A meeting of Wealden District’s full council was held today (18 September), preceded by a special Cabinet meeting, debating the controversial Draft Local Plan (2026 to 2042) and whether to progress it further to what’s called Regulation 19, statutory public consultation.
The ruling Alliance at Wealden (comprising the Greens, Liberal Democrats, Labour and one independent councillor), are proposing 16,833 new homes, equivalent to 1,052 being built very year across Wealden.
The Conservatives rejected the plan stating the only thing Green about the Green Party is its name.
The council’s deputy leader (LibDem)admitted that before being elected, he had no idea what formulating a local plan involved. While the Leader(Green Party) said that a plan, any plan, was better than no plan which is hardly a ringing endorsement yet voted for the plan anyway.
Ahead of the meeting, the council Alliance’s PR machine has been busy preparing Wealden residents for this disastrous plan for the district. “It must be a full-time job for a small army of communications officers”, said a Conservative spokesman. “Yet shamefully ignorant to the heartfelt desperate emails from residents and parish councils.”
Conservative Cllr Michael Lunn (Rotherfield & Hadlow Down) said that Wealden most certainly needed a Plan but it should be an infrastructure-led one and not the housing-led one being presented. He highlighted threats to the area around Frant which has most sensitive High Weald landscape which should be protected whereas it is designated for a thousand homes.
Cllr Lunn also highlighted adequate water availability to supply new developments and feared that sufficient infrastructure would not be in place in time. “There has to be a plan [for water supply}, and there isn’t one”, he told the meeting.
He also drew attention to the proposed Owlsbury development outside Uckfield, with “insufficient safeguards” for associated infrastructure and proper transport links for the new development of 1,700 homes.
Conservative Cllr Johanna Howell (Frant & Wadhurst) reminded the ruling Green Party and Liberal Democrats of their election promises they made, and how the Greens were once proud cheer leader of environmental and sustainability policies. “What a distant memory that must be?”, she said. “How quickly those Green policies were jettisoned, and for what?”.
“What happened with the ‘Greener, Fairer’ Kinder’ council we were promised?”, she asked. “This Plan is both unkind and unfair!”
Cllr Howell told members that “other local councils have had the courage of their convictions. If more councils stood on clear principles, central Government will be forced to review their stance and be accountable.
Cllr Howell reminding the meeting how the previous Conservative administration had fought its own Government on housing numbers and called on the current administration to “show some backbone”.
Critical of “a lack of attention to the last consultation exercise of the Plan”, Cllr Howell concluded that: “This is merely a tick-box exercise and I want no part of it”, she added and begged her colleagues: “When you do vote, vote with your conscience and not just your party.”
Fellow Conservative Cllr Andrew Wilson (Crowborough South-East) highlighted how the document did not meet the Government target due to local restrictions. But he questioned whether the number proposed was the right one, concluding it was too high.
He went on speak on the available infrastructure, not just water, and how much development it could support. He raised concerns over Southern Water’s waste water treatment works and admissions by the company.
Following lengthy debate, the Portfolio Holder, Green Party’s Cllr Tysh, roundly rejected criticism and objection raised. The council’s ruling Green, Lib Dem and Labour members ensured a vote was passed to move the Draft Plan to its next stage despite promises made when they were elected to protect the environment. Those promises to the electorate lie in tatters.
