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Search the Public Notice PortalRother councillors say they need more information before making a decision on a major housing development.
On Thursday (July 30), Rother District Council’s planning committee discussed proposals to build up to 340 homes on land to the north of the Rosewood Park Estate, Bexhill.
The scheme — from Gladman Developments Limited — was approved in principle in June last year. It was brought back to the committee as a result of a change to the terms of a legal agreement
At the start of the meeting, planning officer Matthew Worsley told committee members that their discussion needed to be restricted to this matter.
He said: “The report to this committee is not a chance to reconsider the proposal as a whole.
“We are re-reporting as there is a necessary change to the terms of the section 106 [legal agreement] to ensure that the provisions are in line with what was originally requested from the East Sussex Highways Authority.”
In approving the scheme last year, Mr Worsley said the committee did on the basis the developer would be required to provide funding for flexibus services.
The funding — including an annual payment of £115,000 for six years — had been on conditions requested by East Sussex County Council Highways.
But East Sussex Highways said the payment would only be required if the scheme came in isolation to another nearby development at Fryatts Way. The committee’s previous decision did not fully reflect this.
As the Fryatts Way scheme has now commenced, East Sussex Highways says the developer will now only be expected to provide a standard bus service contribution — a one-off payment of £1,430 per dwelling – £486,200 if all 340 homes are built.
East Sussex Highways also no longer considered it necessary for the developer to provide funding for a “bespoke school bus service”.
James Crawley, a resident of Rosewood Park and a board member of its management company, told committee members how residents were of the view that the access proposed in the application is not legally possible. He said this is because the land required is covered by a covenant requiring it to be used as recreational space.
Ward councillor Connor Winter (Con) argued that the full flexibus funding was still necessary for the development to be acceptable.
Councillors questioned why East Sussex Highways no longer considered it necessary for the developer to provide the school bus funding.
Moving a motion to defer the application, Cllr John Barnes (Con) argued the committee needed further information about how this view had been reached before it made its decision.
Cllr Barnes said his proposed deferral had moved on ‘deliberately very narrow grounds’, but noted how it would “allow for an opportunity for other questions to be asked in other places.”
For further information on the proposals see application reference RR/2023/1721/P on the Rother District Council website.
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