Criterion iv of policy RA1 refers to the need to protect and enhance social infrastructure. This includes education although the goal of this criterion is to promote social and community provision. My client considers that education is an essential element of any community and particularly in Sedlescombe. The wording of criterion iv does not sufficiently reflect the importance of this provision and potentially could prevent the provision of such facilities being granted sufficient weight in the decision making process.

As a former local resident and a member of the family that provided the land that the local school was built on my client is passionate about the continued preservation and enhancement of Sedlescombe Primary School. The Council's own Rural Settlements Study (2008) identified that even without any new housing in the village the school will soon be close to capacity. My client is aware that both the school and the LEA have identified the need for the school to develop a seventh classroom in the future. We are also aware that the existing pre-school within the village is oversubscribed and unable to operate five days a week or offer a full range of pre-school provision because of operational restrictions in its current location. We have included letters from both operators outlining their needs. My client is currently involved in detailed discussions with both the primary school and the pre-school to identify opportunities to enhance provision for both operators at his site. The potential for this is identified on the attached masterplan.

Given the needs of these existing education services in the village and the intention of policy RA1 to identify up to 58 new homes in Sedlescombe in the plan period we consider that the policy should actively promote additional educational facilities in the village. We consider that the failure to proactively plan for this in policy RA1 would result in insufficient education facilities in the village in the future, ultimately impacting upon its vitality and viability. We therefore consider the absence of this to render the policy ineffective in its ability to protect the needs of rural communities and therefore unsound.

Our suggested remedy is as follows:

* Delete reference to education within criterion iv.
* Amend the title above paragraph 12.34 to include reference to education facilities to more accurately reflect the text in this paragraph.
* Introduce a new criterion within policy RA1 to explain how the Council intends to plan for educational uses. We suggest the following text:

"Encourage educational facilities that either enhance existing provision or provide new facilities to address an educational need/demand in a village and/or assist in preserving or enhancing the vitality and viability of the village. In doing so the Council will have regard to the employment opportunities that new or improved educational facilities may create;"