DEVELOPERS have filed an appeal after Wealden Planning Councillors refused 180 homes on land in Hailsham used by a family farmer.
Plans to build on the land east of Battle Road were refused in April and gave a brighter future for Hook and Son, whose family has farmed the land for 250 years, employs almost 30 people and produces raw milk and dairy products.
The development would build on the land currently used by the farm for animal grazing. The company says if it goes ahead, the business will become unviable.
Wealden District Council has announced today (16 May) that an appeal has been lodged, but it remains hopeful it would still be able to fight the application.
A spokesperson said in a statement:”It has now become clear that the land – allocated for housing in the council’s 2013 Core Strategy – had not been farmed since last September and was not being farmed when the application was refused by Planning Committee South. Since the notice of appeal and having taken high-level and comprehensive legal advice – as part of preparations for the planning appeal – the council has been advised that trying to safeguard the land for farming, when the council does not have the legal power to do so, would ultimately fail at appeal and see the council being hit with a huge legal bill.
The barrister’s advice is that the other reason the committee based its refusal on – heritage – also cannot be reasonably defended. However, the refusal reason linked to odour – and therefore proximity of development to the Hailsham North Wastewater treatment works – is certainly defendable.
The council is now in discussions with the developer about matters and the original decision by the planning committee has been adjusted to reflect the comprehensive legal advice received.”
More than a thousand letters of appeal from residents and farm customers were sent to WDC prior to the refusal. Owner, Steve Hook said: “The demand for our produce is rocketing at the moment, as so many people are coming to us for raw milk, and this is really significant. Our farm is of national nutritional importance, it’s not just a farm selling locally, it’s bigger than that, and that’s why so many people contacted councillors to tell them exactly that.”
The planning application can be viewed on the Wealden District Council website by searching for application WD/2023/1684/MAO.
