Sussex Diary: Local Plans

Saturday, 22 August 2015

Shooting Lodge on the South Downs - Planning Hearing

As the Lewes District Council did not advertise the upcoming public hearing I have written to residents in my ward alerting (see below).

What does it concern? It relates to the operation of a shooting lodge on a 6 day a week basis in the season which is associated with game shooting on the South Downs. Where is it? Here is a map of the area:

Lodge is shown with a red circle. Footpaths & South Downs Way in green. Public Right of Access to Open Access Land shaded in yellow. Click image for larger map. © Crown Copyright 2015. Extract from OS Map OL11

For more information on the planning application see links below. For related information click on these headings:

Attending a public hearing

Further reading

-------

Dear Residents,

Last year a planning application was submitted to extend the use of a building on the South Downs as a ‘shooting lodge’ to host shooting parties throughout the shooting season on a six-day a week basis. The current situation is that the applicant has appealed. As a result there will be a public hearing on Tuesday 25^th August.

Lodge is shown with a red dot adjacent to the Kingston & Iford Hill Site of Special Scientific Interest

Details of this appeal are:

Application Number: SDNP/14/05468/CND

Application Summary: Variation of condition 1 attached to planning approval LW/09/1177 to vary the use of the building as a facility connected to game shooting and agriculture, the use shall only occur between Monday to Saturday 7am-5pm

The hearing into this appeal will start at 10:00 on 25 August 2015.

The venue for the hearing is: The Stanley Turner Ground, Kingston Road, Lewes, East Sussex, BN7 3NB

To see the documents go to: http://planningpublicaccess.southdowns.gov.uk/online-applications/

Then put in the application number: SDNP/14/05468/CND Here you will see the inspector’s letter and all the application documents.

To write to the inspector use one or all of these emails:

teamp13@pins.gsi.gov.uk or cassandra.low@pins.gsi.gov.uk or enquiries@pins.gsi.gov.uk

or go via: www.planningportal.gov.uk/planninginspectorate

It is important to quote ref: APP/Y9507/W/15/3002162

A number of people have asked me about the procedure relating to planning hearings. I have been in touch with the Planning Inspectorate and here is their answer:

“Anyone is entitled to attend a hearing without prior notification. The Inspector will conduct the hearing and all procedural matters will be under the guidance of the Inspector after he or she has formally opened the proceedings. If you wish to submit representations before the hearing, you should send these to the relevant case officer and it will be for them, on consultation with the Inspector, as to whether they are accepted. Anything submitted on the day of the hearing will be for the Inspector to decide whether to accept.”

Speaking: “You do not need to give prior notification. You simply attend on the day and the Inspector will guide you from then on.”

If you need to confirm anything please contact the Inspectorate: Customer Support Team, Planning Inspectorate for England: 0303 444 5000 enquiries@pins.gsi.gov.uk

Here is an extract from the Planning Inspector’s letter of the 16^th June:

As your local district councillor, I urge you to consider whether or not you support the application, as once the inspector has made his decision there will be no further opportunity to object to the shooting activity.

Regards

Vic Ient

Lewes District Councillor - [Kingston Ward: Falmer - St Ann Without - Kingston - Swanborough - Iford - Northease - Rodmell - Southease - Piddinghoe]

T: 07788720929 E: vic.ient.libdem@gmail.com W: https://sussexcampaign.wordpress.com/

Tuesday, 11 November 2014

Neighbourhood Plans

Under the Localism Act (2011) a new form of planning control & development was introduced - Neighbourhood Plans. This empowers local communities giving them a major role in the planning system and allowing them to shaping the development in their areas.

This guide is designed to get a village, town or area group started in understanding what a neighbourhood plan is. It is focused on the South Downs National Park area. For more information follow the links at the end of this blog.

This is where the neighbourhood plan fits into the planning system:

For the town or neighbourhood:

It may only be for the town, parish or area

but it can have a major impact on

protecting, developing

and improving the area.

To quote a government planning inspector: 'neighbourhood plans are about land use.' What is the make up of a neighbourhood plan? Quite simply in the end the plan will be made up of these main sections:

What aspects of our local community and area can a neighbourhood plan have an effect on? Here are some examples:

Some general principles for Neighbourhood Plans:

While a Neighbourhood Plan is flexible to some extent in terms of what can be included, you cannot put whatever you like in it:

A Neighbourhood Plan can…

Decide where and what type of development should happen in the neighbourhood.
Promote more development than is set out in the Local Plan.
Include policies, for example regarding design standards, that take precedence over existing policies in the Local Plan for the neighbourhood – provided the Neighbourhood Plan policies do not conflict with the strategic policies in the Local Plan.

A Neighbourhood Plan cannot…

Conflict with the strategic policies in the Local Plan prepared by the local planning authority.
Be used to prevent development that is included in the Local Plan.
Be prepared by a body other than a parish or town council or a neighbourhood forum.
What can a Neighbourhood Plan contain?

So long as your Neighbourhood Plan complies with the above principles, it can be as narrow or as broad as you wish. But it must be primarily about the use and development of land and buildings. It can also have a say in how buildings should look (their ‘design’), or the materials they are constructed from.

Typical things that a Neighbourhood Plan might include:

The development of housing, including affordable housing and bringing vacant or derelict housing back into use.
Provision for businesses to set up or expand their premises.
Transport and access (including issues around roads, cycling, walking and access for disabled people).
The development of schools, places of worship, health facilities, leisure and entertainment facilities, community and youth centres and village halls.
The restriction of certain types of development and change of use, for example to avoid too much of one type of use.
The design of buildings.
Protection and creation of open space, nature reserves, allotments, sports pitches, play areas, parks and gardens, and the planting of trees.
Protection of important buildings and historic assets such as archaeological remains.
Promotion of renewable energy projects, such as solar energy and wind turbines.