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Search the Public Notice PortalProposals for a major housing development near Stone Cross have been approved.
On Thursday (February 26), Wealden District Council’s Majors Planning Committee considered an application seeking outline permission to build up to 120 homes at the Sharnfold Farm site in Hailsham Road.
The application had seen opposition from Westham Parish Council, which had raised concerns around the site’s proposed access and the potential ecological, character and infrastructure impacts of the scheme.
Council planning officers had recommended the scheme be approved.
Officers said the scheme — submitted by Hop Farm Real Estate Limited — forms part of proposals for a wider landholding, which has been identified as a housing site within the council’s emerging local plan.
Officers said this allocation, which followed a detailed look at the site as part of the council’s Strategic Housing and Economic Land Availability Assessment (SHELAA), when combined with the district housing targets was a ‘material consideration’ in favour of the scheme.
In a report to the committee, officers also set out how the council had undertaken “extensive” consultation with East Sussex County Council’s highways department.
According to the report, the highways department acknowledged the site to be “less than ideal in accessibility terms”, but took the view that any impact could be successfully mitigated.
Part of these mitigations would be secured through conditions and a legal agreement securing the site access, pedestrian improvements, bus stop provision, public right-of-way upgrades and sustainable travel measures, the report notes.
The council had also received correspondence from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), which had advised against approval based on concerns linked to an existing gas pipeline.
Officers said this matter could be addressed at a later stage of the development process, as the appropriate safety mitigations could be set out as part of the scheme’s detailed design.
They recommended that the outline permission (which only sought permission for access and principle) be granted ‘subject to’ further consultation with the HSE.
Senior planning officer Samuel Batchelor said this measure was “to make sure that they do not consider the matter, from their point of view, needs to be referred to the secretary of state”.
The committee opted to approve the scheme in line with this recommendation.
For further information see application reference WD/2025/1738/MAO on the Wealden District Council website.
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