Development risks clogging up roads – residents

Residents and members of the Wake Up Bexhill campaign group stood outside the proposed development on Fryatts Way. There are seven people in the image.Image source, Huw Oxburgh
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Residents and members of the Wake-Up Bexhill campaign group are against plans to build 210 homes in Bexhill

  • Published

Residents are calling on council planners to significantly reduce the number of homes set to be built on the outskirts of an East Sussex town.

It follows proposals to build 210 homes to the west of Fryatts Way, in Bexhill, which is subject to a reserved matters application from developer Charles Church.

Residents have formed the Wake-up Bexhill campaign group amid concerns that the development will impact local infrastructure and the character of the area.

A spokesperson for the developer said that the design of the development "responds positively to the site and its surroundings".

The layout proposed for a 210-home development planned on Fryatts Way, on the outskirts of Bexhill.Image source, Charles Church
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Plans to build 210 homes are currently subject to a reserved matters application from developer Charles Church

Campaigner Keri Radford said that the lack of public transport near the site was a problem.

"All the developer can come up with is cycle paths and trim tails within the development, which are not going to solve the problem of the at least 500 cars that the residents will need to get anywhere thus clogging up the roads even further," she said.

Ms Radford also flagged "oversubscribed" schools and "full to capacity" doctors' surgeries as separate issues with the proposal.

"There are several other large developments already proposed and being developed around Bexhill which are on land far more suitable," she added.

The development secured its outline planning permission at appeal in January 2023.

During the appeal process, Rother District Council confirmed that it would likely have refused the application due to concerns about location and impact on the character of the surrounding area, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

While the inspector agreed with these concerns to a degree, they concluded the scheme should go ahead, primarily due to a shortage of housing in the district.

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