Hailsham homes on garden land refused by planning inspector

In a decision issued last Tuesday (May 2), a planning inspector has dismissed an appeal connected to proposals to build two three-bedroom houses on land to the rear of a bungalow at 1 The Drive.

The original scheme had been refused by Wealden District Council back in December 2021, over concerns about the development harming both the character of the area and its potential impact on the privacy of neighbouring properties.

While the planning inspector did not share the concerns about the character of the area (noting that the development would be well screened), they concluded that the scheme would have a significant impact on the privacy of neighbours.

In their decision notice, the inspector said: “At present, the occupants of those neighbouring properties benefit from reasonable levels of privacy from the south-west due to the single-storey nature of 1 The Drive, together with its position a considerable distance away from the site boundary.

“The proposed development would allow views from upper floors, at close proximity, towards these neighbouring properties. As such, and irrespective of the precise separation distance here, the occupants of neighbouring properties would experience a harmful loss of privacy from their rear facing habitable rooms.”

The inspector said this impact would be a ‘significant harm’, which would outweigh the benefits of additional housing in the area. As a result, the appeal was dismissed.

For further details of the scheme see application reference WD/2021/2502/F on the Wealden District Council website.