Wealden District Council Planning and Environmental Services provides various information and guidance documents to assist Planning Agents as well as Parish and Town Council’s. Updates on planning legislation, procedures and regulations can be found on the pages within this section.
The Council is currently in the process of preparing a new Local Plan. For further information visit the Planning Policy pages.
Ashdown Forest Special Protection Area, Special Area of Conservation and Site of Special Scientific Interest
Details on the current situation within the Ashdown Forest and surrounding areas including Briefing Note and further supporting information, following on from the progress on the development of an Interim SANGs mitigation Strategy and in respect of nitrogen deposition and other mitigation and monitoring matters.
Useful documents which will assist in the development of any proposed scheme when submitting a Planning Application:
- Environment Agency Planning Consultation Toolkit (external link) produced by the Environment Agency September 2015
- ESCC Heritage and Planning Information (including the Archaeological Notification Area Maps)
- National Planning Policy Framework – Conserving and enhancing the historic environment (external link)
- ESCC Highway and Transport Information(external link) for Parking Standards, Dropped Kerb, Travel Plans and Transport Assessment.
- Protocol for Briefing Members on Major/Significant Planning Applications
- Wealden Standard Model Planning Conditions report Jan 2020
- Waste Water Infrastructure
- Ashdown Forest Judicial Review Decision (February 2014)
- High Court Appeal Decision (Spring 2014)
- East Sussex County Council Parking Standards (external link)
- Permission (under review December 2019)
- Planning Policy Publications Fees
- Former Local Plans
A Non Material Amendment is defined by the Council as ‘an insignificant variation in a detail or details of an approved scheme which does not raise any new issues which would warrant the submission of a fresh planning application’. There would be no requirement to consult with third parties with such a change.
Amendments will not be accepted as Non Material where:
- The planning permission has expired
- The changes directly contravene planning conditions
- There are or where objections relevant to the amendment being sought
- The development will fall outside the application area
- There are any changes to the site area
- There is an increase in the height or dimensions of any proposed building
- The external appearance of a building will be materially affected, including new materials
- There is a repositioning of a building within the application area
- Additional uses are proposed
- There is an increase in the number of units
- The proposed changes would alter aspects of the scheme which had been judged critical to the original decision to grant planning permission (for instance if specific materials had been agreed, a minor amendment to substitute unsatisfactory materials would not be appropriate)
- There is an amendment to a Listed Building Consent
- There is an amendment to a Planning Application associated with a Listed Building Consent
- There is an amendment to a development within a Conservation Area
If your proposals fall within any of the above categories, either a fresh planning application or a ‘Minor Material Amendment’ application will be required; (see separate guidance note MMA3 on Minor Material Amendments).
A minor material amendment is one whose scale and nature results in a development which is not substantially different from the one which has been approved.
Minor Material Amendments will exclude development within ‘Non Material’ scope, as these less significant amendments are already catered for by the Council’s guidance note MMA2. Minor Material Amendments shall be subject to an assessment of their significance in context. The ultimate discretion of what fulfils the above definition will be decided by the Council.
For the avoidance of doubt, these will normally exclude:
- Any amendment which is not within the scope of the description of development (e.g. change to height in storeys or numbers of bedrooms)
- Any amendment which does not fall within the terms of a valid related condition on the original permission. (Any ‘notes’ on the decision notice
concerning ‘approved plans’ are not accepted as a basis for submitting such an amendment) - Any amendment which increases the height of an extension above the existing dwelling ridge line
- The ridge height of any new dwelling would be raised by 0.5m or more (amendment normally to relate to no more than 2 dwellings per site)
- Any amendment which incorporates a flat roof on pitched roof building
- Any increases in gross floor area over 3% of the approved development from the relevant permission (unless roof void conversion)
- Any enlargement to the red edge site area
- Any relocation/amendment which reduces ‘Root Protection Area’ to hedges or trees being retained
- Any re-siting of an approved detached building which moves off the approved footprint by more than 50% overlap
- Any development which creates built form forward of the front/principal elevation of the host building
- The planning permission relates to a Conservation Area or any Grade II or above listed building
- The proposal involves loss of an approved parking or manoeuvring space below adopted maximum standards
- Any changes of uses, additional uses, or, in the case of retail development, any new retail floor area
- In the case of any commercial buildings, any further subdivision of approved floor area to create a new unit