New Planning Application for permission for 35 houses on and an Access Road to
Wakeham’s Pond Field
Here we go again! RR/2025/1462/P
The agent Welbeck is back again asking Rother Planning for permission to build houses on
Wakeham’s Pond Field, using I suspect the tactic of starting the process at a time of holidays
in order to make it more difficult for us to object within the legal timescale.
Rother planning executives, who are well behind on reaching their government targets on
new housing, are likely to do everything they can to support Welbeck, and while wanting to
ignore the Inspector’s decision in 2022 to reject 43 houses (RR/2020/151/P), will hope that
people’s support for more housing nationally in the right places, will convince the elected
members of the Rother Planning Committee to vote in favour of the Rother planning
executive’s likely recommendation, this time for 35 houses and an Access Road.
The timing of the application knocks into the long grass our campaign to have Pond Field de-
allocated in the New Local Plan, as Rother Planning executives have further put back
decisions on this well into 2026.
We now need to rise to the challenge yet again and conduct a campaign that puts forward
all the technical planning reasons, including why this will spoil the High Weald Area of
Outstanding Natural Beauty (Natural Landscape) and increase the threat to the
environment of raw sewage pollution and flooding in Fairlight and Pett Level and the two
Special Areas of Scientific Interest downstream including the world renowned RAMSAR
wildlife site.
Equally as important is for the Rother Planning Committee to feel the full objection of the
people, particularly those living in Fairlight and Pett Level.
This needs to be organised properly and quickly. We need to inform people via leaflets in
these areas in order to maximise the number of objections that are sent in. Comments have
to be in by 26/9/25, though we will try to get this extended.
So this letter is an appeal to people to come forward to help in any way they can. Please
email me at lorne.finegolf@gmail.com or call 07803 434283 with your name, and road in
which you live and I will try to coordinate activities. The more the merrier as mass local
public opinion is very powerful.
Many thanks
Lorne Smith,
Robin Croft, Pett Level Road, Fairlight.