More detail about proposals for 1,000 new homes in Uckfield

More detail has been revealed about proposals to earmark farmland to the south and west of Uckfield for 1,000 new homes.

Access to the site - which could also accommodate 12,650 square metres of new employment floor space and ‘education provision’ - would be from the A22 bypass.

A Wealden District Council report about potential use of the land does not elaborate on the type of education provision.

The area is one of 12 Strategic Development Areas identified across Wealden in the district council’s Local Development Framework.

The council has drawn up information and facts about each site and possible options for development.

It is now seeking feedback on the issues and options it has presented.

There are more than 205 acres of land in the strategic development area identified to the south-west of Uckfield town centre and east of the A22.

It is is bounded to the west by the A22 trunk road with the Bellbrook Industrial Estate to the north, residential development and the Victoria Pleasure Grounds and Boothlands Wood to the east.

The A22/A26 roundabout and Lewes Road are to the south and east of the area.

A new access would have to be provided from the bypass. The only other direct access for vehicles is a farm track to Ridgewood Farm from the Lewes Road but that is not considered suitable for the main access.

Uckfield town centre is about 1.3 kilometres – 0.8 miles – from the centre of the area and so there is considered to be the potential for easy links to the town centre by footpath and cycle routes.

The report says if a new link was provided from the site to the Bellbrook Industrial Estate there would be potential for a slightly shorter pedestrian route to the town’s bus station and shopping facilities.

Principles guiding development have been suggested and they include taking measures at Uckfield Wastewater Treatment Works to ensure the new development is not exposed to an “unacceptable level of odour”.

They also say sustainable drainage solutions would have to be provided as a part of the development of the site and there should be no development within areas at risk of flooding from the Ridgewood Stream.

The full report on the proposals can be seen on the Wealden Council website.