Passionate opinions were voiced on Thursday August 3 at the monthly meeting of the Playden Parish Council where a new housing development was discussed.
The development up for discussion would see 24 new houses replace a single detached house plus its paddock on New England Lane.
Playden's Women's Institute was packed with concerned residents voicing opposition to the proposed development. Also present was Keith Glazier, leader of East Sussex County Council and much of the debate hinged on whether Playden was the right setting for such an 'urban' concentration of houses.
Concerns were also raised on access and increased traffic that the development would generate because the proposed development is at the corner of the single track New England Lane and the busy A268 Rye Road.
Further concerns, such as noise and light pollution, over-development, and increased water run off were also raised.
While Playden is a separate parish from Rye, and it is not included in Rye's draft Neighbourhood Plan, some voiced the concern that such a dense development would open the way for more housing along the Rye Road and further join the two towns together.
The makeup of the development was discussed, whereby over 30% of the homes would be classed as affordable housing. Therefore of the proposed 24 houses, five will be affordable rented and three will be shared ownership.
To date, East Sussex County Council is split in its opinion. Keith Glazier pointed out that while the highways team had yet to submit a formal decision, they would not be opposing the development on the grounds of inadequate access. In contradiction, the archaeological team are currently recommending refusing the scheme because not enough evidence has been submitted that the site isn't of archaeological importance.
Prior to the meeting Rother District Council (RDC) had received over 30 written responses, all with varying degrees of opposition. A number of submissions pointed out that a proposal in 2004 for one additional house on the site was rejected by RDC because it wasn't in keeping with the rural setting.
Playden Parish Council concluded that they are strongly opposed to the application and urged residents to respond with their comments before the deadline.
The full planning application can be found here.
Photo: Gerard Reilly
