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Hurst homes plan refused by district councillors
Nearly 100 homes would spoil an area of Hurstpierpoint, councillors have decided.
A scheme for 93 flats, bungalows and houses on land to the north and north east of 31 College Lane, Hurstpierpoint, was refused by the planning committee of Mid Sussex District Council.
At the heart of the decision was Government advice that under certain circumstances permission can be granted to schemes that are contrary to policy in documents such as the Mid Sussex development plan, if there are no adverse impacts that would ‘significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits’.
The councillors were advised by planning experts that it was considered that there would be “material harm to the character of the area”.
They were also told the scheme would erode the local gap between Hurstpierpoint and Hassocks.
The application also proposed an area of public open space to the north of the proposed dwellings.
Councillors were told the site was outside the built-up area of Hurstpierpoint and within a local and strategic gap.
As such the proposal was contrary to the development plan.
But as the council could not demonstrate a five-year housing land supply, the policies for the provision of housing within the Mid Sussex Local Plan were out of date.
In those circumstances the National Planning Policy framework said that permission should be granted unless any adverse impacts of doing so would significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits.
A report said it was considered that the application was acceptable in relation to highway matters and neighbour amenity issues.
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Wednesday 22 May 2013
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