Wealden Local Plan

Village Concerns

an Action Group seeking to protect the Parish

of East Hoathly with Halland from overdevelopment

Wealden Local Plan

The new Wealden Local Plan was in the final stages of its progress through the planning system but unfortunately, the government planning inspector rejected the Plan and it was formally withdrawn by Wealden District Council in February 2020.   We are now faced with an uncertain future.  .  Our own Parish Neighbourhood Development Plan is also progressing through the system.  It is not proposed to copy information about these plans here but they are an important part of the activities of Village Concerns.  


In the early proposals for the now defunct Wealden Local Plan, Village Concerns had grave concerns about the plans for our Parish and lobied vigerously to change things.  Changes were made and Village Concerns was generally supportive of the Submission Wealden Local Plan.  We remained concerned about the designation of East Hoathly as a Sustainable Settlement and a Large Village Type 2.  We believe that we should be redesignated as an Unsustainable Settlement and a Local Settlement.  We represented this in formal submissions during the Consultation Period.  


A new Wealden Local Plan process will commence but that is likely to take 2/3 years to come to fruition.  In the interim, we will be subject to the existing planning policies.  Within these policies, our Parish has no Development Boundary for East Hoathly or Halland and a zero allocation of housing.  However, because Wealden have not met the housing supply targets for many years we will be vulnerable to unplanned speculative develpments until Wealden can achieve the 5 year Land Supply Target.  Without the protection provided by the now defunct Wealden Local Plan, the large planning applications in our Parish have a greater chance of being approved.  This is because without a 5 year land supply there is a presumption in favour of Sustainable Development. 


If you wish to find out more about the Parish Neighbourhood Development Plan or the Wealden Local Plan please visit the Neighbourhood Plan Website.