Page 42 - All files for Planning Inspectorate

4.7 Besides some small areas of garden and shrubs, much of the remainder of the
site is given over to large areas of hardstanding and loose gravel with kerbs
which would have been used as car parking. A series of tall lamp standards
are placed around the perimeter of the parking areas.

4.8 The site is heavily screened to the south, east and northern boundaries. The
existing access from the Lewes Road to the north cuts through a densely
vegetated boundary of mature trees and shrubs. The south and south eastern
boundaries consist of Ancient Woodland, the heavily screened nature
allowing the existing buildings to be largely hidden and therefore not
registering in views either from Lewes Road or in longer strategic views.

4.9 To the north west of the application site is the large Victorian Manor House,
now Wealden House Life Improvement Centre and further to the north west is
the more recent residential development of Carlton House and Ashbourne
House, two large three storey apartment blocks. All the above buildings and
the EDF building would have at one time been part of the ‘Wealden House’
site.

4.10 The appeal site shares the eastern boundary with Brambletye School and
there are two properties, North Lodge and The Barn, which are adjacent the
eastern boundary which provide staff accommodation for the school.

4.11 Beyond the immediate site boundaries described above, there is residential
development to the north, north west and east extending along Lewes Road,
the ribbon development referred to in the Ashurst Wood Character
Assessment. The greater extent of grounds to Brambletye School lie
approximately 200 metres to the east of the site. To the west there is an area
of Ancient Woodland known as Blunds Hole. Further beyond the woodland
there is rolling countryside, principally grazing in small, irregular fields, with
small farms and isolated dwellings.

4.12 Reference should be made to Appendix B which collects various site
photographs to illustrate the site description.

4.13 In policy terms, the Wealden House EDF Site was allocated in the Ashurst
Neighbourhood Plan (2016, Appendix C) under Policy ASW 9. The
Neighbourhood Plan provides for a minimum of 62 new homes, and because
there is limited availability of suitable sites for development in the locality (see
AWNP, Section 5.3), is reliant upon the Wealden House EDF site to provide at
‘50+’ to meet that demand.

1809 Appeal Hearing Statement_FINAL_191212 Page 8 of 17
Bates No 000041