Alternatively, you may view the document on the Council’s website (www.wealden.gov.uk) or telephone the Council’s Planning Policy Team on 01892 602007 for more information.
