Development and Site Allocations (DaSA) Local Plan - Options and Preferred Options

Policy DEN7: the policy should recognise that no street lighting should be provided in new developments in rural areas where no street lighting exists to ensure light pollution is not increased and to maintain a non urban approach to lighting in rural villages. In addition restrictions should be in place for
(a) the installation of security lights on all new developments (including post fitting by property owners) and
(b) the use of motion-sensor security lights that are triggered by domestic/feral animals with the effect that the lights remain on for extended periods throughout the night.

Policy CAM2: it is not logical to refuse support for other sites that are more distant from the coast 'because of flood risk concerns' and then proposed 10 dwelling 'on stilts' on this site in flood zones 2 and 3. If dwelling are built here they should be restricted to the northern part of the developable area.

Support the reinstatement of Rother District Railway which will have a significant benefit in improving transport links between Tenterden through Robertsbridge onto the mainline network.

Neighbourhood Plans.

The DaSA expects all neighbourhood plans to have completed regulation 14 by end
August 2017. This is unachievable and the date needs to be considerably extended.

Sedlescombe has the best experience having completed the regulation 14 twice
and has a good understanding of RDC's requirements and timescales. RDC has very
limited resources to service Neighbourhood Plans. It should be noted that a
neighbourhood plan does not carry weight at regulation 14 for planning applications and should not therefore be considered to carry weight in the site assessment process through the DaSA.

It is highly unlikely that a number of parishes will have achieved regulation 14 by September as some have barely commenced their plans. 4 out of the 8 months now available will be taken up with sea scoping and regulation 14 consultation periods leaving just 4 months for the highly complex and detailed work of preparing the draft plan and submission version let alone the call for sites and site assessment work and evidence gathering. The LPA needs to put significant resources into supporting the emerging Neighbourhood plans by funding additional officers through the grants made available by central government to LPA'S for supporting neighbourhood plans to ensure as many as possible meet the LPA'S deadline.

SPORTS AND RECREATION FACILITIES

Sedlescombe sports field has been incorrectly referred to as Oakland Park. Currently the field is run by the Sedlescombe Sports Association (SSA) whose mandate is to promote a wide variety of sports not to simply place all control with one sport. The DaSA documents suggests control be given to the Sedlescombe Rangers which is outside the DC'S gift and responsibility. This would be contrary to the mandate of the SSA and beyond the terms of the SSA'S Sedlescombe lease with the Parish Council who is the ultimate owner. In addition a very small percentage of the rangers is made up of children from Sedlescombe.