Residents urged to take part in draft Local Plan consultation
Cabinet councillors at Eastbourne Borough Council are set to consider the next stage of public consultation on the draft Local Plan. A Local Plan guides where new homes, employment space and community facilities should be located, as well as the infrastructure that will be needed.
Councillor Colin Swansborough, Cabinet Member for Regulatory Services, said:
"The government's housing targets bear no relationship to the reality on the ground in Eastbourne - it's as if they have forgotten that we are hemmed in by the South Downs National Park and the English Channel. If that was not already challenging enough, we have floodplains to the east of the town and a tight border with Wealden which means we can't grow outwards.
"However, it is essential that Eastbourne has a Local Plan - if it isn't the town could become a wild west for developers and we would lose control over where new homes are built. To make sure that doesn't happen we must show the government's planning inspector that we have left no stone unturned in arriving at a realistic level of housing growth, which includes the consideration of all possible sites for development, including ones which have been proposed by developers. So please do complete our consultation and give us your feedback".
It is essential that the council demonstrate that all reasonable options have been assessed. If sites are excluded from the plan without sufficient evidence, the Inspector has the power to put them back in.
Councillor Holt, Leader of Eastbourne Borough Council, said:
"We need a Local Plan that gives us control over development in Eastbourne, and I urge residents to play their part by sharing their views. We know how strongly people feel about the future of our town, so we want residents to be part of this conversation and help shape that future. We've also produced an FAQ which can be found online on our website, which explains the process and gives more details."
A full programme of drop-in events will be published shortly. These sessions will give residents the opportunity to hear and speak with planning officers, ask questions about the Local Plan and the evidence behind it, understand the constraints Eastbourne faces and why we are preparing the plan.
Cabinet will consider the draft Local Plan on February 11.
Eastbourne Local Plan consultation FAQS (PDF, 196 KB)
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