Residents object to 124 new homes planned for Hailsham

Plans to build on land to the south of the A271 and east of A22 in Lower Horsebridge have been submitted to Wealden District Council. It is currently used for grazing.

The site lies to the south west of Lower Horsebridge village and is separated from the northern Hailsham urban area by the Cuckmere River and its floodplain. The site is adjacent to the Boship Roundabout and associated development on the A22 concentrated in this location.

At this stage, the application is concerning the vehicular access. The finer details like appearance and landscaping will be decided at a later date. According to the plans, the A271 is ‘the most suitable location’ for access and is ‘well set back’ from the Boship Roundabout which means traffic shouldn’t end up queuing.

The site would have a single main access route and then a series of culdesac side roads, creating six smaller residential parcels within the site. If approved, a mix of houses and low-rise apartments would be built with gardens, parking, and shared open space.

Plans say: “The principal purpose of the proposals is to contribute to the supply of housing within Wealden District in a sustainable manner, including policy compliant levels of affordable housing.

“Taking into account the current position with regard to housing land supply in Wealden district, and national planning policy, permission should be granted for these proposals which can provide much needed sustainable residential development, the limited adverse effects of which are considered to be substantially outweighed by the social, economic and environmental benefits that the scheme will deliver.”

There have been objection letters from residents who believe the road is already at capacity and there are not enough facilities, like schools and GPs, to support a development of this size.

Daraius Master said in his letter: “The area is prone to flooding and the existing road infrastructure is not capable of more capacity. Lower Horsebridge Road is already at capacity and is a very busy intersection at rush hour with the Bowship Roundabout.”

On the subject of flooding the plans say: “Given the proximity of the site to the Cuckmere River, a flood model has been prepared to establish a good understanding of the extent of flood risk zones in the area. The proposed development area of the site is wholly within flood zone 1 (low probability).”

Dan Moore also said the field floods ‘regularly and extensively’ and there’s species like water voles and otters to consider.

Lynn Foord said: “The infrastructure is not sufficient to take this amount of building work. Be sensible, bold and brave and say no!”

Members of the public can comment on the plans until March 24 (reference: WD/2022/3222/MAO).

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