Ticehurst Parish Council
The Village Hall, Lower High Street, Ticehurst, East Sussex,
TN5 7BB 01580 754 090
Notes made at a meeting held on 22nd March 2010 Ticehurst Institute
– 10.30 a.m.
Present: Cllrs. Goodall, Maynard, Semple and the Clerk.
Hastoe Housing representative – Jane joined the meeting
AIRS representative Tom Warder
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Purpose of Meeting:
To establish what action Hastoe proposed to take with regard to the
Upper Platts Exception Site or any other.
The Parish Council had initiated the meeting to discuss plans and to
see if other sites could be looked at again or whether other sites could be
identified.
AIRS reiterated that the 2007 Housing Needs Survey identified a ‘substantial
need’ rather than a small one and therefore they do not want to give up trying
to secure an exception site in Ticehurst.
OPTIONS with regard to Upper Platts Site:
It was agreed that any affordable site should be as attractive as
possible.
Correspondence throughout the two and a half year period was revisited
and Hastoe felt that after negotiations broke down on the preferred ‘Cherry
Tree site’, the Upper Platts site was identified as the only viable option
and that Andy Rowland at RDC Planning had looked at the options and felt that
it was the most likely to gain planning permission early on during Hastoes
and AIRS consultation process. It was appreciated that exception sites were
gained at a price substantially below the market levels and were often outside
villages.
Local objections were considered: It was pointed out that since
the 2007 survey, 14 affordable houses have been supplied at Farthing Hill,
the second phase of Newington Court has supplied at least 20 more affordable
dwellings, the new flats at Springfields due to be completed in 2010 will provide
another 10 affordable units and then the fate of Woodroffe Lodge could provide
more. As occupancy of these properties is not determined by ‘exception’ criteria,
anyone with enough ‘points’ can apply for them. Cllr. Semple pointed out that
the last five houses (within the Springfields and Farthing Hill estate) that
became vacant have since been occupied by families from London, Ashford, Maidstone
and near Rye. There is a suspicion within the village that the ‘local need’
is being held back to justify an exception site. It was also pointed out that
the original Springfields site was compulsory purchased for ‘local people’
only, but this has proved not to be the case. Ticehurst has already taken
over 80% of all the affordable housing that Rother have provided over the last
3 years.
Hastoe housing have not yet made a decision on what action they will
take, but it is likely to be in the form of an appeal. Cllr. Goodall pointed
out that it was unlikely that the Parish Council would be supportive of an
appeal on this site as they have previously voted to recommend its refusal.
This may be coupled with a fresh application which will seek to gain
the approval of East Sussex Highways Dept. Talks with them have proved positive
with regard to the change in the speed limit.
The applicants will only include traffic measures to meet ESCC required
standards, which might not be what the Parish Council feel that they would
like on the eastern approach to the village. There could be some pedestrian
access agreed, but not necessarily all the way to their proposed site. The
Parish Council would be invited to contribute to more traffic calming measures.
It was stated that no other site was being considered at this stage.