Ringmer Housing Appeal Dismissed But Council Ordered To Pay Part Of Applicants’ Costs

A proposed housing development near Ringmer has been rejected by a planning inspector — but Lewes District Council has been ordered to cover part of the applicants’ appeal costs.

The appeal concerned outline plans to build up to eight custom-build homes on land east of The Orchards, a 12-home development on the edge of Clayhill.

The scheme, submitted by Carmella and Dolores Tebbutt, had been refused by the council in August last year after officers concluded the site was not in a sustainable location.

The inspector agreed, citing limited public transport and local facilities that would not reduce reliance on private cars. In the decision notice, they said:

“Facilities and public transport options do exist near the site but they are not so abundant or attractive as to minimise the use of the private car for travel for most day-to-day needs…

"I find that the proposal would not be an appropriate location for the proposed housing development.”

While acknowledging some benefits of the scheme — including contributions to the supply of self-build housing — the inspector concluded these did not outweigh the conflict with local planning policies, and the appeal was dismissed.

However, the inspector also found that Lewes District Council had acted unreasonably in parts of its assessment.

In particular, the council had undervalued the contribution of self-build homes, incorrectly counting approved plots in the district.

This miscalculation meant the benefits of the proposed development were given less weight than they should have been.

The inspector also took issue with how the council had raised additional planning matters during the costs claim, which led to extra work and unnecessary costs for the applicants.

As a result, the council has been ordered to cover part of the appeal costs.

For more details about the wider plans, see application reference LW/21/0667 on the Lewes District Council website.