Neighbourhood Plan To Be Set Up For Hailsham

Hailsham Town Council has agreed at its meeting held yesterday [22 July] to produce a Neighbourhood Development Plan (NDP) for the town and will set up a working party in the near future to move the project forward.

The Localism Act 2011 introduced new rights and powers that allow local communities to shape new development in their neighbourhoods by preparing Neighbourhood Development Plans which set out policies in relation to development and use of land in a particular area. Such Plans are intended to be a tool for positive planning and not a way of preventing development.

The Neighbourhood Plan for Hailsham will consider what sort of homes should be provided in and around the area in future and the level of infrastructure required to support both new development and the existing community. In developing the Plan, the working group will take into consideration local environment and sustainability, design, traffic and transport, economy, services and facilities, as well as housing.

Town Clerk John Harrison said: “Hailsham has grown significantly in recent years – both on its fringes in new larger housing estates and also through the redevelopment of smaller sites. The Hailsham Neighbourhood Plan will be our chance to have an important role in the planning process, with policies which must be duly considered taken into account by law.”

Councillor Alex Willis, chairman of the Town Council’s Planning & Development Committee said: “The Neighbourhood Plan for Hailsham will contain a set of policies aimed at managing change and development in the area and will be subject to examination and referendum by local residents, if agreed by a majority. Once produced and adopted, it will then form part of the Local Development Plan.”

“By having a Neighbourhood Development Plan in place, we would carry far more weight than many other local planning documents such as master plans and town design statements. This power means it is worth getting involved in.”

“The people of Hailsham have asked us to stand up to developers and by implementing this Plan it is a clear indication of our intentions.”