Wealden development strategy on agenda for meetings next month

Wealden Council's strategy for housing growth will be published early next year for a six week period of public consultation.

After that it will be submitted for examination in public by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government.

Uckfield News.com carried stories about the council's draft proposals earlier this month. Links to them are here:

Now the council has distributed a press release with comments from chairman of the Local Development Framework- Sub-Committee Roy Galley, who says:

"We believe our proposals will be able to provide sufficient growth to improve the performance of the local economy, regenerate our market towns and provide a more vital future for our villages.

"This document provides a well balanced range of spatial solutions to the district's needs."

The press release goes on to say that the draft Core Strategy proposes housing growth in Hailsham and Uckfield, Stone Cross and Polegate which have "good access to a range of services".

"This will help reduce the effects of growth upon the district's carbon footprint and reflects the master planning process that has been carried out by the town councils.

"We need infrastructure such as roads and schools as well as houses, and we are fed up with developers and other agencies not working more closely with us to provide the necessary infrastructure when the houses are built," said Councillor Galley.

To encourage developers to build more affordable homes, the proposed strategy increases the proportion of affordable homes required in developments of five or more dwellings from 30 per cent to 35 per cent.

"There is no point in developers building more and more 4-5 bedroom homes, if they do not include affordable houses which are one of the Council's most pressing needs and are vital to the social economy in the District," said Councillor Galley.

The strategy - which covers growth to the year 2030 - also proposes that the development boundaries in 27 of Wealden's smaller villages are removed altogether to stop excessive in-fill development in the countryside.

The removal of development boundaries would not stop the housing exceptions policy being used to allow affordable homes to be built in these villages or where the community is in favour of the development under emerging Government initiatives such as Community Right to Build, says the press release.

The draft Core Strategy also seeks to ensure that developers and partners meet their commitment to deliver necessary infrastructure improvements in line with the development of new houses.

The document will now be considered by a joint meeting of Wealden's two planning committees, Planning Committee North and Planning Committee South on 10 November, before going to Wealden's Cabinet on 24 November and then to a full meeting of Wealden District Council on 1 December.

The draft Core Strategy will also be subject of a detailed presentation and discussion at Wealden's Parish Conference in Uckfield on 3 November.

"This a strategic document to set guidelines for the next 20 years. Details about housing allocations for individual sites will be included in subsequent Development Plan Documents," said Councillor Galley.

A copy of the draft Core strategy can be found on the Wealden Council website.