Parish and district councillors have publicly clashed over controversial housing development in Five Ash Down.
In a public post on Facebook, a spokesman for Buxted Parish Council wrote that the organisation felt ‘badly let down’ by Wealden District Council’s lack of an updated local plan.
The parish council said this had led to limited meaningful discussions of planning applications, particularly recently-approved plans to build 40 homes on land at Coopers Row.
For its part, Wealden District Council’s Conservative leadership described the statement as “thoroughly confused, ill-informed and misleading”.
In its statement, a Buxted Parish Council spokesman said:
“The council feels badly let down by Wealden District Council, which has failed to produce a timely Local Plan or indicate preferred development sites [and] which would have allowed the parish council to respond to planning consultations in a focused detailed way based on policy grounds, and where possible, [obtain] benefit to the local area (should applications be approved).
“Instead, we are responding having no knowledge as to whether each site will be allocated for development within any emerging local plan and without WDC having considered the accumulative effect that the development of these sites will have on the village and surrounding area.
“We have been told time after time that each site would be considered on its own merit, but this would not now appear to be the case.”
The statement goes on to say the parish council feels its objections to specific developments are not being given proper weight by district council planners.
They say this is because the district council is under pressure after failing to meet government housing targets. Under national planning rules councils are required to give a ‘presumption in favour of sustainable development’ when housing targets are not being met.
However, the statement has come in for criticism from Conservative council leader Ann Newton.
Cllr Newton, also cabinet member for planning, said:
“While we welcome and maintain constant dialogue with all our parishes, this kind of underhand and mischievous public outburst is not in the best traditions of local councils.
“Members of Buxted Parish Council will know full well that they only have to pick up the phone or send an email to myself or one of the senior planning team at Wealden for a full, frank and honest answer to any question.”
She added:
“This is neither the right nor the best way to engage in the democratic process.
“Despite the various accusations, let me assure everyone that each and every planning application is considered on its own merits and our officers work diligently within the National Planning Policy Framework and the myriad other statues to present a balanced view to the relevant planning committee.”
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