Page 19 - Ashbourne Park

STEPS TOWARDS AN AGREED STATEMENT OF FACTS
And stipulations

3 Important Background (Continued)

3.5 Ashbourne Park
Ashbourne Park is a prestige development - in 2006 - of 14 dwellings and is an immediate
neighbour of WH:LIC. It would be seriously affected by the proposed development, both
during the construction phase and afterwards.
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• It consists of 12 two and three-bedroom luxury flats and two luxury penthouses. These are
built to a very high standard in a conventional Sussex style, with gabled windows and
pitched roofs;

• The park is a beautifully maintained (by the Ashbourne Park Owners’ Association: APOA)
with substantial landscaped gardens, ancient woodland and 28 parking spaces: half of
which are undercover;

• Most residents are retired, and some are based overseas and visit Ashurst Wood
occasionally;

There are 20 residents and 15 cars occupying the park and an average in and out movement
of around 30 vehicles a day.

4 NATIONAL PLANNING POLICY FRAMEWORK (NPPF)

4.1 Summary of Applicable Policies
Appendix B distils key points from the most relevant planning policies and procedures but
remains a work in progress and comments, corrections and additions are invited. AHL
appears to accept that the superior policy is the Ashurst Wood Neighbourhood Plan (AWNP).
This is consistent with the objectives of the Localisation Act 2011 and NPPF to devolve
authority to town, parish and village councils.

4.2 Objectively Assessed Need
Under the NPPF there are two critical considerations. The first is the presumption that
sustainable developments should be approved: subject to design, density and other policy
considerations. The second is an assessment of “objectively assessed need” (OAN) for any
new development.
Simply stated, developments should not be approved if there is no objectively assessed
need (OAN). There is no OAN for the proposed developments

• A sustainability study conducted in Ashurst Wood in 2015 and validated in the AWNP
specified an OAN for 60 new homes in the village between 2015 and 2024. This figure
was confirmed in March 2018 by the Mid Sussex District Plan;

• The study reported that there was a total of only 52 local families that might be looking
for accommodation in Ashurst Wood over the next 5 to 10 years. Most of this this would
be rented, rather than shared ownership as proposed;
• In September 2014 there were 27 qualifying households on the council house register;
only 8 of which listed the parish as their first choice.

There is not a “desperate need” for housing in the village and especially for shared
ownership.