CPRE Sussex Wealden District newsletter, December 2025

Welcome to your 2025 recap for Wealden District!

This year has been one of the toughest for the countryside yet, with government policy and rhetoric turning powerfully against nature and wildlife. Sussex’s landscapes are now under active attack, and sadly Wealden District is no exception.

Development pressures across Wealden are mounting, and 2026 is set to be a critical year for our landscapes. From major housing proposals to business park expansions, the scale and pace of change threaten the character of our countryside and the wildlife that depends on it.

We are working hard to challenge inappropriate development and ensure that planning decisions respect our environment and communities. In this update, we share the latest on key proposals and campaigns – and how you can make your voice heard.

Local plan for Wealden

It is anticipated that Wealden District Council will be publishing a draft Reg. 18 plan in January 2026. We anticipate that this will have a larger housing number than last year’s draft plan with further sites to receive a housing allocation.

There will be a further consultation on this second draft plan starting possibly in February or March, and we encourage you to take part and provide your thoughts on what is being proposed. The countryside needs us to stand up for it!

Ashdown Business Park extension

Developers have applied to extend Ashdown Business Park by 77 acres, all of which is green field land, to the south and west and supply a further 60,000m2 of business space.

We question the need for further business space and note that despite gaining planning permission, no business use was found for two plots and subsequently, in 2022, these were granted permission for retail use. Furthermore, outline permission was granted in 2016 for 13,500m2 of employment space on the not-too-distant Ridgewood Farm development, but as yet, no work has started on providing this.

A local campaign group – SABRE-OWL – is trying to raise awareness and find means by which permission is refused for the business park expansion. CPRE Sussex is proud to support SABRE-OWL and you can check out their website here.

Owlsbury Farm

This is one is really bonkers – an application for 1,700 houses, a 50-unit care home, retail, commercial and community use buildings, a sports hub and primary school on a site approaching 350 acres was submitted in May this year. The site is opposite the Ridgewood development in Uckfield and between the A22 and the dismantled Lewes – Uckfield railway line in open countryside that contains several parcels of precious, ancient woodland!

SABRE, initially formed to resist the expansion of Ashdown Business Park above, changed its name to SABRE-OWL after pledging to fight this development as well.

South of Tonbridge Wells

An application for 184 houses became live in November, proposed to be built on St Mark’s recreation ground. A replacement sports complex is planned for the bottom of the valley between Tunbridge Wells and Frant. Access to the new sports facility will inevitably have to be by car as the A267 is too dangerous to walk or cycle along.

Both the proposed housing site and the new sports ground are in the High Wealden National Landscape, which should offer some protection against development – although that does depend upon Wealden District Council following the rules…

Local campaigners, the Green Weald Alliance (take a look at their website here) are fighting this proposal and doing fantastic work. They have persuaded Tunbridge Wells to register the part of St Mark’s in the borough as an asset of community value. Plus, they have also identified areas of woodland they believe are ancient and Natural England has agreed to look at this claim – watch this space!

Land north of Polegate

An application was submitted in 2023 for a new logistics centre on 127 acres of open countryside immediately north of the A27 Polegate bypass and east of the A22 beside Cophall roundabout. Five large buildings are proposed totalling 62,000m2 of floorspace (equivalent to 15 acres of roofs!) for storage and distribution purposes. The site will be accessed from a new roundabout onto the A22 immediately north of the Cophall roundabout.

Those of use who thought that the A27 would constrain any northwards expansion of Polegate are in for a rude shock as it appears that Wealden is likely to approve this highly intrusive development.

No to Oakleigh Gardens!

Although planning has not yet been applied for, a developer is working on a proposal for a staggering 4,400 houses to be situated west of the A22 between East Hoathly and Halland. We will be keeping a close eye on this application when it comes through.

Some local residents have formed a group, who we are proud to stand with, and their website is here.

Land at Peelings Lane

This recently submitted application is for 150 houses north of Peelings Lane. Although ten years ago, a far smaller application on part of the site was refused on appeal due to it being intrusive in the countryside, this is anticipated to have little impact on this larger and far more intrusive application.

The site abuts the Pevensey Levels, which are provided some protection by the Habitats Regulations, but unfortunately, Wealden does not consider that it needs to consistently follow this law. It has included this site as a draft allocation in the Reg. 18 plan.

Habitats Regulations – or lack thereof

The other site in Wealden that is also afforded Habitats Regs. protection is Ashdown Forest, which has two protected bird species. These nest on or close to the ground and are easily disturbed by visitors, especially those with dogs. To avoid harm, any development in the vicinity of Ashdown Forest has to show that it will not result in an increase in visitors to the forest. Wealden, together with Natural England, have developed what they consider to be effective mitigation, but the Habitats Regulations require that this mitigation is shown to be effective before planning permission can be granted. This information must be included within a Habitats Regulations Assessment (HRA) but Wealden has never included this information in their HRA despite us frequently reminding them of the requirement.

In April last year, the planning committee was considering the 340 house proposed development at Horstedpond Farm to the South of Uckfield and just over 7km from Ashdown Forest. We had identified that Wealden officers had not prepared the legally required HRA and pointed this out in an objection. A committee member picked up on this point and asked officers why there was not a HRA. The Head of Planning responded saying:

“An HRA is not needed as the council has evidence that no-one living more than 7km from Ashdown Forest would visit”

We asked the Head of Planning for the evidence. He did not provide it.

We asked the Director of Place for the evidence. He did not provide it.

We asked the Director of Governance and Projects whether she would advise the Head of Planning to provide a HRA. She declined.

A Freedom of Information request was submitted asking for the evidence, but the council said it could not provide the information requested because it did not have it.

With this confirmation that the evidence did not exist, we went back to the two directors asking if they would reconsider and provide a HRA. They declined.

We asked the Chief Executive whether he would direct his officers to follow the law. He backed his officers’ position.

We have since contacted the Leader of the Council through the Ask the Leader facility, but he avoided the nub of the question. We submitted a further question, but this has been ignored.

The law is clear, but it appears to us that Wealden believe that they need not comply with it. This concerns us as the impact of the Peelings Lane development on the Pevensey Levels will require a HRA to be provided. This HRA must include the necessary standard of evidence to support any grant of permission. If that standard is not met, the law requires that permission is refused. But as Wealden appear to consider that the requirements of the Habitats Regulations are optional, we lack confidence that the Pevensey Levels will receive the statutory protection afforded by the Habitats Regs.

Happier times with hedgerows

If successfully preventing unsuitable development has not borne much fruit this year, we have had more success with our hedgerows! These are often underappreciated but contribute much towards our countryside mosaic. Hedgerows store carbon, capture pollution, mitigate flooding and provide essential habitats and corridors for wildlife.

In 2023 and 2024, we organised volunteers to plant 350m of new hedgerow involving around 2,000 whips, at Nightingale farm near Hartfield and we are delighted to hear that they are still going strong!

CPRE Sussex does have an ongoing Hedgerow Heroes project running into 2026, at the Manhood Peninsula in Chichester – some way across the county from Wealden! But if you do fancy the trip, check out the volunteering information here.

Thank you

We are so grateful for all of your support in 2025. It’s been an especially tough year for the countryside, nature, climate and our beautiful landscapes, with a government that has seemingly declared war on the environment in both rhetoric and policy. It’s down to the support of people like you that we can continue to stand up and defend Sussex’s green spaces. Thank you for helping us to stand up for the Sussex countryside. We look forward to defending it, together, in 2026!

PS – don’t forget that you can give the gift of CPRE membership this Christmas!

Do you know somebody who loves the Sussex countryside as much as you do? And do you want to give a gift that lasts all year long?

You can buy individual or household CPRE Sussex membership as a gift. As you know, membership comes with a host of benefits including discounts on events and access to houses and gardens across the county – plus the knowledge that you are helping to shape a greener future for Sussex.

Give the gift of CPRE membership.