Inspector Approves Herstmonceux Medical Centre Homes

Plans to build housing next to Herstmonceux Medical Centre have been approved at appeal.

In a decision notice published last week, a planning inspector has approved plans to build three houses on land adjacent to the medical centre in Hailsham Road.

The proposals, from Assura PLC, had been refused planning permission by Wealden District Council in September last year. While the proposals had been recommended for approval, committee members felt the development should be refused.

In a decision notice at the time, a council spokesman said:

“The proposed development would result in an unsatisfactory environment for all users by virtue of the access to the site for future users being through the existing medical centre car park.

"As a result, there would be conflict between vehicles and non-motorised users.”

The decision notice also noted how the scheme “by virtue of its scale, layout and form the development would result in an overdevelopment of the site”.

But the planning inspector took a different position, judging there to be “no substantive evidence” to support the committee’s view.

In their decision notice, the planning inspector said:

“Although it was only a snapshot of one weekday morning, at my site visit I saw a number of users walk through the car park to get to the medical centre or to return to their car.

“Generally, given the nature of the environment, cars were moving slowly through the area.

"There was little indication that those on foot were being overly cautious or were behaving in ways to suggest that the environment was in some way unsatisfactory or unsafe.

“Given that the scheme is limited to three new dwellings, there is nothing before me which indicates that this situation would be unduly altered by the appeal scheme.

They added:

“Overall, there is no substantive evidence before me to demonstrate that the proposal would be harmful or inappropriate for the site or create an unsatisfactory environment for future users.”

While not part of the reasons for refusal, the inspector also noted how the site lies outside of the development boundary and so would be contrary to the council’s development plan.

The inspector judged this harm would be outweighed by Wealden’s housing land supply shortage and further mitigated by its position in relation to other properties nearby.

As a result, the inspector opted to grant planning permission.

For further information see application reference WD/2023/2845/F on the Wealden District Council website.