Decision due on replacing Bexhill bungalow with three new homes

On Thursday (February 16), Rother District Council’s planning committee are set to consider a fresh application to build three houses in place of a bungalow in Seabourne Road.

The application is an alternative version of already-approved proposals to build a terrace of three houses on the same site, which were granted planning permission in June last year.

While approved, the previous plans had proven controversial due to the presence of badgers on the site. According to developers, the amended proposals are intended to limit the impact of development on the protected animals.

To do this, the developers are proposing a different layout than that previously proposed, with the now detached homes to be built slightly closer to the road than before.

Perhaps the biggest change to the previous scheme, however, is that developers no longer intend to leave the badgers in their existing sett. Instead, they would create an artificial sett together with measures to prevent the animals from being displaced onto neighbouring properties.

While this plan has been deemed acceptable by the county ecologist, the works would require special licensing from Natural England to be carried out.

Notably, no application for this licence can be processed until planning permission is already granted (something which had caused considerable concern for committee members during discussion of the previous scheme).

The impact of development on the badgers has caused concerns among local residents, a significant number of whom have raised objections to the proposals.

Officers, however, are recommending approval, having concluded that the site is suitable for development.