News Articles

Government takes further step towards granting itself planning permission for use of Crowborough site

Publish Date: 21 January 2026

These development rights require the Home Office to have a direction from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), in consultation with Natural England that a full Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is not needed. The direction has now been completed but highlights a range of issues and inconsistencies with what the Home Office...

Ashdown Forest presents The Big One Hundred The next chapter for Ashdown Forest

Publish Date: 19 January 2026

To celebrate the centenary, trailblazing artists Trigger (known for the large scale outdoor puppets such as The Hatchling, the world’s largest human-operated puppet that led the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022) will present The Big One Hundred, a series of  free cultural events at Ashdown Forest and throughout Sussex. This project is funded by Wealden...

Elections could be delayed until 2027

Publish Date: 16 January 2026

The letter from Councillor James Partridge was sent in response to Minister Alison McGovern MP writing to Councils to suggest that local areas may want to cancel elections due to the impact of local government reorganisation. The government consultation closed yesterday, and a decision will be made in the next few weeks whether elections will...

Wealden’s Local Plan consultation launches in February

Publish Date: 15 January 2026

The local plan is a statutory document that the council is required to prepare, which details what development can go where in the district over at least a 15-year plan period to 2042. The consultation exercise gives local people the chance to give their views on the proposals. The consultations will be running from mid-February...

Leaders of council left disappointed after meeting with Minister over Crowborough Army Camp

Publish Date: 14 January 2026

Councillor James Partridge and Councillor Rachel Millward met with the Minister to request an update on the government decision making about Crowborough Army Camp and to urge the Minister to rule out using it as a temporary site for asylum seekers. They impressed upon the Minister that this issue was already having a serious impact...