Decision due on new housing schemes

Plans to create new homes are set to go in front of councillors.

On April 9, Wealden District Council’s majors planning committee is due to consider two applications, which seek permission to build housing in Buxted and Coopers Green, near Uckfield.

Both applications had previously been set for discussion at an earlier meeting on March 26, but the committee opted to end the proceedings before the items could be considered.

This was due to the council’s constitution requiring a vote to extend a planning committee meeting beyond three hours. While an extension was put to the vote, this measure was not supported by the majority of members.

The Coopers Green application, jointly submitted by Robin Nathan and promoter Catesby Strategic Land Limited, seeks outline permission to build up to 75 homes on a site to the north of Buxted Road.

As an outline scheme, it seeks to establish the principle of building housing on the site, with all matters other than access (via Buxted Road) to be determined as part of later applications.

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The committee will then be expected to consider an application put forward by Kitewood Estates Limited, which seeks permission to demolish the former Saxon Court care home in Buxted and build 30 homes in its place.

The Coopers Green scheme has proven to be more controversial, attracting 67 representations of objection.

Objectors argue the proposals would put significant pressure on local infrastructure and result in the coalescence of separate settlements. They also say the proposals will harm the Ashdown Forest and lead to the loss of agricultural land.

The council has reported receiving two objections in connection with the Saxon Court proposals. They say the scheme would be an overdevelopment of the site and could endanger highway safety.

In reports to the committee, council planning officers say the Coopers Green scheme would see the loss of greenfield land and result in some localised landscape harm.

They say the Saxon Court scheme would result in some “limited harm” to both the character of the area and to the natural beauty of the High Weald National Landscape.

In both cases, planning officers judge these harms to be adequately mitigated and outweighed by the benefits of development. As a result, both applications are being recommended for approval.

For more information on the Coopers Green scheme see application reference WD/2024/2481/MAO instead.

See application reference WD/2025/1996/MAJ for more information about the Saxon Court proposals.

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