The next phase of the development of 200 homes west of Station Road in Hailsham has been thrown out by Wealden District Council.
Residents spoke out at the planning meeting this morning (Thursday) on how more homes and traffic on Station Road will create extensive problems to the area, which is already congested and dangerous, according to homeowners close to the development site.
The application for an additional phase of 200 dwellings, including affordable homes off Station Road was offering sports facilities as well as public open spaces, but councillors were against the plans to use Station Road as the main access to the site.
Councillor Neil Cleaver, who spoke on behalf of Councillor Blake-Coggins who was unwell, told the committee: “Residents are fed up of all the new developments in Hailsham. There is a total of 1,350 houses which have been given outline permission to be built in the town, and these are having a massive effect on sewerage, water supplies pollution and the road network.”
Local resident, David Dyer, told the council: “I’m not against the homes, but against the access to the development due to the existing traffic problems. The road regularly becomes gridlocked, especially near Bellbanks Road, where two vehicles cannot pass, and the blind bend by The Mount is also a worry. The nearby industrial estate generates a lot of HGV traffic and there are no schools within walking distance.”
Councillor Bob Bowdler said: “I have a lot of reservations about this application, not on the site as such, or the number of homes, but the access to it. The road is chaos and I’m disappointed with East Sussex County Council for not raising any objections. Let’s sort the road out before the developments start, not afterwards!”
Stacey Robins, Head of Planning at Wealden District Council told the Committee that plans to redevelop the top end of Station Road are already in progress and in addition, plans for a new roundabout at Ersham Road and Diplocks Way is also in their final stages. These projects are all part of the overall plans to receive congestion locally.
However, despite Mr Robins telling the Committee, “we have no grounds to refuse this application”, a total of nine councillors voted to refuse the application. The application is now expected to be referred to the Planning Inspectorate for further investigation.
