Crowborough Former Police Station Redevelopment Blocked By Council

Wealden councillors have turned down plans to redevelop the site of a former police station in Crowborough.

On Thursday (January 15), Wealden District Council’s Minors Planning Committee considered an application from Mercator Group, which sought permission to create three new homes at the site to the north of Crowborough Hill.

One of these homes would have been created by converting the long-vacant former police station building into a four-bedroom dwelling.

Another four-bedroom dwelling would have been built in place of a ‘modern extension’ to the former station building, while a three-bedroom home would have been built in place of a garage block at the rear of the site.

While the scheme had been recommended for approval by council planning officers, committee members had concerns about its impact on the surrounding area — in particular the potential loss of privacy for neighbours.

Proposing a motion to refuse planning permission, Cllr Jane Clark (Lib Dem) said:

“The main problem is this plot three, which is too big and doesn’t respect the surroundings.

“I don’t consider — even if it is a limited conflict — that we should be allowing new builds to make current buildings and occupiers suffer.”

Councillors also raised concerns about the heritage impact of the proposals, noting how the former police station building is considered to be a Non-Designated Heritage Asset (NDHA).

Officers had said the proposals would have resulted in both heritage harm and benefit; changing the building’s setting on one hand, but bringing it back into use on the other.

For further information see application reference WD/2025/1433/F on the Wealden District Council website.