Councillors have called on developers to reduce the scale of major housing development proposals.
On Wednesday (April 15), Lewes District Council’s planning committee opted to defer its decision on an application seeking outline permission to build up to 140 homes to the west of Broyle Side on 16 hectares of land associated with Howells Bank Farm, Ringmer.
The proposals, submitted by Catesby Strategic Land, had proven to be controversial, generating more than 583 letters of objection.
Some of their concerns were raised by Ringmer parish councillor John Kay, who said: “The scale — at 140 [homes] — is larger than any Ringmer development in the past half century and would be hugely disproportionate for a local village.
“The council’s own landscape expert regards the impact as unacceptable and you as decision-makers should give this very substantial weight in the planning balance.”
He said the application, if approved, would result in a 70 per cent increase in the size of Broyle Side when combined with other development.
It would put pressure on local infrastructure and be an unsustainable site whose future residents would be reliant on cars, he added.
Cllr Kay said: “The [officer] report seeks to give the impression that everyone who comes live here will walk or wheel the mile from this site to the shops or the doctors’ surgery or the primary or nursery schools in Ringmer village. They won’t, just like existing Broyle Side residents don’t.”
Ringmer Parish Council argued the proposals represented a “speculative” development and would be “out of character” for the area.
It also raised concerns about the ability of the Earwig Corner junction to cope with additional traffic. These concerns were not supported by East Sussex Highways.
Council officers’ recommendation was in favour of development. This was partly based on the district housing supply shortage which results in a “tilted balance” in favour of development going ahead as a result of national planning rules.
As an alternative option, officers suggested a deferral to allow them to enter into further negotiations with the developer and seek changes to address the committee’s concerns. This could include a reduced number of homes and the provision of additional facilities, the committee heard.
If these negotiations result in changes, the scheme could be brought back for further discussion by the committee. If not, officers said the application could then be refused on the grounds of its sustainability and its landscape impact.
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Proposing a deferral on these grounds, Green councillor James Meek said: “I know that it is hard for people to accept that, but I feel with some community infrastructure in place it would help to mitigate the situation in Broyle Side.”
Cllr Meek had previously said he felt the scheme should only see around “half the houses” built on the site and provide more infrastructure, such as a convenience store and/or a community hub.
As an outline scheme, the application had primarily been seeking to establish the principle of building housing on the site. All details other than the site’s main access via Broyle Lane and the creation of a spine road would be expected to come forward at a later date.
The officers’ recommendation to approve would have incorporated a number of planning conditions and legal obligations.
These would have been expected to include a planning condition to “ensure that no dwellings are connected to the sewer system or occupied until any necessary improvement works have been carried out to the sewer infrastructure.”
For further information see application reference LW/24/0760 on the Lewes District Council planning website.