Concerned about new housing developments in Wealden? Here's a Q&A explainer about what a Local Plan is, how it relates to centrally-imposed targets, and how you can have your say.
What is a Local Plan?
It is the responsibility of the District Council to permit or refuse proposals for development
within the area. A Local Plan guides how these decisions are made in relation to housing,
employment, retail and more, alongside other documents such as Neighbourhood Plans.
The law says that it is the job of the District Council to prepare such a Plan, in consultation
with the local community, and in line with strict government guidelines. Many residents will
know that Wealden is without an up-to-date Local Plan, after a previous submission failed to
pass the government’s inspection in 2019.
What about government housing targets?
The government sets out a formula as a starting point for determining future housing needs
for Wealden. This is often termed ‘housing targets’. Meeting these ‘targets’ would mean
more building and development than many of our residents would want to see in Wealden.
However, the Local Plan we submit must be approved by the government’s Planning
Inspector, so it must carefully follow the government’s rigid rules.
Didn’t the government just remove housing targets?
The short answer? No! Just before Christmas, the government said the targets were not
compulsory, but “an advisory starting point" and could be lowered for exceptional Districts.
Sometimes it might be possible for a Council to choose a lower target. However, the small
print makes clear that Wealden is not exceptional according to their definition. The only way
we can commit to building fewer homes than our target is if restrictions (eg environmental)
mean that we don't have enough available sites to provide the full target number. We also
have obligation to help out neighbouring Districts should they not be able to manage their full
allocation, where we have the land available to do so.
So how many new homes will be allowed in Wealden?
The Government’s formula calculates that Wealden should give permission for 1200 new
homes each year for 20 years. But we are not sure that we have enough appropriate land for
that many. We are currently investigating whether the sites which have been submitted to us
are suitable, so that we can assess the number of new homes that Wealden can sustainably
provide.
Why do we need to have a Local Plan at all?
Without an up to date Plan, we experience a planning ‘free-for-all’. Developers can apply for
permission to build wherever they like, and it’s much harder for Planning Committees to
refuse. A Local Plan makes it easier to ensure that development happens only on sites
included in the Plan. It will also allow us to insist on things like lower carbon emissions,
improved building standards, water conservation, better design, and more protection of
nature and biodiversity. We also hope to be able to increase the proportion of affordable
housing, and more 2 and 3 bedroom houses to better reflect local need.
We are already under some pressure from central government to get the Local Plan in place
asap. The worst case scenario would be that we lose our planning powers altogether and
have to hand over the whole process to central government.
But there’s a General Election coming up, and there might be a new government next
year, maybe they’ll change the targets?
We have listened carefully to what the major parties are saying and it is clear that no other
party likely to be in government post election will seek to reduce targets. If anything, they
may strengthen them.
There’s so much focus on new homes, is there anything else in the Local Plan?
Yes, alongside identifying land for new homes, we will identify sites for new jobs,
infrastructure, e.g. improved road capacity and public transport, new health facilities, new
playing fields. Wealden has a large proportion of the High Weald National Landscape
(formerly known as Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB)) within its area, as well as
protected sites such as the Ashdown Forest, Pevensey Levels and South Downs National
Park and we will make sure these are protected. We will set out new policies to ensure
better design of developments and that they are built to higher energy efficiency and build
quality standards. We will also seek improvements to biodiversity and green infrastructure,
whilst also mitigating and adapting to climate change.
Is my District Councillor contributing to the Local Plan?
Councillors have been invited to attend numerous meetings and workshops discussing the
content of the Local Plan over the last few months. They continue to be consulted as this
first draft is finalised, but that's not the end of it. There’s an awful lot to share and to
consider, so this is a gradual process with lots of back and forth. It's important to remember
that our drafts aren't considered perfect by anyone! Nor could they be, as they await public
input. Councillors can influence throughout the process.
When will the draft Local Plan be shared with residents and how can I comment?
On February 8th 2024 there will be an Extraordinary Full Council meeting at Wealden District
Council offices in Hailsham, also webcast online. The draft Local Plan will be debated and
brought to the vote. If it passes, we will enter the vital phase of consultation with the public.
If you would like to receive updates about the Draft Local Plan and take part in the
consultation process, please register using Wealden's consultation portal at Consultation Home - Keystone (wealden.gov.uk).
What happens after the consultation?
Once the consultation ends, we’ll review all the comments made on the document and use
them to feed into the next draft of the Plan. There will be a further consultation on the Plan
the Council wishes to bring forward in due course around Winter 2024 before it gets
submitted for Examination by an independent Inspector.