Plans For Up To 36 Homes In Hailsham Approved By Councillors

Plans for a new housing development of up to 36 homes in Hailsham have been approved by Wealden District Council councillors.

The council’s Majors Planning Committee backed an outline application on Thursday, July 23, for land to the south of Howard Close.

The application, submitted by Trafalgar Group Ltd, faced opposition from some local residents who raised concerns about the impact on the area and pressure on existing infrastructure.

Resident John Byrne told the committee he was concerned about potential overlooking and a loss of privacy from the proposed development.

He said:

"Along the line at the side of my property [the applicant] wants to build five three-bedroom houses.

"All five of those buildings will look over my front garden, my rear garden and the side of my house … the five properties that are going to be overlooking my house will be able to see directly into my front bedroom and my rear bedroom."

Councillors were told those concerns would be considered at a later stage of the planning process, as the application was only seeking outline permission and did not include a final site layout.

Hailsham Town Council objected to the proposals, raising concerns over highway safety, pressure on infrastructure, the loss of trees and the site's proximity to Hailsham Wastewater Treatment Works.

It also highlighted that the site is within a ‘red zone’ for protected great crested newts.

However, planning officers recommended approval, stating that Wealden District Council’s housing supply position meant the planning balance was tilted in favour of development.

Officers said any odour issues linked to the wastewater treatment works could be managed through detailed layout and design at a later stage.

They also said East Sussex Highways had raised no objection to the proposed access, subject to planning conditions and improvements to nearby highways.

The loss of trees was considered acceptable by the council’s arboricultural officer, while impacts on great crested newts were deemed capable of being mitigated through the developer signing up to a licensing scheme.

The application was approved, but only after a closely fought vote, with concerns raised by councillors on all sides.

Councillor Greg Collins (Green), who seconded a motion from committee chairman Gareth Owen-Williams, said:

"This all comes down to the tilted balance at the end of the day.

"So holding my nose very, very firmly — because I think officers know how much I dislike the tilted balance and the fact that it places a pair of handcuffs on us when it comes to deciding these applications — I will second your proposal."

The vote saw two councillors in favour of approval, two against, and one abstention.

Councillor Owen-Williams used his casting vote to break the deadlock in favour of approving the scheme.

The application reference is WD/2024/0342/MAO on the Wealden District Council website.