30/08/2022 NEWS
Wakehams Decision Letter Wakehams Cover Letter Wakehams Appeal Decision
Above you will find the documents relating to the Wakehams Appeal which was refused. This hearing was was convened due to the hard work carried out by Councillor Stephen Leadbetter over many years of planning reviews, many letters and consultations. It is with great thanks that the Council bestow on Stephen Leadbetter.
11/03/2021
Dear Fairlight resident,
The following planning application was considered by Rother District Council’s Planning Committee on Thursday 11th March 2021.
RR/2020/151/P Pett Level Road – Land South of, Fairlight Cove, Fairlight
Outline: Development of up to 48 residential units (including 40% affordable), including new vehicular access from Pett level Road and serviced plot for a Doctor’s Surgery.
Planning Officers had recommended that consent be given.
Statutory bodies such as the Environment Agency, East Sussex Highways, Southern Water, the High Weald AONB Unit, East Sussex
Council flood authority East Sussex Landscape Architect and Natural England raised no objections.
However, Fairlight Parish Council and many Fairlight residents submitted well argued reasons as to why this proposal should be rejected.
The committee debated the issues for over an hour hearing well reasoned arguments by Councillor Issy Horsley , our Parish Council Chair, and Dr Ruth Kosmin of Fairlight Preservation Trust. District Councillor Andrew Mier and other committee members questioned Planning Officers , and raised a series of reasons why the application should be rejected.
Ultimately the Planning Committee decided unanimously that the application should be rejected.
The reasons for refusal are my interpretation having watched the debate on YouTube.
1) Breach of the Councils’s adopted policy for the site due to excess property numbers, reduced amenity space, lack of medical facility, poor pedestrian access including lack of pathway to the village, and cramped design.
2) Impact on the AONB due to failing to transition properly between a built environment and open countryside.
3) Failure to provide a detailed plan showing how the drainage system would be improved to cope with an extra 43 properties in a village which has known drainage problems.
I will circulate the formal decision notice when we have it.
For now this feels like a David and Goliath moment when the arguments of local residents have overcome those of statutory agencies and Planning Officers to get the result the village wanted.
Thanks to everyone who contributed to the consultation and provided written and verbal evidence to the Rother Planning Committee, and to the Planning Committee for listening.
Stephen Leadbetter
Chairman of Fairlight PC Planning Committee
25/02/2022 Latest planning appeal for Wakehams. Click here
Click hear to search Rother Planning this will take you directly to Rother Planning where you can enter any planning number to do a search.
Application RR/2020/151/P Address – Pett Level Road – Land South of, Fairlight Cove
Outline: Development of up to 43 Residential Units (Including 40% Affordable), including new Vehicular Access from Pett Level Road.
Dear Resident
This planning application will be considered by Rother District Council at Its Planning Committee Meeting on Thursday 11th March starting at 9.30am.
The item is second on the agenda following the first item which is expected to take some time due to its complexity and the number of registered speakers.
Planning Officers have recommended that the application be approved.
This application seeks outline permission with all matters reserved except access.
Public speaking is allowed subject to limits and Fairlight Parish Council and Fairlight Preservation Trust have registered and had it confirmed that they will be allowed to speak for five minutes each.
I attach a link to the agenda with the application starting on page 61.
If you wish you can watch the debate by logging on to youtube.com and searching for Rother Planning Committee.
Stephen Leadbetter
Chair of Fairlight Parish Council Planning Committee
Application RR/2020/151/P Pett Level Road – Land South of Fairlight Cove, Fairlight
Letter of opposition from Fairlight Parish Council
Planning application RR_2020_151_P objections
Application RR/2018/2726/P – Wakeham’s Farm Development
Fairlight Parish Council has now submitted its formal objection to this application. You can read it here. You still have time to comment if you have not already done so.
RR/2018/2726/P – Pett Level Road – Land south of, Fairlight Cove, Fairlight
A planning application for a development of 150 properties, a doctors surgery and convenience store has been submitted to Rother District Council.
You can view the application here and see documents, and make comments either in favour of, or against, the proposal by clicking on the relevant tabs.
Please be aware that only material planning considerations will be taken into account.
Click here for guidance on material planning considerations.
If you wish to respond by letter the address write to:
Planning and Strategy
Town Hall
Bexhill on Sea
TN39 3JX
Stephen Leadbetter
Chairman of Fairlight Parish Council Planning Committee
1st November 2018
Rother Local Plan – Consultation
Rother District Council, in common with all Planning Authorities, is required to have an up to date Local Plan.
Without an up to date plan unwelcome planning applications have a greater than otherwise chance of being successful.
The proposed plan has now been published and consultation is open until 7th December.
The plan has then to be formally approved and submitted to the government by 7th January 2019.
You can view the plan by following this link. http://www.rother.gov.uk/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=30793&p=0
As it is a very long document I will guide you to the key parts for Fairlight.
1) Strategic Gap – pages 76 to 79. The proposal is to severely restrict development in Fairlight between Fairlight Cove and the top of the hill. Extensions, conversions and one for one replacements would still be permitted.
2) Sustainable Drainage – pages 88 to 89. The intention is to manage surface water drainage to minimise the impact on the cliff and downstream at Pett Level which is at risk from flooding.
3) Land Stability – pages 90 – 94. It is proposed to restrict development close to the cliff edge in Fairlight unless it can be shown that it will not add to instability. Soakaways will not be allowed within 50 metres of the cliff.
Site Allocations – It is proposed that an area of Wakeham’s Farm to the east of the village be allocated to accommodate around 30 dwellings. It is proposed that half should be age restricted and designed as smaller houses, bungalows or housing with care. 40% would be affordable. There may also be a doctor’s surgery.
Making Representations
If you wish to make representations to Rother the Guidance Notes can be accessed by this link. http://www.rother.gov.uk/dasa/guidance
The form for making representations is here. http://www.rother.gov.uk/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=30795&p=0
Large Scale development of Wakeham’s Farm
The Parish Council has been notified that an application for a large scale development of Wakeham’s Farm was submitted on around 19th October 2018.
It is outside the Local Plan process and Rother District Council will have to consider this scheme on its merits and respond in due course.
When details are published, which may take some time due the number and complexity of documents, we will arrange a consultation event in the village and advise residents on how they can make representations.
We have retained a very experienced Planning Consultant to assist us with our comments as a Parish Council.
Stephen Leadbetter
Chairman of Fairlight Parish Council Planning Committee.
Draft Design Standards Working Party Report December 2017
Market Garden Site – Lower Waites Lane
At Rother District Council’s Planning Committee on 15th March an application to build 16 houses, including 6 affordable houses for shared ownership, was approved.
The approval is subject to certain legal agreements and consent is expected to be granted formally towards the end of June 2018.
There are 27 conditions which the developer has to comply with and these are shown here.
I will update residents when final approval is given.
Stephen Leadbetter, Chairman of Fairlight Parish Council Planning Committee
Comments on Wakeham’s Farm 2014
Wakehams Farm Site FC2 – The case against development – October 2014