Figure 8 is objected to as it does not indicate how, in circumstances where funding for the Bexhill/Hastings link road is not secured and the Council then seeks to reduce the overall housing target, (notwithstanding the projected need to accommodate some 3,918 additional households during the plan period - Figure 8 2010 SHMA Up-date report), how the Council would manage this situation.

Figure 8 should have 2 versions - a) and b). Version b) would indicate how the Bexhill/Hastings link road related housing (that could not be released without the link road) would be re-distributed across the District, including in the Rural Service Centres (such as Robertsbridge the full potential of which is not being utilised in the draft Core Strategy).

In addition, and in any event, it is considered that the total housing number allocated to the villages is too low and should be increased to 1,250 dwellings to more fully reflect the potential of the Rural Service Centres to accommodate additional development in sustainable locations, serving the rural hinterlands.

In the absence of a contingency approach the Core Strategy could fail as it would be incapable of delivering its poicies are proposals in PPS 12 terms if funding for the road was not secured.