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Wealden District Council > Planning and Building Control > Planning Policy > New Local Plan > Planning Policy Evidence Base > Design, Heritage and Landscape

Design, Heritage and Landscape

Wealden Design Guide

A Draft Design Guide has been published which provides evidence to inform design policies in the emerging Local Plan. In addition, the Design Guide will inform Development Management decisions on planning applications and pre-application discussions, encouraging and enabling applicants to secure higher standards of design across the district

Wealden Heritage Strategy

The Heritage Strategy has three key purposes:

  • It identifies the heritage of the Wealden District (excluding the South Downs National Park), looking at the historic built environment, cultural values, traditions, and the District’s natural landscapes and habitats.
  • It describes the opportunities, issues and vulnerabilities pertaining to Wealden’s heritage and how it can be improved, better managed and better understood.
  • It provides direction to the District Council and all other partners involved in the management of heritage within the District through a prioritised set of recommendations.

A series of Heritage Impact Assessments have been undertaken to support the Wealden Local Plan which can be found below:

Landscape

Land Use Consultants (LUC) were commissioned in 2025 to prepare a number of updates to the existing landscape evidence base, as well as a new assessment for Gypsy, Travedscapeller and Travelling Showpeople (GTTSP) sites.

The studies are listed below and have helped inform the development of the Local Plan policies, the site allocation process and the Sustainability Appraisal. The studies also provide landscape guidance for development management decisions, applicants and our Parish and Town Councils who are producing Neighbourhood Plans.

Wealden Landscape Sensitivity Assessment to Residential and Employment Development – Addendum (2026)

This study provides an addendum to the 2023 study, which remains extant for those sites within it.

The Addendum assesses relevant new sites submitted to the Council’s SHELAA since the publication of the 2023 study and follows the same methodology.

Wealden Landscape Sensitivity Assessment – New Settlements and Large Urban Extensions (2026)

The majority of the areas under consideration for new settlements and/or large urban extensions have already been assessed in the 2023 Study. However, given the increased housing need figure for the district, some additional areas required assessment.

This Study assessed three new strategic sites and three smaller sites that were submitted through the Councils SHELAA. The new strategic sites are within:

  • East Hoathly with Halland
  • Maresfield; and
  • Polegate west

The smaller sites are assessed as part of updates to the Uckfield South, North and East assessment units within the 2023 Study, but as their own site. Again, this Study follows the same methodology as that of the 2023 Study.

Wealden Landscape and Visual Appraisal – Potential Development Sites in the High Weald AONB (2026)

All AONBs are now known as National Landscapes. The High Weald National Landscape remains designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and is referred to as such in policy, legislation, guidance and the High Weald AONB Management Plan 2024-2029. For this reason, this Study continues to refer to the High Weald National Landscape as the High Weald AONB.

The previous Wealden Landscape & Visual Appraisal – Potential Development Sites in the High Weald AONB (2024) focused on assessing the sensitivity of a select number of sites within the AONB, or within the setting of the AONB, to varying levels of potential development. It provided an overall sensitivity rating for each site.

In order to meet the strengthened duty under Section 85 of the CRoW Act 2000 (as amended), as well as the requirements of the NPPF (December 2024), we needed to go further and understand the impact of developing potential sites within the High Weald AONB, or that may affect the setting of the AONB, and whether any such development constitutes ‘major’ development as per footnote 67 of paragraph 190 of NPPF. In addition, we needed to understand the cumulative impact of developing the potential sites on the character components that constitute the natural beauty of the AONB and take into account the new Management Plan.

This Study provides two levels of assessment for the potential development sites within the National Landscape – (1) an assessment of their sensitivity (as previously undertake) and (2) a deeper level of assessment as to the impact of potential development on the components of character of the AONB.

The previous 39 sites assessed were not revisited for their sensitivity but were assessed, along with 17 new sites, for their impact. The 17 new sites were also assessed for their sensitivity. The sensitivity assessment was undertaken in accordance with the 2024 Study’s methodology.

For the assessment, the study looks at how strongly the core components of character are expressed on the site (Strong, Moderate or Weak), combines this with the sites sensitivity rating, and provides an overall impact conclusion based on a RAG (Red, Amber and Green) classification system. The study also details specific mitigation measures for the sites should development come forward.

Appendices A

Wealden Landscape and Visual Appraisal – Potential Development Sites for Gypsy, Traveller and Travelling Showpeople Accommodation (2026)

This Study considers sites that were submitted for the Council’s Gypsy, Travellers and Travelling Showpeople Land Availability Assessment (GTTSP LAA), in addition to scoping existing GTTSP sites for extension or intensification.

The appraisal seeks to ascertain the potential for the sites to accommodate this specific type of development (in landscape and visual terms), as well as determine any site specific constraints and design considerations. The overall findings of the Landscape and Visual Appraisal for each of the potential development sites is set out in Appendices A to G.

Specific guidance for each site is set out in the assessments and includes measures to avoid/minimise any potential landscape and visual effects that could arise from the introduction of GTTSP accommodation, as well as potential landscape enhancement measures. For sites located within the High Weald AONB, the specific guidance should be read in conjunction with the vision, objectives and proposed actions within the High Weald AONB Management Plan.

Wealden Landscape Character Assessment (2022)

Land Use Consultants (LUC) was commissioned by Wealden District Council in 2021 to prepare a number of evidence base studies to inform the Local Plan making process. This included a Landscape Character Assessment, Strategic Landscape Sensitivity Assessment and Landscape Sensitivity Assessment of SHELAA sites.

In tandem with this, LUC was also commissioned to undertake a Landscape and Visual Appraisal of several potential growth areas that had been submitted for the Council’s Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment (SHELAA) as well as potential areas for growth within the High Weald National Landscape (formerly the High Weald AONB).

The studies are listed below and have helped inform the development of Local Plan policies, the site allocation process and the Sustainability Appraisal. The studies also provide landscape guidance for development management decisions, applicants and our Parish and Town Councils who are producing Neighbourhood Plans.

The Landscape Character Assessment (LCA) for Wealden District covers the area outside the South Downs National Park. The LCA provides a comprehensive and up to date strategic district scale assessment of the landscape within Wealden. The LCA provides the framework for the more detailed landscape studies and sensitivity assessments which follow below.

The LCA has informed work on policy development and development management, guiding development and landscape change that is appropriate to local character and the qualities of the landscape.

Wealden Landscape Sensitivity Assessment to Residential and Employment Development (2023)

This study focuses on the relative landscape sensitivity of different landscapes within the district (outside the National Park) to residential and employment development in order to help inform decisions on the potential location of housing and employment growth, and the subsequent allocation of sites in the new Local Plan, as well as guide consideration of individual planning applications. The study covers SHELAA sites as well as the LCAs detailed in the Wealden Landscape Character Assessment (2022) above.

Wealden Landscape & Visual Appraisal – New Settlements and Large Urban Extensions (2023)

This study undertakes a landscape and visual appraisal of several potential areas within the district where significant growth was being considered as part of the spatial strategy and site allocation process. The areas were submitted through the SHELAA process.

The appraisal looks to ascertain the suitability of the potential development sites to accommodate growth (in landscape and visual terms), as well as determine any site-specific constraints and design considerations.

Eleven potential development sites, located on the fringes of six settlements, were appraised as follow:

  • East Hoathly – ‘North of East Hoathly’
  • Hailsham – ‘North of Hailsham’ and ‘West of Hailsham’
  • Horam – ‘South of Horam’
  • Polegate/Willingdon – ‘Polegate’ and ‘Polegate/Willingdon’
  • Tunbridge Wells – ‘South of Tunbridge Wells’
  • Uckfield – North of Uckfield’, ‘East of Uckfield’, ‘South of Uckfield’ and ‘West of Uckfield

Wealden Landscape & Visual Appraisal – Potential Development Sites in the High Weald AONB (January 2024)

This study undertakes a landscape and visual appraisal of 32 potential development sites, submitted through the SHELAA process, located on the fringes of 11 settlements (and within assessment units identified within the Landscape Sensitivity Assessment for Residential and Employment Development) within the High Weald National Landscape (formerly the AONB), as well as 7 potential development sites located within the wider landscape.

The appraisal looks to ascertain the potential for the sites to accommodate development (in landscape and visual terms), as well as determine any site-specific constraints and design considerations, with reference to their designation within the High Weald National Landscape.

It should be noted that this study was undertaken prior to the re-designation of the High Weald as a National Landscape and so reference within the report to the High Weald AONB should be taken as the High Weald National Landscape.

Wealden Landscape Sensitivity Assessment – Renewable Energy Development (2024)

As part of the approach to tackling climate change adaptation and mitigation within the district, the Council will be exploring a road map and decarbonisation pathways to reach net zero, and the likely time frames to achieve this. Renewable energy is likely to play a key part of this process.

This study provides an indication of the landscape sensitivity of different parts of Wealden to ground-mounted solar photovoltaic (PV) and wind energy developments, so that potential landscape opportunities and constraints can be considered in addition to the technical opportunities/constraints for these types of developments. It will assist in the consideration of potential locations for such schemes, as well as guide consideration of individual planning applications.

The assessment uses the spatial framework of Landscape Character Types (LCTs) and component Landscape Character Areas (LCAs) identified in the Wealden Landscape Character Assessment (2022). LCTs form the basis for the assessments.