Heathfield & Waldron Neighbourhood Plan Request REFUSED !
Proposal to Heathfield & Waldron Parish Council
On 10th March 2020 at 19:30 in the Community Centre in Sheepsetting Lane, Heathfield I asked H&W Parish Council to agree to create a Neighbourhood Plan for Heathfield and Waldron.
I am sorry to have to tell you that the Council voted against the proposal and their main reasons were that it would too expensive and cost upwards of £50,000, that it could take from 3 to 5 years to complete and they don't have the time, skills and knowledge to do the work.
It is particularly disappointing that the Council would not even allow an exploratory meeting to be held with Councillors and residents.
Equally as disappointing is that the process for the meeting is that members of the public are only allowed 3 minutes each to speak ... after which the public cannot say any more or have any discussion or dialogue with the Councillors.
Councillors can and do speak for many minutes at a time. Thus the arguements against the plan were pursued lengthily with repetition but the rules of how the meeting was conducted meant that I was not allowed to say anything further or to counter what was being said.
As you can imagine there is a more information that I need to share with you and I hope that you will bear with me over the weekend while I gather my thoughts and set things out for you to consider.
I think that the case we made was a strong one and was supported by housing figures taken from the WDC Local Plan (withdrawn) and the WDC Issues, Options and Recommendations document.
Had I been allowed to have an open discussion with the Councillors then I believe that I could have persuaded them to agree to hold an initial meeting with Heathfield residents who are key supporters of the AONB which surrounds Heathfield.
There is more information to come on this so please allow me a little time to update the website which I hope to have fully up to date again after the weekend.
I do not believe that the Council's decision has to be 'the end of the matter'.... A Neighbourhood Plan is your democratic right as set out in the Localism Act 2011.
Yours sincerely,
Sarah Bushnell, Secretary to the StopVinesCorner Group and Green Open Spaces for Heathfield.
SCROLL DOWN TO DOWNLOAD THE POLL WHICH WILL BE ON THE HEATHFIELD COMMUNITY FACEBOOK PAGE AND THE LETTER TO H&W PARISH COUNCILLORS
You Can Still Vote !
54 People Voted In Favour of a Neighbourhood Plan for Heathfield & Waldron ... the Poll is Open
We sent out nearly 250 letters to Residents asking if they would support a Neighhbourhood Plan .... We have received nearly 30 replies to date which is a very high response level.
Please scroll down to read the Messages of Support.
Messages of Support
All messages are attributed anonymously to respect privacy
R B from Heathfield & Waldron
'You can count on my support re your proposal for a Neighbourhood plan for Heathfield and Waldron' ...
A P from Heathfield & Waldron
' I fully support the Neighbourhood Plan for Heathfield and Waldron in order to ensure that local people have a say in local development'...
E S from Heathfield & Waldron
'I am writing to express support for the Heathfield & Waldron Neighbourhood Plan, this needs to be prepared urgently so that residents have a say in changes to our community'...
J W from Heathfield & Waldron
'I support A Neighbourhood Plan to help secure sensible growth that meets the needs of the community and protects our AONBs.
It is concerning that new houses are appearing continually yet the infrastructure does not support such as expansive growth. There are already existing developments with unsold plots that suggest the growth is outstripping the need - and threatening the countryside that is the main attraction for the residents' ... JW from Heathfield
W from Heathfield & Waldron
'Yes I give my support for Heathfield and Waldron Neighbourhood plan, We don't need any more properties build there are enough being built at present. Are all the new homes sold by the police station.... Then there is heatherlands, and more being built around Burwash Road areas. With schools doctors and parking in the High street at a premium the infrastructure just isn't there' ...
C D S from Heathfield & Waldron
'We feel it is vitally important that there is a Heathfield & Waldron Neighbourhood Plan so that this AONB is preserved to the highest degree for the pleasant living of all the residents both present and future. We understand that we need houses but this should come under a well thought out plan for the benefit of all including future generations to enjoy. It must also contain careful plans for the needs of families with schooling, transport and doctors surgeries.
Thank you for the work you are doing to try and protect our area for all times'...
R T C from Heathfield & Waldron
'We ... fully support a Neighbourhood plan to be put into place, we are extremely concerned as to the future of our ‘greenfield’ sites and the amount of new ‘developments’ in the ‘pipeline’ earmarked for Broad Oak and the rest of Heathfield.
We are also very concerned ,that Heathfield has not got the ‘infrastructure’ in place to cope with all the new housing that is proposed' ...
C F from Heathfield & Waldron
'Further to your letter dated 24 February 2020, I would like to express my support of the setting up of a local Neighbourhood Plan for the Parish of Heathfield and Waldron, which includes Broad Oak and parts of Punnetts Town, as a matter of urgency. ' ...
J P P from Heathfield & Waldron
'We are extremely concerned about the inappropriate planning applications submitted by developers to suburbanise our agricultural and pasture land, which lies within the AONB in Broad Oak and surrounding areas. It is imperative that we have a local plan to address these concerns and maintain the rural heritage of our local environment.' ...
C R B from Rother
'I definitely support a Heathfield and Waldron Neighbourhood Plan - although whether I qualify to give support I don’t know as I live ... just over the border into Rother. ' ...
R T from Heathfield & Waldron
'We do not know why WDC have withdrawn the Local Plan, with an inevitable consequence of giving developers a field day in implementing unsuitable developments without restraint.
We heartily support the request for a Heathfield and Waldron Neighbourhood Plan proposed in your letter of 24th February 2020 and hope support from residents will be overwhelming.' ...
More Messages of Support
B Q from Heathfield & Waldron
'I support your call for a Neighbourhood Plan'...
D C H from Heathfield & Waldron
'This is to confirm that we fully support the request for a Heathfield & Waldron Neighbourhood Plan.
In view of the recent withdrawal of the WDC plan, we consider that a new Neighbourhood Plan should be started immediately and would request that our Parish Councillors deal with this as a matter of urgency' ...
C P from Heathfield & Waldron
'In view of the fact that the Wealden Full Council has recently voted to agree to the recommendation to withdraw the draft Local Plan (2019) I fully support you lobbying the Heathfield & Waldron Planning Committee about the need for a Neighbourhood Plan (as set out in the Localism Acy 2011) for Heathfield and Waldron' ...
D W from Heathfield & Waldron
' Although I had heard of the rejection of the Local Plan, I had no idea of the serious repercussions which this brings. Clearly action is required! ' ...
B H G from Heathfield & Waldron
'Both my wife and I fully support your campaign.
The overall infrastructure currently within Heathfield is totally inadequate for the current population and to keep adding more people will exacerbate the problem even more. The nearest train stations are at Stonegate, Etchingham or Wadhurst so if you need to catch a train you need to be able to drive.
The Doctors Surgery in Heathfield is working at high capacity and people are unable to book appointments if they need them quickly, as with nearly all NHS locations they are overstretched.
There is very little Leisure facilities in Heathfield.
We had a Police Station with a Police Officer & PCSO’s but due to funding cuts they have been cut.
I would also suggest the status of utility supplies would be brought into question with local facilities already struggling to maintain supply.
I hope this is of use to your campaign' ...
B D from Heathfield & Waldron
'I strongly agree that the Parish Council should make a Neighbourhood Plan for the Parish including Broad Oak to protect the area from unsympathetic developments, keeping its green and outstanding beauty intact. Also a valid 5 year Housing Land Supply should be assembled in the near future as an extra safe measure' ...
L E from Heathfield & Waldron
'Of course I am happy to support your efforts via a vis the.Neighbourhood plan for Heathfield and Waldron. Please add my name. I hope to get to the meeting on 10 March.' ...
S G from Heathfield & Waldron
'I hereby support the request for a Heathfield and Waldron Neighbourhood Plan in view of the loss of the Local Plan and the District Council’s continued failure to assemble a valid 5 year Housing Land Supply opening the door to unchecked housing development across Wealden, which is unsupported by the appropriate infrastructure and invading our green belt.' ...
J D from Heathfield & Waldron
'Thanks for your letter. Strongly agree. We have to protect the AONB' ...
S J from Heathfield & Waldron
'I regret I cannot attend the meeting on 10th March but please note I support your move for a Neighbourhood Plan. Thank you for your efforts' ...
S A B from Heathfield & Waldron
'Both my husband and myself support the proposal for Heathfield and Waldron Neighbourhool Plan. We agree it is essential to keep our lovely countryside from being ruined by random building projects. Our areas of Natural Beauty need to be retained as much as possible and trees and vegetation need to be left to support the ever growing warming our planet.
Our roads as In Horam, the High Street, Hailsham Road to mention just a few, are bottle necks and we will soon become like West Sussex with overflowing traffic.
We would have liked to attend the meeting on the 10th March but are ... unable to attend. I hope this email will show our wholehearted support for a Neighourhood Plan for Heathfield and Waldron' ...
J G M from Heathfield & Waldron
' We thought as relatively new residents ... we would email to offer our support for a Neighbourhood Plan for Heathfield and Waldron to be implemented as a matter of urgency.
Having been passed information by our neighbour we were very sad to see that there are many proposed house building projects in the pipeline. We moved ... to escape the plague of house building and increased traffic in Surrey and to hopefully have a more peaceful semi retirement in what we saw as a rural setting.
We were aware when we purchased our property that a previous planning application to build ... had been fought with some degree of success and were certainly not expecting that there would be further attempts to build more, what we believe will be executive homes ....
We feel that a Neighbourhood Plan is the way forward for local residents to have some say over proposed developments/type of housing to be provided and all the issues that surround an increase in the local population, inevitable increased traffic and strain on local services' ...
Yet More Messages of Support
F G from Heathfield & Waldron
' Yes I support the plan' ...
E P from Heathfield & Waldron
'Just a quick note of support ... We are completely behind you regarding the need for a neighbourhood plan for Heathfield and Waldron Parish and we intend to be at the parish council meeting on the 10th March' ...
C J from Heathfield & Waldron
'I wholeheartedly give my support to the development of a Neighbourhood Plan by the parish council. The process of formulating the plan and the plan itself are essential to ensuring the voices of local people are heard on what is a highly contentious matter. To reject the the development of a Neighbourhood Plan at this time would be an abrogation of responsibility.
I urge the Parish Council to commission a plan as soon as possible' ... .
K G from Heathfield & Waldron
'I totally support your request for a Heathfield & Waldron Neighbourhood Plan. I may be there to support you on 10th' ...
S J D from Heathfield & Waldron
'Thank you very much for the information that you put through today.
We have Supported the Neighbourhood Plan on the Facebook page' ...
C T from Heathfield & Waldron
'I am extremely concerned about the recent removal of the Wealden plan and think many of our greenfield land will now be up for grabs and will affect our local area. There is not the capacity in terms of road capacity (roads are traffic logged and in extremely poor state) air quality (more homes equals more pollution) and just generally irrevocably changing the face of our beautiful county. Wealden are being asked to take the extra housing need for Eastbourne but why can't brownfield sites for lower cost housing be explored in Eastbourne (TJ Hughes and Denham could easily be converted into small affordable housing). I am concerned this is motivated by greed and badly thought out policies. Heathfield does not need more housing' ...
and More Messages
E C from Heathfield & Waldron
'I ... support the request made for the preparation of a Neighbourhood Plan to be commenced straight away, to take advantage of the period during which a new Wealden Local Plan is having to produced and then taken through the consultation & examination stages ...
This is an opportunity for the Parish .... to set out in its own words what opportunities it wants to be taken, what existing features it wants to see protected or perhaps enhanced, and if changes are determined to be needed, give some indication of locations, form, scale etc that are preferred. This is surely preferable to the present situation of sitting waiting for proposals to be advanced out of the blue by others (usually from outside this Parish) in the form of planning applications, local plans etc, over which the Parish has had little or no prior involvement' ...
D M W from Heathfield & Waldron
'We support your idea to get H&W PC to make a Neighbourhood Plan for our Parish of Heahfield & Waldron'...
... from Heathfield & Waldron
I can put your message of support here ...
... from Heathfield & Waldron
I can put your message of support here ...
... from Heathfield & Waldron
I can put your message of support here ...
... from Heathfield & Waldron
I can put your message of support here ...
Contact Your Councillors
Wealden District Councillors
Leader of Wealden District Council, Councillor Bob Standley, Berriedale, Mayfield Lane, Wadhurst. East Sussex TN5 6JE Telephone 01892 783579
Email: cllr.bob.standley@wealden.gov.uk
Wealden District Councillor for Heathfield South:
Cllr Roger Thomas, Glaisdale, Ghyll Road, Heathfield. East Sussex. TN21 OAG Telephone: 01435 868229
Email: roger-thomas@outlook.com
Wealden District Councillor for Heathfield North:
Cllr Dick Angel, Firlands House. Mutton Hall Hill. Heathfield. East Sussex TN21 8NL. Telephone: 01435 864977
Email: cllr.dick.angel@wealden.gov.uk
Wealden District Councillor for Framfield & Cross-in-Hand:
Cllr Ann Newton, Highlands, Framfield Road, Blackboys. East Sussex TN22 5LR
Telephone: 01825 890103
Email: cllr.ann.newton@wealden.gov.uk
Wealden District Council Executives & Planning
Trevor Scott Wealden District Council Chief Executive Telephone 01323 443322
Email: chiefexec@wealden.gov.uk
Isabel Garden Wealden District Council Deputy Chief Executive and Director of Planning, Policy & Environmental Services Telephone 01323 443322
Email: exec@wealden.gov.uk
Stacey Robbins - Wealden District Council Head of Planning & Building Control
Chris Bending - Wealden District Council Head of Policy & Economic Development
Wealden District Council, Vicarage Lane Hailsham. BN27 2AX Telephone 01323 443322
Your MPs, County and Parish Councillors
Huw Merriman MP, 29-31 Sea Rd, Bexhill-on-Sea TN40 1EE Telephone 01424 736861 SW1A 0AA
Email: huw.merriman.mp@parliament.uk
Nusrat Ghani MP, House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA Tel: 020 7219 4619
Email: nusrat.ghani.mp@parliament.uk
Councillor Rupert Simmons, Beacon View Cottage Waldron Heathfield TN21 0QU. Phone: 01435 813481.
Email: cllr.rupert.simmons@eastsussex.gov.uk
Chair of Heathfield & Waldron Parish Council, Councillor Andy Woolley, 1 Hawthorne Close, Heathfield. East Sussex. TN21 8HP Telephone: 01435 860655
Email: woolla007@gmail.com
Chair of Heathfield & Waldron Parish Planning Committee, Councillor Patrick Coffey, 8 Cherwell Road, Heathfield. East Sussex. TN21 8JT Telephone: 01435 866244