Eastbourne councillors to consider local plan consultation

Eastbourne councillors are set to make a decision on whether to move ahead with the final round of public consultation on a new local plan.

Next Wednesday (September 30), Eastbourne Borough Council is due to decide whether to begin a regulation 19 consultation process on a new local plan — a document setting out a long term planning and development strategy for the town.

The six-week consultation would very likely be the final opportunity residents have to comment on the document before a potential submission to a government inspector.

Council cabinet members agreed to back the consultation launch at a meeting last Wednesday (September 16).

They heard how the plan sets out how the town could build around 4,500 new homes by 2042. Officers said this figure is significantly below government targets which say the borough needs to build approximately 11,700 homes over the same period.

Nadeem Din, the council’s head of planning policy, told cabinet members this difference was likely to be the “biggest challenge” for the plan’s adoption.

Mr Din said: “We face significant constraints and those include: flood risk; the South Downs National Park, which is a separate planning authority to us; as well as the urban area and the boundary of our borough.

“So we’ve been assessing the options available to us and the plan has a carefully considered capacity of about four-and-a-half thousand homes against that 11,000 housing need and there is some further potential capacity, which could come forward over time.

“But put simply, we are, through the plan, looking to deliver as much sustainable development as the borough can reasonably accommodate.”

Council leaders also noted how the plan also includes policies to drive economic growth, address climate and ecology and provide affordable housing.

Unlike earlier consultations, the regulation 19 consultation focuses on legal and technical matters, seeking views on the plan’s soundness and compliance rather than other details, such as specific site allocations.

If approved by full council, the consultation is expected to commence on Friday, October 2 and last for six weeks.

Hear all the latest news from across the UK on the hour, every hour, on Greatest Hits Radio on DAB, smartspeaker, at greatesthitsradio.co.uk, and on the Rayo app.