Question 10 re. the merits of higher or lower levels of growth, especially in the short to medium term

Comment

Representation ID: 18512

Received: 30/11/2006

Respondent: HOWARD HUTTON & ASSOCIATES

Agent: HOWARD HUTTON & ASSOCIATES

The overall level of development is outside of the Council's control and will be determined through the Regional Spatial Strategy/South East plan.

The core strategy will need to be sufficiently flexible to respond to the higher levels of growth that are likely to emerge through the examination of the South East Plan.

Comment

Representation ID: 18522

Received: 06/12/2006

Respondent: Aroncorp Ltd

Agent: Broadlands

A higher level of growth is required to facilitate the provision of a quantum of affordable housing necessary to meet the identified need.

Comment

Representation ID: 18570

Received: 29/01/2007

Respondent: Learning and Skills Council Sussex

If the population becomes a younger one, consideration will need to be given to the increased movement of pupils and students across the district and into Hastings. It will affect calculations for the effects of housing, transport, leisure and other services.

Comment

Representation ID: 18597

Received: 30/01/2007

Respondent: Etchingham Parish Council

Housing provision too is a prime example. It is established that Rother will not be able to satisfy the number of demand-led new builds, central government target figures or even internal demand for affordable homes for local workers in the current market climate.
A lead must therefore be made at District level in setting out clearly the constraints to the lack of space for new building dictated by the large area of outstanding natural beauty.

Comment

Representation ID: 18617

Received: 31/01/2007

Respondent: Ewhurst Parish Council

Development levels should be guided by the need to preserve the identities of distinct communities.

Comment

Representation ID: 18640

Received: 31/01/2007

Respondent: Rye Conservation Society

we consider that there has to be a correlation between housing growth, infrastructure development and job creation. This argues strongly in favour of lower new house-building in the short to medium term. The already severe and mounting pressures on the built and the natural environment should be eased and not accelerated if possible.

Comment

Representation ID: 18650

Received: 01/02/2007

Respondent: Croudace Strategic Ltd

Agent: Charles Planning Associates Limited

Croudace welcomes the acceptance that delays in the North-East Bexhill urban extension has created a Structure Plan housing requirement shortfall. The Core Strategy should rectify this early in the Strategy period (before 2011) by prioritising the delivery of sites, firstly bringing forward Local Plan sites to meet the shortfall. PPS3 requires Council’s to demonstrate a rolling 5 year housing supply.

The â€~Drivers for Change’ section and the Strategy should bring forward suitable sites in the short term to deliver affordable and market housing. Specifically, the Core Strategy should release existing phased sites e.g. land at Grove Farm, Robertsbridge.

Comment

Representation ID: 18659

Received: 01/02/2007

Respondent: Croudace Strategic Ltd

Agent: Charles Planning Associates Limited

The Core Strategy should not seek to address possible lower levels of growth, in view of the provisional nature of the South East Plan requirement, but ensure flexibility and housing land supply to meet higher growth levels. Lower growth levels would exacerbate the District’s affordability issue and promote the loss of working age population.

The Council should support higher growth levels to improve the internal sustainability of the District and its settlements.

Comment

Representation ID: 18691

Received: 02/02/2007

Respondent: Mr. A. Miskin

Agent: DMH Stallard

It is important to locate development close to areas where there are existing facilities, and therefore the target to locate these dwellings in and around Bexhill and on the fringes of Hastings should be encouraged, to reduce the pressure on the rural areas to meet the need for new housing.

There may be a need to provide increased levels of housing than current targets suggest, therefore it is important to fully consider a number of sites for major development to create a 'fallback' position.

Comment

Representation ID: 18695

Received: 02/02/2007

Respondent: Mrs. P.C. Ward-Jones

Agent: JB Planning Associates Ltd.

Major development sites require a long lead-in time. The local housing market dictates the number of homes that can be built in a year.

The strategy should be based on local delivery rates. Deferring new allocations ignores the practicalities of bringing land forward and construction time. A better strategy is to bring forward land earlier, using phasing controls to ensure supply for the remainder of the Plan period. The requirements should be to reach the required supply rates early in the Plan period to maximise the likelihood of meeting the target and to bring forward much needed housing.

Comment

Representation ID: 18703

Received: 05/02/2007

Respondent: Mr. and Mrs. Appleby

Agent: Terence O'Rourke

PPS3 encourages authorities to have strategies which achieve a good mix of housing and create sustainable communities. The Issues and Options document acknowledges that the housing needs of Rother’s communities are diverse and that it is important to deliver a closer alignment between these needs and the housing types provided.

Higher growth levels will improve the variety of housing in the district, particularly in terms of tenure and price and help achieve a mix of different households.

The Core Strategy should plan for the level of housing proposed in the South East Plan.

Comment

Representation ID: 18724

Received: 08/02/2007

Respondent: English Village Projects

Agent: Evison & Company

It is critical that housing projections should not be allowed to become a justification for a level of growth which allows no flexibility and thereby frustrates other desirable objectives.

Comment

Representation ID: 18758

Received: 09/02/2007

Respondent: PREM (Rooster) Limited

Agent: Montagu Evans

The draft S E Plan targets the construction of 280 residential units per year within the District. This is above the build rate during 1991-2006 and suggests that the figure may not be achieved.

Whilst the majority of these are due to be built in the coastal belt, flexibility between the two 'areas' of the District should be maintained, making the best use of all available opportunities as arise. Where a brownfield, which may well be a 'windfall' site, comes forward for redevelopment, its potential should be fully utilised.

Comment

Representation ID: 18769

Received: 09/02/2007

Respondent: East Sussex County Council

The South East Plan district development levels are contingent on key infrastructure. Should these schemes, including the Link Road, not come forward as planned, the development rates will be challenging.

To advocate significantly higher housing levels would have implications for the issues in paragraph 11.11. Whilst higher development levels could bring more affordable housing, it would also bring adverse effects such as insufficient employment development. This could result in increased job competition, higher out-commuting and elderly in-migration. This scenario would also require a greater greenfield component with implications for the quality and character of the environment and infrastructure delivery.

Comment

Representation ID: 18782

Received: 09/02/2007

Respondent: Home Builders Federation

Growth areas will account for only 20% of housing growth in the South East. In such circumstances, and considering the historic under supply of housing in the South East as a whole, Rother (like other Councils) should plan for the highest growth scenario as this is robust and will mean the Council is prepared for all eventualities should the South East Plan numbers be revised upwards.

Comment

Representation ID: 18803

Received: 13/02/2007

Respondent: The Crown Estate

Agent: Cluttons LLP

Higher growth levels in the short to medium term would allow the Strategy to both regenerate urban areas and make provision for rural regeneration. Some of the increased growth could be targeted at rural areas to tackle the affordable housing problem and provide more mixed communities, supporting local facilities, services and employment opportunities improving the self sufficiency of communities. This would benefit the local economy as there would be less reliance upon the car to travel to the main urban areas to seek work or facilities.

Comment

Representation ID: 18816

Received: 13/02/2007

Respondent: AmicusHorizon Ltd (Rother Homes)

Our only comment is that given the existing age structure within the Rother district, economic growth might intensify the need for extra affordable accommodation because of inward migration.

Comment

Representation ID: 18856

Received: 14/02/2007

Respondent: The National Trust

The South East Plan will ultimately set the targets for future development in the District over the plan period. We have consistently argued that to achieve sustainable development a 'capacity approach' is required which takes into account local needs and the potential of the region to accommodate growth. In Rother we would oppose higher levels of growth than those currently proposed in the South East Plan due primarily to the potentially unacceptable impact on open countryside and the High Weald AONB.

Comment

Representation ID: 18885

Received: 15/02/2007

Respondent: Strutt & Parker

It is important that the Core Strategy reflects the anticipated level of growth in the emerging South East Plan.

Comment

Representation ID: 18912

Received: 16/02/2007

Respondent: Councillor David Vereker

It would be madness to go for big growth without the necessary infrastructure.

Comment

Representation ID: 18937

Received: 19/02/2007

Respondent: Rother Voluntary Action

Respective merits of higher or lower levels of growth? No growth equals stagnation. High growth requires commensurate investment in community infrastructure and the transport network.