Replacing Hailsham home with terrace of four refused on appeal

In a decision notice published on Monday (October 23), a planning inspector has dismissed an appeal connected with plans to demolish a bungalow at 9 Upper Horsebridge and to build a terrace of four new houses in its place.

The scheme had been refused planning permission by Wealden District Council in June last year, on the grounds it would harm highway safety, harm the character of the area and result in overlooking of neighbouring properties.

While the planning inspector did not share the council’s concerns about the scheme’s appearance or its potential for overlooking, they did agree that it would have “a harmful effect on the safety of pedestrians, cyclists and drivers using Upper Horsebridge.”

This harm was the result of the site’s parking layout, with concerns being raised about its potential conflict with access to a neighbouring property. It was considered to outweigh the benefits of the scheme and the appeal was dismissed as a result.

In their decision notice, the planning inspector said: “In this instance the harm that would be caused would significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits of the appeal scheme. Therefore, the presumption in favour of sustainable development does not apply.”

The application is the second proposal for the site which has been dismissed at appeal, with a similar previous scheme having been turned down in January 2020.

For further information on the proposals see application reference WD/2021/3044/F on the Wealden District Council website.