More on how Eastbourne and the surrounding countryside could soon disappear under housing

Alison Cushing ,whose letter regarding the ‘relentless tide’ of housing developments in this beautiful part of the world appeared in last week’s Herald click here to read, would do well to read the article by Herald Political Editor Joshua Powling published on Friday 27th July 2018.

In it he explains in ‘layman’s terms’ how the National Planning Policy Framework(NPPF) which was introduced in March 2012 to simplify guidance on developments, has been dubbed a ‘Developers’ Charter’ by its critics.

It was revised in July 2018 and the Campaign to Protect Rural England’s Sussex branch thinks it gives developers too much control and fails to curb speculative development in the countryside.

From November 2018 councils will have to undergo a ‘housing delivery test’ focussed on driving up the number of homes actually delivered in their area, rather than how many are planned for in their Neighbourhood Plans.

The Government has set a target of 300,000 new homes per year, presumably until there are no green fields left in rural England and all the wildlife and cattle and sheep farms have disappeared under the developers concrete.

Most of the houses currently being built in Hailsham and on the surrounding, once beautiful green fields by out of town developers are being advertised from £400,000 ,so much for ‘social housing’ for our young local families and young people.

While farmers and anyone else with surplus land can make a quick buck selling even the smallest slither of land to developers with the Government’s blessing, then we are all lost and will soon be living in an urban commuter belt from Southampton to Folkestone but with no infrastructure such as decent roads, west to east or northern rail routes, schools, doctors …..