Newhaven housing in 'semi-rural' area refused permission at appeal

In a decision notice published on Wednesday (June 7), a planning inspector has dismissed an appeal on plans to build three three-bedroom houses on land to the south of Crest Road.

The original application had been refused by Lewes District Council planning officers in September 2021, on the grounds that the development would “harm the semi-rural nature of the area” and potentially harm local wildlife.

Despite noting the council’s need for new housing, the planning inspector shared the concerns raised by planning officers and opted to dismiss the appeal.

The inspector wrote: “I have found that the proposed development would harm the character and appearance and openness of the local area and I am not persuaded that there would be no harm to protected species and ecological interests.

“When assessed against the policies in the Framework taken as a whole the adverse impacts would significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits.”