Comment on the Proposed Neighbourhood Designated Area for Hailsham

Hailsham residents are invited to comment on the proposed boundary of Wealden District Council’s Neighbourhood Plan designated area.

Taking into account the proposed construction of 9,380 new houses (97% growth) in Hailsham, the Town Council agreed to prepare a Neighbourhood Development Plan under the powers granted by the Localism Act 2011, which will consider what type of homes should be provided and the level of infrastructure required to support both new housing and the existing community.

Hailsham Town Council has designated the whole parish of Hailsham (covering an area of approximately 5,000 acres) as the Neighbourhood Area for which the Plan will be prepared and comments from residents on the proposal are requested.

“Hailsham Town Council considers that the Neighbourhood Plan should cover the whole of the existing civil parish, said John Harrison, Hailsham Town Clerk.

“This is due to the scale of housing growth identified for Hailsham in the emerging Wealden Local Plan and in the light of the fact that the Hailsham Area Action Plan currently in progress is also addressing issues for the whole ‘settlement’ of Hailsham.”

The decision to include the whole of the Hailsham parish was made on the recommendation of the Town Council’s Neighbourhood Planning Committee at its meeting on 25th February 2016.

Councillor Paul Soane, chairman of the Town Council’s Neighbourhood Planning Committee highlighted the importance of the Neighbourhood Plan for Hailsham: “The population of the town has increased significantly over previous years which has and will continue to place the infrastructure under strain, including health provision, education provision, roads and transport.”

“A plan of this scale is considered necessary to enable full consideration to be given to the significant opportunities and challenges facing the town and to ensure its future planning and regeneration.

To take part in the consultation and for further information, CLICK HERE.

The deadline for receipt of completed consultation forms is Tuesday 7th June 2016.

A series of public information and awareness-raising events are scheduled to take place soon, details of which will be announced on the Town Council website in due course.