Bexhill Development Strategy - land west of Bexhill
Proposed Modification Nos. MOD 7.13, 7.14, 8.6, 8.10, 8.11 and 8.12

1. Draft Policy OSS1 aims to focus new development at Bexhill. "lt should benefit from enhanced facilities and services which would result from further development" (paragraph 35 of the Council's 'Summary Appraisal of Sustainable Housing Growth'). The Council acknowledge that in light of the review of the assessed housing needs (based upon the County Council's projections), there is now a need to increase housing supply in the District compared to that previously proposed in the Submission Draft version of the Core Strategy.

2. Proposed MOD 7.13 now seeks to increase the housing requirement to at least 5,700 dwellings over the Plan period and MOD 7.14 and 8.12 confirms the intention to increase the housing requirement to 3,100 dwellings in Bexhill (subject to the outcome of an ongoing Transport Capacity Study). While much of this housing development is dependant upon the completion of the Hastings to Bexhill link road, MOD 8.10 indicates there is also potential at 'broad locations' around the northern and western edges of the town. Paragraph 8.59 of the Proposed Submission Core Strategy states that development "may be extended westwards adjacent to the urban area without undue impact on the wider landscape". Paragraph 8.60 also indicates that development to the west of Little Common, both north and south of Barnhom Road (A259) will also be considered with access created directly onto the A259, with the scale, timing and locations ideally being determined at the site allocations stage (MOD8.11).

3. Within this context, the updated (June 2013) Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment (SHLAA) will be an important consideration, but until now, there has been no opportunity for developers or landowners to scrutinise the Council's conclusions in the respect of the separate sites identified.

4. As regards one of the Council's stated intentions of a broad location for housing growth being identified around the 'western edges of the town', land at the western end of Barnhorn Road (A259) would be a key consideration. The main candidate site in this respect would be SHLAA site BX50, which comprises an undeveloped parcel of land outside the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty that is located to the west of no. 163 Bamhorn Road (see SHLAA extract contained in appendix 1 attached). The land comprises an undeveloped gap in otherwise built front frontage where public views along the A259 are screened by tall evergreen trees along the road frontage.

5. Although the land has been assessed by the Council as a 'red' site not suitable for housing development, this conclusion is open challenge and these representations (i.e. TCPS Representations No. 6) make the case that this land is suitable and should be examined in detail as to its potential at the site allocations stage.

6. The 'Technical Note' contained in appendix 2 attached demonstrates that access could be obtained to serve up to 40 dwellings on the site. The Technical Note contains an illustrative drawing no. 4377/1 showing layout of 32 dwellings on the site comprising a mix of two, three and four bedroom units that would include 40% affordable housing. The illustrative layout demonstrates the retention of trees along the road frontage and availability of space to create landscape buffers around other boundaries of the site.

7. Thus, this housing development would comprise a western extension to Bexhill and make a useful contribution to housing supply in a form that is not dependent upon the construction of the link road. The Council's recent decision to resolve to permit 275 dwellings to the north of Barnhorn Road (planning application no. RR/2012/1978/P) confirms that a new access onto the A259 can be acceptable in principle.

Supplementary information submitted with the representation can be found here:
http://www.rother.gov.uk/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=20686