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Agenda Item 6e) Response by Parish Council to Council’s ‘Direction of Travel’ Consultation Jan 2021

Chapter 4 Tackling Climate Change

Question 1.5

The introduction stresses the climate emergency so Wealden need to ensure that everything in the plan addresses this.

There are a number of solar farms in our area – likely to be 4 in a 4 mile radius. Though these are preferable to turf farms (which have high level use of pesticides and herbicides that drain into the water supply) there is a need to look at solar farm location strategically and not overburden one small parish. The preponderance of solar farms in the Low Weald is concerning as it depletes the land available for agricultural use. We need to increase local sustainable farming to feed the nation.

Need a strategy for allowable income generation for farms (arable or dairy) that are no longer viable in their previous form; can’t cover the whole of Ripe and Chalvington in solar farms; what use for the poor land after the solar farm has finished?

If serious about climate change then mandate all new builds to be zero carbon including GS/AS heat pumps and solar panels.

More houses = more vehicles and more congestion unless you seriously strengthen public transport and link it all up. Why not a round robin electric bus service through the local villages and one town that can pick up and drop off?

Electric vehicles won’t solve congestion, nor will they solve all sources of pollution from vehicles. Need to factor in the CO2 emissions from making the batteries for electric cars

Lots of people in our parish (Chalvington with Ripe) are quite happy to cycle and walk and we need to make it easier for them to do this safely – that means real provision for cycling and walking in villages, not just in urban areas

Suggest 20 mph speed limit in the residential centre of villages and near any schools plus traffic calming measures, as in towns e.g

You are underestimating the per capita carbon emissions as the population is growing

Chapter 5 Infrastructure to support Growth

Question 2.10 Agree with protecting vital community assets like pubs, village halls and village shops; re-think the policy of converting pubs to residential

Noted that WDC will favour development in sustainable locations where there is public transport is in place – this is very much supported by us. It is worrying therefore that this policy has not been adopted thus far.

The growth in new housing has caused traffic to use the smaller rural routes where there is less congestion. But these routes have no protection eg no speed limits, nor are the lanes generally suitable – no footpaths, traffic in conflict with walkers, horse riders. Need therefore to enable rural

Chalvington with Ripe Parish Council response to WDC ‘Direction of Travel’ consultation Jan 2021

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routes to have same protection as A roads, eg speed restrictions, traffic calming etc to discourage rat runs in rural lanes that surround these developments and so that motorists would find it difficult or uncomfortable to exceed the speed limit. The aim should be for walkers, cyclists and horse riders to feel safe in the area where they live and to promote walking and cycling not frighten people off.

Ditch the rule about only allowing 20 mph if there has already been a fatality

Chapter 6. Housing

Question 3.15 and 4.20

Build in sustainable locations –in towns, not small villages and not the open countryside

It is disappointing that over 16 new dwellings (some in green fields) were given PP in Ripe in the couple of years leading up to the failed Wealden Local Plan; even without barn conversions, we met the core allocation. Need to ensure therefore that these new dwellings are taken into consideration in any housing allocations in the new WLP.

Our understanding of the Government’s White Paper ‘Planning for the future’ proposals is that the algorithm that required Wealden to build such a large number of houses is to be ditched and that neighbouring more urban LA s are going to have to build more houses. We need to know what this new tack means for Wealden and in particular the villages.

Understand and accept the ‘Duty to Cooperate’ with neighbouring LA s but need to be much more rigorous in putting checks and balances in place to ensure neighbouring authorities (eg T Wells, , Lewes) are doing their best to provide for their own housing needs eg the re- development of the Beacon Shopping Centre in Eastbourne was an ideal opportunity to build a block of one bed flats on top of the structure, ideally placed in the town centre, close to excellent transport facilities, but this was not done. Need for Wealden to hold neighbouring authorities to account.

Housing need number in Wealden is a direct consequence of neighbouring districts not delivering housing close to where employment is. The demand is therefore due to under provision in places like T Wells, Lewes, East Grinstead, Brighton. The result is that people are commuting from Wealden (cheaper housing, inadequate public transport) to these towns in private cars.

Support CLTs in sustainable locations; however small parishes do not have the resource for Community Land Trusts.

Fully support an increase in self build, again in sustainable locations

Fully support ‘ Weald Homes’ as an in house provider of suitable (and needed) homes

The use of the word ‘sustainable location’ needs to be clarified. In Ripe we have had 16 new dwellings, all allowed in a completely unsustainable location with total reliance on the private car, a skeletal bus service operating twice p.w. outside of office hours. A village shop open 9 -5 and staffed mainly by volunteers is not sufficient to make a village sustainable. The new dwellings referred to above were given Planning Permission after the local pub had shut – rendering Ripe an even more unsustainable location.

Agricultural conversions should be used to provide smaller cheaper dwellings for local families with modest incomes, not 4 bed executive dwellings often remote from village centres

Chalvington with Ripe Parish Council response to WDC ‘Direction of Travel’ consultation Jan 2021

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Could there be some changes to the CIL charging structure (eg a sliding scale) so that developers don’t avoid their obligations to build affordable housing? Our understanding is that 10 new homes means 35% affordable so they apply for 9 or in two separate applications of 5 and 4 thus avoiding the requirement to build affordable homes

Questionable how useful CIL monies are in small village environments – firstly they increase the cost of houses - a problem for first time buyers and, secondly, small communities struggle to find worthwhile projects that can be funded by the relatively small amounts of money. Might be better therefore if the monies went to Wealden so that they could be amalgamated and put to better use in the district.

From now on, please can you refuse planning applications for building dormitory developments in unsustainable locations (small villages, open countryside). The effect on the ‘A’ roads and rural roads (rat runs through villages) is causing a lot of disruption and distress - in Ripe and Chalvington there are no pavements so the roads need to be shared between pedestrians, horse riders, cyclists and cars and tractors.

Villages and the wider countryside in Wealden are the green lung of the area and they are the reason why we in Ripe have horse riders and cyclists using our lanes and bridle paths.

Environment Agency needs to update flood data for Wealden. We recently notified Wealden of a field where PP had been agreed for 2 houses in a garden in Ripe. We have photographic evidence built up over many years that this area has flooded and now floods almost every year (a result of climate change). It is not sufficient to say that flooding can be dealt with mitigation measures such as SUDS – the water must go somewhere and if it does not lie on the green field then it will flood the roads and the houses

Chapter 7 Businesses and our local economy

Question 5.25 We understand the need for flexibility in use classes but there needs to be some sensitivity as to what use is proposed in a rural area when it is substituting for arable or dairy farming. For example, our area has seen a massive increase in solar farms – 2 already built and 2 in the pipeline; that will be 4 solar farms in a radius of 4 miles. Building these solar farms using large lorries causes huge damage to the verges and the lanes. Please do not allow industrial/semi industrial developments in rural areas- these developments require massive lorries which are unsuitable for small rural roads.

Chapter 8 Town and Local Centres

Question 6.27 Agree with many of the proposals.

Question 6.30 Suggest that the offer on the town high street needs to be as much experiential as retail eg a cafe could offer a book group, help with anxiety/depression, cookery classes. Essentially need to up the offer in the high street.

Chapter 9 Tourism

Question 7.32 Broadly agree with the direction of travel here.

Chalvington with Ripe Parish Council response to WDC ‘Direction of Travel’ consultation Jan 2021

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Question 7.35 New tourism developments must be assessed against the statement ‘Does it do any harm to the highly valued rural nature and unspoilt environment of Wealden (Wealden’s USP)?’ This means assessing the impact of the proposed development on the local area and the environment

Could ESCC create special lanes reserved for cyclists, horse riders and walkers to make these activities more attractive.

Public transport like the Cuckmere buses and Southern train services from Glynde and Berwick need to be strengthened so that they are the default method of transport. There needs to be better publicity from the tourist centres about the benefits of public transport.

Chapter 10 Our natural environment

Question 8.36

Bio diversity is a scientific term that needs defining specifically. It would help if Wealden defined the different aspects of biodiversity and show how each of them is to be addressed in the future:

• actions towards rare and endangered groups of species. • Actions towards rare and endangered habitats • preservation of linkages between habitats (eg hedgerows). • minimising the adverse affects of intensified farming especially pesticides and their effect on wildlife. More detail is required on the above

We are unclear what is meant by "net gain principle" in theory and practice and suggest that this needs to be defined scientifically so it can be properly measured.

Question 8.40 Biodiversity gain and reducing total carbon emissions – how do these two crucial aims sit together? Need to design policies and approve developments that meet both requirements for the future.

Providing access to natural green space for all is to be welcomed. However, need to identify the impact on local communities of cars, damage to verges etc and take steps to avoid these.

If Wealden’s intention is to protect the environment (which we wholeheartedly support), more officers are needed to enforce laws against the destruction of the existing natural environment. More local officers are needed to inspect and act on threats to the natural environment. This has been stated frequently in reputable newspapers like The Times which has exposed the lack of protection and enforcement at national and local level. Parish councillors report on habitats where there are wild populations but, too often, they are not inspected and planning permission is granted. Perhaps Wealden could create a dedicated report system where local people could report online about threatened local habitats, with photographs to back up claims, rather along the lines of reporting pot holes to ESCC – an easy to use online system which is backed up by onsite inspections and action taken when damage to the environment occurs.

Our villages provide a “green lung” for overcrowded towns. In our parish hundreds of cyclists use our lanes for exercise and fresh air. Provide us with cycle lanes (not just along main roads) and

Chalvington with Ripe Parish Council response to WDC ‘Direction of Travel’ consultation Jan 2021

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grants for cycle posts to ensure bikes are not left in places where they harm local village infrastructure, especially ancient buildings and walls.

Wealden needs to define how they will work with farmers. At the moment farms in this area are used as dumps for house clearance and builder’s rubble and there is an excess of turf fields where herbicides and pesticides ensure that “pristine” grass without weeds is reared. Runoff from this intensive form of agriculture leads to residues polluting streams.

Climate change is causing huge floods in our area. Water floods out of our sewage drains. I have heard officials say that floods can be alleviated with pipes. As the Dutch water engineers would say, ‘Where does the water end up?’

Question 9.42 We support developing a green infrastructure strategy, working with parish councils who know the area and identification and protection of Local Green Spaces

Chapter 11 Landscape, heritage and cultural assets

Question 10.50 Support the inclusion of a dark night skies policy as we have tried to do in our parish. There is very low ambient light at night and we wish to keep it this way.

Ensure good design in all new housing and developments not just in AONB or conservation areas.

Question 11.52 Agree with the proposed policy options.

Agree with the proposal to work with parish councils to draw up Article 4 Directions for our area to further control erosion of historic detail and character

Chapter 12 Design

Question 12.57 broadly agree with proposed policy options.

Question 12.60 However, conflict between providing green space (garden, pasture) and car parking which needs to be resolved. We would like to see green space taking precedence over car parking. If car parking is required then the density of the development needs to be reduced. An example illustrates the point - The Lamb Inn development in Ripe means there is more parking space for cars than garden space for the houses. The temperature taken on the parking space in the height of the summer was 104 degrees. If there had been a lower car park allowance and more planting for each house, it could have been an attractive site with shading. It is now like a car park waste land.

Chapter 13 Health and Well Being

Question 13.62 Broadly agree with the proposed policy options

Chalvington with Ripe Parish Council response to WDC ‘Direction of Travel’ consultation Jan 2021

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Question 13.64 We particularly support walkable neighbourhoods (not just in urban areas) – eg in Ripe it needs to be safe for people to walk, cycle or horse ride anywhere in the village. At present it is not due to the speed of the traffic and the size of some of the lorries going through the villages in our parish where there are no pavements.

Agree with 13.28 work with ESCC to create a cycling infrastructure in groups of villages. This does not have to be via separate cycle paths but could be via ‘quiet lanes’ where residents would know that these routes were safe for children and adults. Focus thus far has been on creating cycle safe areas in towns; this needs to be extended to rural areas

Question 13.65 Promote positive mental health (MH) by working with local MH charities like Samaritans to commission them to offer an outreach emotional support service in towns and villages – this would be at zero cost to WDC

Chapter 14 Our Growth Options

Question 14.67 Option 1 preferred because density should allow good public transport and provision of local services within a tight area. We do not support a new offline A27 but we do support improvements to its safety. The Covid – 19 pandemic has changed the way many people work and this is very likely to be sustained in the future - therefore commuting frequency will be reduced if you need to go to the office say twice per week. This needs to be factored in to any proposals for highway improvements.

Important to acknowledge that rural areas will be further adversely impacted by overall increase in road traffic if more housing elsewhere. Rural communities are plagued by rat runs and ESCC needs to mitigate these by introducing traffic calming and speed restrictions otherwise residents will not feel safe in their environment.

Question 14.70 A new settlement may be possible at Berwick but only if high quality public transport (bus and rail) and other infrastructure upgrades are to be provided at the same time

ENDS

Chalvington with Ripe Parish Council response to WDC ‘Direction of Travel’ consultation Jan 2021