Proposals for a small scale housing development in Winchelsea Beach should be refused over flood risks, planning officers say.

Next Thursday (August 15), Rother District Council’s planning committee is set to consider an application to build five homes on land adjacent to a property known as Sunset View in Pett Level Road.

According to the developer’s application, the site lies within a ‘high probability’ flooding area but, they argue, should be approved as the design of the proposed building would mitigate against these risks.

Council planning officers, however, say the flood risks involved in developing the site should mean the application is refused.

Officers say this is due to developers failing to include a ‘sequential test’ as part of their flood risk assessment work, meaning they could not show that it was the only appropriate site nearby. 

An officers’ report said: “Although a flood risk assessment has been submitted with the application, it fails to apply the sequential test (i.e. it has not been demonstrated that it is not possible for the development to be located in a zone with a lower risk of flooding).

“This is a significant omission and without it there is uncertainty as to whether development in this area at highest risk of flooding could be avoided and thus adhere to the National Planning Policy Framework.”

A final decision on the application will be made a planning committee meeting on Thursday, August 15. 

For further details see planning application reference  RR/2018/2735/P on the Rother District Council website.